I think everyone should read this book.

I thought this was such a beautiful, heartwarming read and one I’d totally recommend. There isn’t much to this book but what I feel Roche set out to do, they did so perfectly.

It’s a collection of interviews between the author and young trans umbrella children and teens that took place at events hosted by the the UK charities Mermaids and Gendered Intelligence. In them, these ‘gender explores’ as Roche calls them speak about growing up trans in contemporary society, school life with the good and bad, certain steps one has to overcome to make society treat them the way they want to be treated and their plans for the future. The teens and parents/carers also don’t shy away from the more challenging parts of being trans but their perseverance and outlook on life is such a beautiful portrayal of the power and joy of being trans too. Many times I teared up listening to these stories and you can’t help but wish and hope good things will follow or come the way of these individuals. Roche also includes two ‘interviews’ with a younger version of themselves called Pansy which again were amazing and I feel a great way for the author to let free their younger trans self from the bullying and being forced to hide their true self. 

With all the crap being spread by the media and pathetic ‘cultural war’ over trans lives I think this book is a beacon of hope. It shows people that no one is forcing our children to ‘become’ trans but they know from a young age or at least when given the chance to explore, come to the  decisions that best fits them. I loved this, so thank you Juno. 

A thoughtful and timely own-voices reflection on what it means to be trans, coming out and coming into your own. Perfect for pride month! This should be considered required reading for anyone that needs to hear it as they go through their own personal journey of gender exploration, or like myself; just wants to educate themselves and try to be the best ally they can be for the people around them.

‘Gender Explorers’ is a nonfiction about listening to trans, non-binary and gender diverse people.

The author first talks about their own personal life experience and then tells the reader about the experiences of the people that were interviewed. The author interviews both the trans/nonbinary/gender diverse person and their parent(s)

Small trigger warnings at the beginning 

I enjoyed this audiobook but it is hard to listen to some of the parents’ experiences, especially when they talk about mourning the loss of a child, saying that they were emotionally exhausted, and how they thought their child dressing as the gender they identified over school breaks would “get it out of their system”. 

The book ends with a fictional interview between themselves in present tense and themselves when they first came out. 

The author gives a resource list of trans communities at the end of the book. 

“When you tell people your truth, the way that they look at you changes”

Representation - Bisexual; Black; Disability; Gay; Genderfluid; Lesbian; Nonbinary; Transgender

TWs/CWs - Abandonment; Abuse; Addiction; Bullying; Deadnaming; Death Threats; Hospital; Misgendering; Outing; Pregnancy; Self Harm; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide; Theft; Transphobia; Violence