Resources for Transgender Individuals and Allies

The following advocacy organizations, books, movies, podcasts, etc. are separated by topic and genre. Please know that this is a continuously growing list of resources. If you are looking for NJ-specific resources, and/or would like to provide suggestions for additional content, please email us at admin@spectrumhealthandwellnessllc.com

The list below has been compiled from a number of outside sources and is shared with gratitude for the tireless efforts of individuals with lived experience, activists, educators, journalists, etc. The list itself can be copied/pasted/shared without attribution.

Advocate

 

Gender Spectrum

This organization provides programs, discussion groups, and other opportunities online for youth, families, and the professionals who serve them to find information about youth and gender, as well as opportunities to connect with each other and feel less isolated. www.genderspectrum.org

 

Sylvia Rivera Law Project

SRLP works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination or violence. https://srlp.org

Transgender Law Center

The Transgender Law Center is the largest national trans-led organization advocating self-determination for all people.. https://transgenderlawcenter.org

 

ACLU

The ACLU is fighting for anti-discrimination for transgender individuals in employment, housing, schools, family building, in public places (restrooms), health care, legal documentation, as well as in prisons, jails and detention facilities. ACLU: Transgender Rights

National Center for Transgender Equality

NCTE advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice. www.ncte.org

 

Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund

TLDEF is committed to ending discrimination based upon gender identity and expression and to achieving equality for transgender people through public education, test-case litigation, direct legal services, and public policy efforts. https://transgenderlegal.org

GLAAD

The the world's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy organization promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive coverage for LGBT people. www.glaad.org

 

GLSEN

GLSEN believes that every student has the right to a safe, supportive, and LGBTQ-inclusive K-12 education. We are a national network of educators, students, and local GLSEN Chapters working to make this right a reality. www.glsen.org

Lambda Legal

A national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy. https://www.lambdalegal.org

 

Trans/Gender Non-Conforming Justice Project

Since it’s start in 2001, the Trans/Gender Non-Conforming Justice Project has been a leader in addressing the needs of the trans* (transgender and gender nonconforming people) community through the expansion of rights in the legislative and policy arenas. https://www.thetaskforce.org

Human Rights Campaign

An organization that works locally, nationally and globally on issues that affect the LGBTQ community. HRC partners with people across demographics, industries and governments to provide leadership on how to back up pro-equality statements with real action — and create a society where none of us is left behind. www.hrc.org

 

The Audre Lorde TransJustice Project

TransJustice is a political group created by and for Trans and Gender Non-conforming people of color. TransJustice works to mobilize its communities and allies into action on the pressing political issues they face, including gaining access to jobs, housing, and education; the need for Trans-sensitive healthcare, HIV-related services, and job-training programs; resisting police, government and anti-immigrant violence. https://alp.org

 

I Am: Trans People Speak

A project to raise awareness about the diversity that exists within transgender communities. It gives a voice to transgender individuals, as well as their families, friends, and allies. http://www.transpeoplespeak.org

 

TransAthlete

A resource for students, athletes, coaches, and administrators to find information about trans inclusion in athletics at various levels of play. This site pulls together existing information in one central location, and breaks down information into easy-to-reference areas to help you find what you need. https://www.transathlete.com

The Trans 100

A celebration of excellence within the trans community. https://www.thetrans100.com

 

Trans-Parenting

An organization dedicated to providing support and educational resources to parents and their advocates (pediatricians, mental health professionals, lawyers, schools, friends, family, and churches) raising a gender independent child. https://www.trans-parenting.com

Stand With Trans

The mission of Stand With Trans is to provide the tools needed by transgender youth so they will be empowered, supported and validated as they transition to their authentic life. https://standwithtrans.org

 

PFLAG: Our Trans Loved Ones

Written by PFLAG staff members, and created with the help of content experts, reviewers, and PFLAGers with experience to share, OUR TRANS LOVED ONES is full of information, first-person stories, and expert input geared to those who have a loved one who has come out as trans or gender expansive.​ https://pflag.org

Read

Books for Adults

Education

  • A Clinician’s Guide to Gender Affirming Care - Sand C. Chang

  • The Autistic Trans Guide to Life - Yenn Purkis and Wenn Lawson

  • Becoming an Ally to the Gender-Expansive Child - Anna Bianchi

  • Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity - C. Riley Snorton

  • Conscious Parent’s Guide to Gender Identity - Darlene Tando

  • Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Trans* - Bryn Tannehill

  • Female Husbands: A Trans History - Jen Manion

  • Gender Born, Gender Made - Diane Ehrensaft, PhD

  • The Gender Creative Child - Diane Ehrensaft

  • Helping Your Transgender Teen - Irwin Krieger

  • How to They/Them: A Visual Guide to Nonbinary Pronouns and the World of Gender Fluidity - Stuart Getty

