These days, with the real thoughts and feelings of children so often
overpowered by the legislation and adult politics that surround them, it
is
unusual to hear first hand the experiences of children. It is unusual to
hear them tell the truth about what their lives are like instead of
deferring to adult fantasies of what children's lives should be like.
To
read children writing honestly about themselves feels rare and
important.
The young people in this book are struggling to understand one of
societies
most notorious demands: the obligation to conform to the gender you were
born into. These children find it hard to be girls, hard to be boys.
They
feel themselves to be in the wrong skin, and have the bravery to say so,
no
matter how many people tell them they must be mistaken. It is not merely
a
question of sexual preference nor biological determinism. It is about
personal identity. Some children have the deep need to be honest, not to
a
world that sees them only from the outside, but to an internal sense of
self, kept within their hearts and minds. They want the right to
recreate
themselves in their own personal image, in their own way. We should
listen
to what they have to say - this book gives us an opportunity to do that.
Zadie Smith
(Author "White Teeth")
Book available from Mermaids addresses. Telephone helpline or write for details. Preview on the Speak Out page of Young Voices section.
|
