With the coming out of Caitlyn Jenner, the lauding of actress Laverne Cox, shows on ABC Family and Amazon as well as many, many other things, transgender people are in the middle of a truly historic moment. They are moving from the fringes of society to front and center—ready or not. You have to be very brave and courageous to show the world your true self. However, all these positive news stories doesn’t mean that some people aren’t still confused or angered by what it means to be transgender or what it means for their own gender identities. They need to find true understanding through authentic stories and personal experiences. Twenty years ago, when I was in college, someone I’d grown up with transitioned from female to male. I was puzzled at first, mainly by the mechanics of it and how it would all work, but I realized that it actually made complete sense. He’d always seemed more male than female to me anyway and now his outside was just finally going to match who he  was inside. I couldn’t begin to imagine that and so in the end it was very easy for me to accept him.

Teen literature spends a good proportion of its existence taking on tough topics, shedding light on what it means to be different and how we strive to become our most authentic selves. So it should come as a surprise to no one that teen lit has been showcasing the courageous, true and fictional, stories of transgender teens, teens struggling with gender identity and teens interacting with transgender friends and family members for years. Here are just a few (as in a lot) of what I found on NYPL shelves. As you read, remember this quote by poet e. e. cummings,

"To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."

Alex as Well by Alyssa Brugman
Raised as boy and on hormones, Alex is actually intersex (someone whose anatomy or genetics at birth do not correspond to the typical expectations for female or male). When he starts a new school he decides instead that he is going to live as girl. 

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher
Living a smal Missouri town and still reeling from a bad break-up, 18 year old Logan  finds love and connection with Sage, a new girl in town who has a big secret. 

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kriston Mills-Conn
Gabe is a boy who was designated a female at birth. As he struggles to come out to his family and friends about his true self he finds acceptance behind the mic as a radio D.J.

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin (nonfiction)
Interviews with six transgender and gender neutral teens as they speak openly and honestly about their experiences and journeys. Includes several NYC teens.

Convict's Candy by Damon Meadows
A transgender teen is arrested and sent to federal prison one week before a scheduled sex reassignment surgery. Still classified as male she ends up being housed with male inmates.

Every Day by David Levithan
Every morning A wakes up in another 16-year-old body. Sometimes a boy. Sometimes a girl. Every race. Every sexual identity. A has learned never to get too attached. Then A falls in love with a girl—but how do you build a relationship when every day you occupy a different physical self?

Freakboy by Kristin Clark
Told in free verse and three points of view, we get Brendan, a high school wrestler struggling with his gender identity, his girlfriend Vanessa, a fellow wrestler struggling to be accepted by the boys on the squad and Angel, a transgender college student who tries to help him find acceptance and understanding.

Happy Families by Tanita Davis
Twins Ysabel and Justin share their conflicted feelings as they struggle with their father's decision to live as a woman. 

I Am J by Cris Beam
J, born Jenifer, has never felt like a girl and wants to live as a boy. When his best friend rejects him and his parents struggle to understand him, he runs away to begin a new life and try to become who he really is. 

Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde
When her mother abandons Elle in a NYC apt, she is befriended by her neighbors Frank and Molly. Elle promptly gets a crush on the kind and wise Frank but learning that he's transgender turns her world upside-down.

One in Every Crowd by Ivan Coyote
Stories and autobiographical essays about growing up, struggling with family, gender identity and all told in a funny, matter-of-fact voice. 

Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger
Grady was a "never-quite-right" girl so he changed his name and started living as a guy. As he attempts to live his new self he struggles with varying degrees of acceptance from his friends, family and classmates. 

Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition by Katie Rain Hill (nonfiction)
Katie grew up a boy in Oklahoma but always felt like a girl. In high school, she began her transition to female and began living as a girl. She recalls all the pain and bullying that followed as well as the joy she felt finally living as her true self and making new friends who accepted her.

Some Assembly Required: The Not-so-secret Life of a Transgender Teen by Arin Andrews (nonfiction)
In this memoir, 17 year old Arin recalls his journey of transitioning female to male. He discusses learning what being transsexual meant, his suicide attempts and finding acceptance and love with his girlfriend Katie Hill (see above).

Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince (nonfiction)
Liz refuses to conform to a single gender identity. She's a girl who likes to wear what boys wear but that doesn't mean she doesn't identify as a girl or is a lesbian.  She just is who she is.

Transgender Lives: Complex Stories, Complex Voice by Kristin Conn-Mills (nonfiction)
Along with honest interviews with transgender teens and adults, the author explains the language, history, insurance issues and politics of being trans and what it means to be a part of the transgender community.

What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci
The new kid on Hackett Island defies description. Who is she? Where does she come from? Is she a boy or a girl? Does it matter? Lani is tormented and bullied by classmates but Claire decides to befriend this intriguing new person and it's a friendship that will change how Claire sees the world.