  • Raising My Rainbow - Lori Duron

  • Trans Bodies, Trans Selves - Laura Erikson-Schroth

  • Trans Kung Fu: Embodying Self Acceptance - Ashley Adamson

  • Trans+: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You - Kathryn Gonzales and Karen Rayne

  • Transgender History: The Roots of Today’s Revolution - Susan Stryker

  • The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals - Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper

  • The Transgender Teen: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals Supporting Transgender and Non-Binary Teens - Stephanie Brill and Lisa Kenney

  • Transgressive - Rachel Anne Williams

Workbooks

  • The Queer and Transgender Resilience Workbook: Skills for Navigating Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression - Anneliese Singh, Phd, LPC

  • The Reflective Workbook for Parents and Families of Transgender and Nonbinary Children - D.M. Maynard

  • Trans Allyship Workbook: Building Skills to Support Trans People in our Lives - Davey Shlasko

  • Trans Bodies, Trans Selves - Laura Erickson-Schroth

  • Transgender Children and Youth: Cultivating Pride and Joy with Families in Transition - Elijah C. Nealy

  • The Trans Partner Handbook: A Guide for When Your Partner Transitions - Jo Green

  • Transitioning in the Workplace: A Guidebook - Dana Pizzuti

  • The Voice Book for Trans and Nonbinary People: A Practical Guide to Creating and Sustaining Authentic Voice and Communication - Mathew Mills and Gillie Stoneham

True Stories

  • Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family - Amy Nutt

  • The Bold World - Jodie Patterson

  • He’s Always Been My Son: A Mother’s Story about Raising her Transgender Son - Janna Barkin

  • I Promised Not to Tell: Raising a Transgender Child - Cheryl B. Evans

  • Intersection - Noah Adams and Bridget Liang

  • It Never Goes Away: Gender Transition at a Mature Age - Dr. Anne Koch

  • Not Just a Tomboy - Caspar J. Baldwin

  • Raising Ryland - Hillary Whittington

  • She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders - Jennifer Finney

  • Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place (A Transgender Memoir) - Jackson Bird

  • The Testosterone Files: My Hormonal and Social Transformation from Female to Male - Max Wolf Valerio

  • Tomorrow Will Be Different - Sarah McBride

  • Trans and Autistic: Stories from Life at the

  • Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue - Leslie Feinberg (a collection of speeches on liberation)

  • Trans Like Me: Conversations for All of Us - CN Lester

  • Trans Love (An Anthology of Transgender and Non-Binary Voices - Freiya Benson

  • Uncomfortable Labels: My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman - Laura Kate Dale

  • What We Will Become: A Mother, A Son, and A Journey of Transformation - Mimi Lemay

  • XOXY: A Memoir - Kimberly Zieselman (Intersex Identity)

Fiction

  • An Unkindness of Ghosts - Rivers Solomon

  • Detransition, Baby - Torrey Peters

  • First Spring Grass Fire - Rae Spoon

  • Long Macchiatos and Monsters - Alison Evans

  • Mask of Shadows - Linsey Miller

  • Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides

  • Nevada - Imogen Binnie

  • On a Sunbeam - Tillie Walden (graphic novel)

  • The Black Tides of Heaven ( The Tensorate Series, 1) - Neon Yang

  • The Thirty Names of Night - Zeyn Juokhadar

  • This is How it Always Is - Laurie Frankel

Books for Teenagers (14+)

True Stories

  • Being Jazz: My Life as a Transgender Teen - Jazz Jennings

  • Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out - Susan Kuklin

  • First Year Out: A Transition Story (Graphic Novel) - Sabrina Symington

  • Rethinking Normal: A Memoir of Transition - Katie Rain Hill

  • Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of Transgender Teen - Arin Andrews

  • Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir - Liz Prince

Workbooks

  • Gender Identity Workbook for Teens - Andrew Maxwell Triska, LCSW

  • The Gender Quest Workbook - Multiple Authors

Fiction

  • Alex as Well - Alyssa Brugman

  • Almost Perfect - Brian Katcher

  • Annex - Rich Larson

  • The Art of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson

  • Beautiful Music for Ugly Children - Kristin Cronn-Mills

  • Being Emily - Rachel Gold

  • Blanca & Roja - Anna-Marie McLemore

  • Birthday - Meridith Russo

  • The Brilliant Death - Amy Rose Capetta

  • Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas

  • Dreadnought (Nemesis Series) - April Daniels

  • The Drowning Girl - Caitlin Kiernan

  • Escapology - Ren Warom

  • Felix Ever After - Kacen Callender

  • Freshwater - Awkaeke Emezi

  • Full Fathom Five (Craft Sequence Series - Max Gladstone

  • I am J - Chris Beam

  • I Wish You All The Best - Mason Deaver

  • If I Was Your Girl - Meredith Russo

  • Lily and Duncan - Donna Gephart

  • Lizard Radio - Pat Schmatz

  • Luna - Julie Anne Peters

  • None of the Above - I.W. Gregorio

  • Not Your Sidekick - C.B. Lee

  • Pet - Akwaeke Emezi

  • Provenance - Ann Leckie

  • The Red Threads of Fortune - Neon Yang

  • Starless - Jacqueline Carey

  • Stay Gold - Tobly McSmith

  • Symptoms of Being Human - Jeff Garvin

  • Treason of Hawks - Lila Bowen

  • The Unintentional Time Traveler - Everett Maroon

  • Wandering Son and Wandering Son v.2-v.6 (Anime) - Shimura Takako

  • When the Moon Was Ours - Anna-Marie McLemore

Books for Tweens (7 to 14)

True Stories

  • Queer, There, and Everywhere - Sarah Prager

Workbooks / Education

  • Sex is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and You - Cory Silverberg

  • The Every Body Book: The LGBTQ+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender Bodies and Families - Rachel Simon

  • The Trans Self-Care Workbook - Theo Lorenz

Fiction

  • Assigned Male (Graphic Novel) - Sophie Labelle

  • Every Day - David Levithan

  • Fine - Rhea Ewing

  • Freakboy - Kristin Elizabeth Clark

  • George - Alex Gino

  • Gracefully Grayson - Ami Polonsky

  • Happy Families - Tanita S. Davis

  • Parrotfish - Ellen Wittlinger

Elementary Age / Picture Books

Picture Books

  • Ana on the Edge - A.J. Sass

  • Are You a Boy or a Girl - Sarah Savage and Fox Fisher

  • Ben Y and the Ghost in the Machine (The Kids Under the Stairs) - K.A. Holt

  • Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope - Jodie Patterson

  • Both Can Be True - Jules Machias

  • Calvin - JR Ford and Vanessa Ford

  • Cattywampus - Ash Van Otterloo

  • Ciel in All Directions - Sophie Labelle

  • The Deep and Dark Blue - Niki Smith

  • The Fabulous Zed Watson! - Basil Sylvester

  • From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea - Kai Cheng Thom

  • He’s My Mom - Sarah Savage

  • Ho’onani: Hula Warrior - Heather Gale

  • I am Jazz - Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings

  • Introducing Teddy: A Gentle Story About Gender and Friendship - Jess Walton

  • It Feels Good to Be Yourself - A Book About Gender Identity - Theresa Thorn

  • Jack (Not Jackie) - Erica Silverman

  • Jacob’s New Dress - Sarah and Ian Hoffman

  • Jacob’s School Play: Starring He, She, and They - Sarah and Ian Hoffman

  • Jamie and Bubbie: A Book About People’s Pronouns - Afsaneh Moradian

  • Julian is a Mermaid - Jessica Love

  • Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor - Rick Riordan

  • Meet Polkadot - Talcott Broadhead

  • Melissa - Alex Gino

  • The Moon Within - Aida Salazar

  • My Maddy - Gayle Pitman

  • My Rainbow - Trinity and DeShanna Neal

  • My Sister, Daisy - Adria Karlsson

  • Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress - Christine Baldacchino

  • Neither - Airlie Anderson

  • The Nonbinary Bunny - Maia Kobabe

  • Not Quite Narwhal - Jessie Sima

  • Peanut Goes for the Gold - Jonathan Van Ness

  • Phoenix Goes to School: A Story to Support Transgender and Gender Diverse Children - Michelle Finch and Phoenix Finch

  • Red: A Crayon’s Story - Michael Hall

  • Riding Freedom - Pam Muñoz Ryan

  • She’s My Dad - Sarah Savage

  • Snapdragon - Kat Leyh

  • Stacey’s Not a Girl - Colt Keo-Meier, PhD

  • Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution! The Story of the Trans Women of Color Who Made LGBTQ+ History - Joy Michael Ellison and Teshika Silver

  • 10,000 Dresses - Marcus Ewert

  • They Call Me Mix / Me Llaman Maestre (Bilingual) - Lourdes Rivas

  • They, She, He, Easy as ABC - Maya Christina Gonzalez and Matthew Smith-Gonzalez

  • They, She, He, Me Free to Be! - Maya Christina Gonzalez and Matthew Smith-Gonzalez

  • This is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us - Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby

