Gender Identity
The book follows the experience of Nicole Maines (formerly known as Wyatt Maines) as she makes the biological change from male to female. It is clear from the outset that Nicole knew she was not meant to be born as a male, having engaged in more feminine activities, such as playing with dolls when compared to more traditionally male-bodied his twin brother, Jonas. Nicole was aware from a young age that she was meant to be born female, and because of the support and loving environment from her adoptive parents, she was able to thrive.
Discrimination
Despite the support from her family, Nicole stresses that not everyone has the same attitude. She reveals that her life was difficulty at school because of her obvious differences to her male counterparts. Moreover, her parents were not in agreement over her coming out in school as they did not want her to be subjected to bullying from her peers. However, Nicole manages to fight back in the landmark case Doe v. Clenchy (2013) which ruled that transgender students could access bathrooms consistent with their gender identity.
LGBTQ+ knowledge
The book comments about how there is not much representation or understanding of the LGBTQ+ community, which is often the reason for the outbursts of ignorance and hatred shown towards the group. Despite the lack of information at the time, Nicole’s adoptive parents seek to understand and learn more about the transgender experience, highlighting how better understanding leads to acceptance of differences.
