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Be Who You Are: Book Review & Giveaway

January 16, 2011 by Sarah

Be Who You Are cover

While comments on this post are still welcome, the contest is now over.

Be Who You Are is a new book out for transgender kids, written by Jennifer Carr and illustrated by Ben Rumback. Carr was kind enough to send me a copy of the book to give away to one of my readers.

The book tells the story of Nick, a child with a boy’s body who feels like a girl inside. His teachers do not understand—but his parents love him just the way he is. Be Who You Are models what it looks like for a transgender child to have a family who is 100% behind him, who seeks out the care required for children so different from their peers to feel wholly themselves. It’s the story of the self-respect that comes when your parents say, “Be who you are…We love you any way you feel.”

Every family of a transgender child should have this book. (Buy your copy here.) I would like to see Be Who You Are on every school bookshelf, in every public library, in every doctor’s waiting room—all the trusted places kids and parents go—so that children like Nick know that they are not alone. This book will introduce the gender-normative world to the idea that there are trans kids out there, and that there are parents who accept and love them. And it shows trans kids that they are okay, that they are loved, and that they are not alone.

In the end, Nick decides that she wants to be called Hope. Carr says, “When her parents called her Hope, she felt right for the very first time.”

Comment below to enter to win your own copy of Be Who You Are. You’ll need to friend me on facebook or leave your email address in the comments so I can contact you if you win.

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Filed Under: Reviews, Sarah Hoffman's Blog Tagged With: "gender variant" gender non-conforming parenting pink, "giveaway", "sarah hoffman", "transgender", bullying, gender variance, pink boy, pink boys

And the winner is…

December 27, 2010 by Sarah

Handsome in Pink-purple dirtbikeI am pleased to announce that the randomly-selected winners of the Handsome in Pink Giveaway are Deirdre and Sandra–congrats to you both!

Because I know the rest of you have not yet exhausted your shopping energy, head on over to Handsome in Pink for some really awesome, eco-friendly, gender-bending clothes for kids & grownups. Support this mama-owned business, dress your family, and transcend society’s expectations at the same time!

And thank you, Jo, creator of Handsome in Pink, for your generosity and  commitment to breaking down ye olde gender stereotypes.

And Happy New Year to you all.

Screen shot 2010-12-26 at 10.06.26 PMScreen shot 2010-12-26 at 10.21.33 PM

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: "gender bending", "gender variant" gender non-conforming parenting pink, "giveaway", "sarah hoffman", "transgender", cross-dressing, gender nonconforming, gender variance, Handsome in Pink, parenting, pink boy, pink boys

Handsome in Pink Giveaway!

December 20, 2010 by Sarah

Handsome in Pink-pink firetruck

While comments on this post continue to be welcome, the giveaway is now over.

My last giveaway of the year is sponsored by the awesome clothing company Handsome in Pink. Company founder Jo Hadley is generously offering two items of clothing from her line of elegant, gender-transcending play clothes.

Here are a few of the reasons why Jo is super-cool, why you should enter this giveaway, and why you should support her company:

1. Jo is the mama of a pink boy, and when she didn’t find clothes she liked for him, she decided to make them. And share them with the rest of us.

Handsome in Pink-purple dirtbike2. She is all about challenging gender stereotypes. She makes pink and purple clothes for girls AND boys, and shirts with rough and tumble imagery for boys AND girls (check out this pink and purple dirtbike t-shirt). She says, “Handsome in Pink is all about breaking down the female monopoly on pinks and purples and sharing it with our brothers.” And she makes a “Girly Girl” shirt that has images of fishing, playing baseball, climbing trees, strong muscles, and a book—because girls are smart as well as tough. She also makes cool grown-up clothes.Handsome in Pink-blue Girly Girl

3.  She was born in 1972, the year Free To Be You and Me came out.

4. Handsome in Pink is eco-friendly, using non-toxic inks and organic cotton whenever they can—making, as she says, environmentally-friendly clothes produced in human-friendly ways.

5. Jo is all open-minded and creative. When I asked her if she’d consider making a “Girly Boy” or “Pink Boy” shirt to go along with her “Girly Girl” shirt, she told me she loved the idea and got right to brainstorming design ideas. And then she told me that she’s been thinking of making a “Manly Man” shirt that would have all the great “feminine” things men do, like cook and clean and wipe kids’ noses.

6. She has a list of pink links on her website, and I’m on it!

7. And this is the reason you can start jumping up and down, if you haven’t already: Jo is giving away t-shirts to TWO of my readers!

Check out Handsome in Pink, and comment below to enter to be one of the lucky winners. Remember, you need to friend me on facebook or leave your email address in the comment section below so I know how to find you if you win.

Thanks Jo!

Handsome in Pink-pink toolbelt

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: "giveaway", "sarah hoffman", "transgender", cross-dressing, gender nonconforming, gender variance, Handsome in Pink, Jo Hadley, parenting, pink boy, pink boys

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