  • Too Bright to See - Kyle Lukoff

  • Vincent the Vixen - Alice Reeves

  • What are Your Words - Katherine Locke

  • What Makes a Baby - Cory Silverberg

  • When Aiden Became a Brother, Hooray!! - Kyle Lukoff

  • Who am I? I am me! A Book to Explore Gender Equality, Gender Stereotyping, Acceptance and Diversity - Jayneen Sanders

  • Who Are You?: The Kid’s Guide to Gender Identity - Brooke Pessin-Whedbee

  • You Need to Chill - Juno Dawson

  • Zenobia July - Lisa Bunker

Coloring Books

  • Trans Affirmation Coloring Book - Theo Nicole Lorenz

  • The Transgender Heroes Coloring Book - Tara Madison Avery

Documentaries/DocuSeries

  • Always Jane (Amazon Prime): A four-part coming-of-age docuseries which spotlights transgender teenager Jane Noury and her family as she nears her high school graduation and prepares for college.

  • A Place in the Middle: The true story of a young girl in Hawaiʻi who dreams of leading the boys-only hula group at her school, and a teacher who empowers her through traditional culture. This kid-friendly educational film is a great way to get students thinking and talking about the values of diversity and inclusion, the power of knowing your heritage, and how to prevent bullying by creating a school climate of aloha – from their own point of view!

  • After Stonewall (Amazon Prime): A film that follows the gay rights movement in the aftermath of the Stonewall uprising.

  • Be Like Others: Transexuals in Iran (PBS International): An intimate look at life in Iran through the eyes of young men choosing to undergo sex change surgery.

  • Beautiful Darling, The Life and Times of Candy Darling, Andy Warhol Superstar: A documentary that chronicles Candy Darling, a transgender pioneer and Andy Warholl superstar.

  • Beautiful Daughters: This documentary follows a group of transgender women putting on the first all-transgender production of “The Vagina Monologues,” including a new monologue.

  • Before Stonewall (Amazon Prime): A film that follows the history of the gay rights movement before the Stonewall uprising.

  • Bixa Travesty: A documentary that follows Mc Linn Da Quebrada, a Black trans woman, performer and activist living in impoverished São Paulo, Brazil.

  • Born to Be: A documentary about the first major American hospital (Mt. Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery in NYC) center for transgender surgery. This film follows both physicians and patients as they navigate their transition-related health care.

  • Call her Ganda: When Jennifer Laude, a Filipina trans woman, is brutally murdered by a U.S. Marine, three women intimately invested in the case–an activist attorney (Virgie Suarez), a transgender journalist (Meredith Talusan) and Jennifer’s mother (Julita “Nanay” Laude)–galvanize a political uprising, pursuing justice and taking on hardened histories of US imperialism.

  • Changing the Game (Hulu): A film that follows the lives of three high school athletes—all at different stages of their athletic seasons, personal lives, and unique paths as transgender teens.

  • Cruel and Unusual: In this documentary, five transgender women share their prison experiences. Interviews with attorneys, doctors, and other experts are also included.

  • The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (Netflix): This film chronicles Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, prominent figures in gay liberation and transgender rights movement in NYC from the 1960s to 1990s. The film centers on activist Victoria Cruz’ investigation into Johnson’s death in 1992.

  • Disclosure (Netflix): A look at Hollywood’s depiction of transgender people and the impact of this on American culture.

  • The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone (Netflix): A series of footage spanning over ten years to tell the story of Georgie Stone, one of the world's most dynamic trans-kid activists, who fights to change laws and take control of her own story.

  • Equal (HBO Documentary Series): The four-part series chronicles landmark events and leaders in LGBTQ history, and consists of a mixture of archival footage and scripted reenactments.

  • Faces and Facets of Transgender Experience: Eighteen people and their families share touching stories about the journey from despair and loss to the joy of being the gender they were meant to be. Diversity of ages, ethnicity and background of the interviewees put many faces on what it means to be gender variant.

  • From Cece (Amazon Prime): On her way to the store with a group of friends, Chrishaun Reen “CeCe” McDonald was brutally attacked. While defending her life, a man was killed. After a coercive interrogation, CeCe was incarcerated in a men’s prison in Minnesota. An international campaign to free CeCe garnered significant support from media and activists, including actress Laverne Cox.

  • Growing up Coy: A Colorado family is thrust into the international media spotlight when they fight for the rights of their 6-year-old transgender daughter in a landmark civil rights case.

  • Kiki: This documentary takes place in NYC and focuses on the drag and voguing scene. This film is considered an unofficial sequel to Paris is Burning as it profiles several young LGBT people of color who participate in contemporary ballroom culture.

  • Kumu Hina (PBS): A film about the struggle to maintain Pacific Islander culture and values within the Westernized society of modern day Hawaiʻi. It is told through the lens of an extraordinary Native Hawaiian who is both a proud and confident māhū, or transgender woman, and an honored and respected kumu, or teacher, cultural practitioner, and community leader.

  • Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story: In this documentary, former U.S. Navy SEAL Kristin Beck embarks on a new mission as she lives her life truthfully as a transgender woman.

  • Mala Mala: A documentary that highlights several stories from transgender individuals in Puerto Rico. The film also includes the historic victory of the LGBT community with the approval and signature of Law 238-2014 (in Puerto Rico), which prevents discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

  • Mama Gloria (PBS): A documentary about Chicago’s Black transgender icon Gloria Allen, who blazed a trail for transgender people like few others before her.

  • Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She: Examines the diversity of human sexual and gender variance around the globe, with commentary by scientific experts and first-hand accounts of people who do not conform to a simple male/female binary.

  • No Dumb Questions: A lighthearted and poignant documentary that profiles three sisters, ages 6, 9, and 11, struggling to understand why and how their Uncle Bill is becoming a woman.

  • P.S. Burn this Letter Please: P.S. Burn This Letter Please is a documentary film about New York City's drag community

  • Paris is Burning: This film chronicles the ball culture of NYC and Black, Latinx, Gay and Transgender communities involved in it.

  • Passing: This short documentary profiles the lives of three young transmen of color, detailing what life is like living as a black man, when no one knows you are transgender, and how each man perceives his own journey with gender.

  • Pride (Netflix): A six-part documentary series chronicling the struggle for LGBTQ+ civil rights in America from the 1950s through the 2000s.

  • The Queen: A documentary that explores the experiences of drag queens organizing and participating in the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Contest held at NYC’s Town Hall.

  • Real Boy (PBS): The intimate story of a family in transition, Real Boy, follows the journey of a transgender teenager Bennett as he navigates adolescence, sobriety, and the physical and emotional ramifications of his changing gender identity.

  • Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria: A film that documents transgender women and drag queens who fought police harassment at Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco's Tenderloin in 1966, three years before the famous riot at Stonewall Inn bar in NYC.

  • Stay on the Board: The Leo Baker Story (Netflix): Celebrated Skateboarder Leo Baker shares the details of his rise to fame, and the clash between his career and his self-discovery as a trans man.

  • The Trans List: In this documentary group portrait, eleven transgender people share their stories in their own words. The film shows the individuality and diverse perspectives of activists, artists, athletes, models, porn stars, military personnel, and entrepreneurs as they recount their experiences with love, desire, family, prejudice, and rebellion

  • Transagenda: Transagenda is the first film created by Anna Andersen and Molly Stark-Ragsdale. This film tells the stories of two trans youth who have experienced homelessness in the recent past told through the lens of disposable photographs.

  • Transformer (Netflix): This documentary tells the story of a champion powerlifter who faces personal and professional challenges during her transition into living as a woman.

  • Transgender: At War and In Love: A transgender airman is deployed to Afghanistan as the gender he knows himself to be. But everyday he risks being discharged because outdated U.S. policy bans open trans service.

  • Transhood (Hulu): An inspiring chronicle of the lives of four young people and their families as they navigate growing up transgender in America's heartland.

  • Transmormon: This short documentary tracks the life of Eri Hayward, who was born and raised in Utah as a Mormon. Eri discusses how she had to come to terms with the fact that the gender she was assigned at birth was not the gender she knows herself to be. As she prepares for sex reassignment surgery, she and her parents recount her journey and how she has worked to reconcile her transgender identity with her religious beliefs as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

  • Visible: Out on Television (Apple TV): A docuseries about the representation of LGBTQ+ people in television, both on-screen and behind the camera.

Movies

  • A Fantastic Woman (Sony Pictures Classics): Transgender opera singer Daniela Vega stars as Marina, a Santiago nightclub chanteuse in the process of moving in with her dashing, much older lover, Orlando

  • The Craft: Legacy (Blumhouse/Sony): The film skirts the line between letting the audience know Lourdes is trans without focusing her entire plot line around her trans identity. When she jokes about not being able to relate to an incident involving a period mishap, her friends acknowledge their carelessness and then quickly move on. It’s encouraging to see a young trans character surrounded by supportive friends, and it highlights how rare such respectful portrayals are.

  • The Danish Girl: A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener.

  • Drunktown’s Finest: Three young Native Americans - an adopted Christian girl, a rebellious father-to-be, and a transexual person - strive to escape hardships of life on an Indian reservation.

  • Girl (Netflix): Fifteen-year-old ballet dancer Lara faces physical and emotional hurdles as she prepares for gender confirmation surgery.

  • Lingua Franca (Netflix): Despite its flaws, there is much to admire in Lingua Franca’s sensitive depiction of a trans woman’s experiences, its assured visual storytelling, and its careful avoidance of tired tropes.

  • Ma Vie En Rose: This Belgian film tells the story of Ludovic, a child who is seen by family and community as a boy, but consistently communicates being a girl.

  • Red Without Blue: The intimate bond between two identical twin brothers is challenged when one decides to transition from male to female; this is the story of their evolving relationship, and the resurrection of their family from a darker past.

  • Tangerine (Magnolia Films): A comedy-drama that follows a transgender sex worker who discovers her boyfriend is a pimp and has been cheating on her.

  • Transfinite: A sci-fi omnibus feature film composed of seven standalone short stories where supernatural trans and queer people from various cultures use their powers to protect, love, teach, fight and thrive.

  • The True Adventures of Wolfboy (Vertical Entertainment): A beautiful coming-of-age film written by Olivia Dufault, a transgender woman, about the fears and emotions trans people may experience as they approach transition.

TV Shows

  • 911 Lone Star (Fox): In this Firefighter Drama, Brian Michael Smith plays the character Paul Strickland, a firefighter/paramedic who is also a trans man.

  • Billions (Showtime): In Season 2, Asia Kate Dillon is a nonbinary actor who plays Taylor, a nonbinary character.

  • Butterfly (Hulu): Butterfly is about the acrimonious relationship between separated parents, Vicky and Stephen, and their division in opinion over how to support their gender variant child, Max.

  • Dispatches from Elsewhere (AMC): Eve Lindley is a main character starring as Simone, a trans woman looking for a way out of her isolation.

  • Euphoria (HBO): Hunter Schaefer plays Jules, one of the main characters of this drama that follows a group of high school students through their experiences of sex, drugs, friendships, love, identity and trauma.

  • First Day (Hulu): A new Hulu series about a 12-year-old transgender girl, Hannah (Evie Macdonald), beginning middle school.

  • Good Girls (NBC): The child of one of the main characters explores gender identity and comes out as transgender in beautifully affirming scene.

  • Heartstopper (Netflix): A series that follows a gay schoolboy who falls in love with his classmate. Yasmin Finney is a transgender actress who plays Elle, a transgender friend of the main character.

  • The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime): In this reboot, creators work to remedy the poor representation of transgender men in the original series. There are two transgender men in the main cast.

  • Pose (FX): This television series follows New York City's African-American and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming drag ball culture scene in the 1980s and, in the second season, early 1990s.

  • Saved By the Bell Reboot (Peacock): Josie Totah plays a main character who is transgender in this reboot.

  • Sense8 (Netflix): This series centers on a group of people who discover they are "Sensates." It is LGBTQ-inclusive both in front of and behind the camera. Co-creators Lana and Lily Wachowski are transgender, as is actress Jamie Clayton. Clayton's character Nomi is also trans, and Miguel Ángel Silvestre's character, Lito, is a gay Latino actor coming to terms with his sexuality.

  • Single Drunk Female (Hulu): Jojo Brown is a young trans actress who plays Mindy, a friend to the main character who is in recovery from substances

  • Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access):  In a first for the "Star Trek" franchise, characters who are gender-nonbinary and transgender will appear on the third season of "Star Trek: Discovery,"

    Ian Alexander ("The OA") plays Gray, a trans man who has spent his life as a Trill planning to be a host for a symbiotic alien species that lives in different hosts over its lifetime.

    Blu del Barrio plays Adira, a nonbinary character who bonds with Lt. Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), the first same-sex couple in "Trek" TV series history.

  • Supergirl (CW): Nicole Maines plays one of the first transgender superheroes in this series. She plays Nia Nal, and her transgender identity is part of her origin story.

  • Transparent (Amazon Prime): This series follows a Los Angeles family and their lives following the discovery that the parent they knew as their father is a trans woman named Maura.

  • Veneno (HBO Max): This series follows a young journalism student named Valeria (based on a memoir by Valeria Vegas) who finds she has a lot in common with 90s Spanish transgender icon Cristina Ortiz.

  • Work in Progress (Showtime): A sharp black comedy that includes trans characters, and a refreshingly unfiltered take on mental illness, body image, and gender non-conformity.

Manga/Anime

  • After School Nightmare: Mashiro Ichijo is a girls' idol, handsome and kind, but he has been hiding a secret all his life; he's not truly male, nor entirely female.

  • Boys Run the Riot: This series follows a transgender high school boy named Ryo Watari and his struggles in a school setting that does not accept his gender. His interest in men's fashion leads to him to befriend Jin Sato, a cisgender boy who is also an outcast.

  • Claudine: The story is narrated by an unnamed psychiatrist as he reflects on the life and loves of Claude, the child of an aristocratic French family in the early 20th century. Assigned female at birth, Claude (born and often referred to throughout the story as Claudine) has identified as a boy since the age of eight; Claude's parents take him to the psychiatrist, who befriends Claude after confirming that he is in good health.

  • The Day of Revolution: The Day of Revolution revolves around Kei Yoshikawa, a boy in high school who one day is informed that he is genetically female. This shocking realization causes his family to grow closer together and Kei decides that he is going to restart his life as a girl named Megumi.

  • IS: Otoko Demo Onna Demo Nai Sei: The first volume is a collection of stories about two different intersex characters and their separate troubles. Volumes 2 and onward deal with the life of intersex Haru Hoshino, starting just before his birth and continuing past high school.

  • Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl: At the start of Kashimashi, a young high school boy named Hazumu Osaragi declares his love to classmate and close friend Yasuna Kamiizumi, but she quickly rejects him. Dejected, Hazumu climbs Mt. Kashima and is killed when an alien spacecraft accidentally crash lands on him. To rectify this, the alien in the ship named Hitoshi Sora brings Hazumu back to life, but inadvertently regenerates him as a female right down to the DNA level. This change in Hazumu serves as the catalyst for the development of character interactions for the remainder of the series.

  • Love Me for Who I Am: Love Me for Who I Am follows non-binary high school student Mogumo, who lives away from their family home. At school, fellow student Tetsu Iwaoka invites them to work at Question!, a maid café. Mogumo signs on, happy at first because they can present how they want, but soon discovers the reason Tetsu invited them to work there was because he mistook them for a cross-dressing boy. Incensed, Mogumo tells Iwaoka not to assume their gender based on presentation – causing Iwaoka (and the rest of the maid cafe's staff) to re-think what they know about gender.

  • Majitora! Minami Maki, a high school student, joins the Magical Girl Club, thinking it to be centred around cosplaying. However, much to their shock, they discover that using an app the club's president invented turns anyone into a magical girl for real. Subsequently, they start exploring their gender identity and expression in their magical girl form, along with their childhood friend Karin Saku and the club's president Chiyoko Teruto.

  • Nononono: Nono Nonomiya is a girl with exceptional skill in ski jumping who is hoping to fulfill her father's and her brother's dreams of winning the gold medal at the Olympics. However, since Woman's Ski Jumping isn't a recognized Olympic category, Nono must cross-dress and disguise herself as her twin brother, Yuuta Nonomiya, in order to be eligible to compete.

  • Paradise Kiss: This series features a trangender character who serves as a mother figure to the members of ParaKiss.

  • Princess Knight: Taking place in a medieval European-like fairy tale setting, Princess Knight is the story of Sapphire who must pretend to be a male prince so she can inherit the throne of Silverland as women are not eligible to do so. As she is born, her father, the King, announces his baby is a boy instead of a girl.

  • Wandering Son: The story depicts a young student named Shuichi Nitori, described by the author as a trans and Shuichi's friend Yoshino Takatsuki, described as a trans boy. The series deals with issues such as being transgender, gender identity, and the beginning of puberty.

Podcasts

  • Below is a list of podcasts that are created by, for, and/or about transgender individuals and their families.

    • All the Only Ones: This three-part NPR podcast follows the lives of young transgender people today and travels back in time to the turn of the 20th century to meet some of the earliest trans youths documented in American history.

    • Beau My God: Beau my God is a unique insight into Queer culture, history, and current events, centering around the perspective of a Non-Binary Trans Man.

    • Beyond Gender Podcast: Interviews that explore the experiences of many different transgender people. Every other Thursday we drop new episodes. Through a series of interviews, this podcast will shine a light on the experiences of trans people from all walks of life.

    • Box N. 512 Podcast: Grown Black Trans Women Talk with Aeon and The Lioness: Join Aeon and The Lioness as they navigate life, love, and work as thriving as thirty-something black trans women in America.

    • Camp Wild Heart: Camp Wild Heart is your guide for raising a transgender or non-binary child and nurturing an affirming family. We help you ease your fear and navigate your confusion. Mackenzie Dunham, clinical social worker and co-founder of Wild Heart Society, talks with parents, experts, and transgender adults about the ins and outs of coping with internalized transphobia, fostering shame resilience, exploring medical transition for youth, understanding identity development, knowing what language to use when, and more.

    • Diary of a Trans Man: This show tells the journey of a young transgender man as he shares his story with the world. Insightful and thoughtful, this show speaks from the heart.

    • The Gender GP Podcast: The GenderGP Podcast is a series of interviews and discussions hosted by GenderGP Founder, Dr. Helen Webberley and GenderGP Lead Therapist, Marianne Oakes, covering all aspects of life as a member of the trans community.

    • Gender Reveal: A podcast about nonbinary and transgender folks. Join us as we interview notable trans guests, analyze current events, answer advice questions and get a little bit closer to understanding what the heck gender is.

    • How to Be a Girl: An audio podcast about the challenges a mother faces as she raises her transgender daughter. It stars the two of them, as they work together to sort out just what it means to be a girl.

    • Journeys: A podcast where I invite people who are in and surround the transgender community to talk about their experiences in order to bridge the gap and show who Transgender people really are.

    • Let’s Talk Gender: Show notes for Lets Talk Gender Podcast and a blog about being gender queer/non-binary, having a partner who transitions, and musings about the gendered aspects of society.

    • The Lioness Still Lives: The Lioness Lives Podcast produces online content that follows the life of The Lioness, a beautiful, busty, black, trans woman, as she navigates being a wife, a sister, and a trans-community advocate in Atlanta, GA

    • Masc Undone: Transgender men, Tiq Milan and Aydian Dowling have honest, funny and vulnerable conversations about being trans, cultural expectations of manliness and reimagining masculinity into something entirely different.

    • Men Like Us: Chris, a publicly open trans amorous man, speaks with other trans amorous men about their experiences.

    • Middle C: This multiple award-winning two-part radio documentary follows singer Tristan Whiston’s story of female-to-male transition, including family discussion and perspectives.

    • My Nonbinary Life –Y ou might have heard the term non-binary. This is how it feels. Join Caitlin Benedict & Amrou Al-Kadhi as they ask the big questions about gender & identity.

    • The So Free Art Podcast: Art is Powerful, it can change your life, like it has for Transgender Artist Sophie Lawson, who shares not only drawing and painting tips, but how art can help heal your life and allow you to start facing your fears.

    • Trans A.M. Podcast: A podcast about a transgender man and his wife including transitioning, marriage, work, family, and coming out. Listen to the stories of 2 people just trying to be normal in this abnormal world.

    • Trans and Caffeinated: This podcast is rooted in a singular dream - to aid our culture's growth by fostering collective education, encouraging open discussion, and most importantly nurturing and inspiring new generations of my transgender siblings. Here's to a transer future.

    • Trans in Color: Trans In Color discusses the adversities facing trans men of color and provides a safe place for them to give and receive advice and encouragement. Each week we interview different men in the community to hear their experiences and achievements or address topics to help with every day situations.

    • Trans Panic (TW - transphobia and violence): Trans Panic is a True Crime podcast chronicling the lives and deaths of transgender murder victims in America.

    • Trans PanTastic: A podcast about gender, identity, orientation, and all the life that happens around them! George is a straight FtM TransMan. Jess is his pansexual nonbinary wife. They talk about parenting, transition, work, transition, relationships, and transition.

    • Trans P.O.V.: A transgender talk show to discuss trans issues from the point of view of trans and non-trans supports.

    • Trans Questioning Podcast: Sarah Zedig discusses her transition and interviews other trans people to figure out what it means to be transgender.

    • Trans Talk Raw: Niki Marie Dawn and Terri Ellen host this informative show 3 to 4 times a week with no hold barred. We discuss all the issues currently facing Transgender people worldwide, lived experiences through our personal and professional lives as transgender women, and bring to the forefront tips, tricks and know-how to help our community.

    • TransLash: A podcast for journalists, thought-leaders, movement activists, researchers, and those wanting to know about trans people. TransLash produces narratives about and for the trans community––accurately and reliably.TRANSitioning Through Life: “When I came out as Transgender finding doctors or answers to questions was impossible. Becoming frustrated that my resources were so limited, I believed that there had to be a way to ease this process. In sharing my story and experiences transitioning, I hope to give you confidence and guidance to rock your own transition.”

    • Transformation Thursday: On Transformation Thursday Amy Stephens and Penny Sterling talk a lot about transgender issues because they are two women who happen to be trans, but they also talk about other issues.

    • Transgender: Why Should I Care? A research podcast about the basics of the transgender community.

    • Transmission by Jackson Bird: Breaking transgender stereotypes one episode at a time, host Jackson Bird sits down with a fellow trans person each episode to talk about their experiences in our new age of heightened trans visibility.

    • Transparently Trans: Transparently Trans is an educational series surrounding all aspects of the transgender community and is aimed at all listeners, not just those who identify as transgender.

    • We Happen To Be Trans: There's more to us than being trans. A pop-culture podcast.

    • What the Trans? – A UK-based weekly podcast with news and interviews, made by and for transgender and non-binary people. Hosts fact-check, raise voices from the community, and top it all off with a generous helping of snark. If you like what they do, please support them on Patreon.