Alexis Stratton and Adam Polaski discuss Trans Kids, Our Kids.

Carmichael's is honored to host Alexis Stratton and Adam Polaski for their new book, Trans Kids, Our Kids.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. Click HERE to register.

About the Book:

Over the past few years, we have witnessed a growing wave of anti-LGBTQ+ bills and policies across the United States. According to the ACLU, in 2023 alone, 507 anti-LGBTQ bills were proposed in 47 states; among these, 84 have been passed into law.

The targets of many of these legislative attacks have been the most vulnerable among us--transgender and LGBTQ+ youth. From "Don't Say Gay" laws to healthcare restrictions, anti-LGBTQ+ policies are impacting trans and queer youth in almost every sphere of their lives, including the medical care they can access, the sports teams they can play on, what they are allowed to talk about in the classroom, and the books they are allowed to check out from the library. The results of this discrimination are often deadly, with over half of transgender and non-binary youth seriously contemplating suicide, and many others falling victim to violent hate crimes inspired by this hostile climate.

Trans Kids, Our Kids: Stories and Resources from the Frontlines of the Movement for Transgender Youth shares the stories of transgender youth and their families, exploring the choices they are making to survive in today's environment. The book also gives voice to the medical providers who are providing care to transgender youth, as well as the activists, teachers and faith leaders who are leading the resistance efforts.

By contextualizing and sharing these stories, as well as offering resources and next steps, Trans Kids aims to both narrativize the pain and fear experienced by everyday Americans in this cultural moment, as well as highlighting the courage, hope, and resilience of transgender and LGBTQ+ youth, their families, and the people who support them.

About the Authors:

Alexis Stratton has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC, and their stories and essays have appeared in storySouth, Hayden's Ferry Review, Matador Review, and Oyez Review, among other publications. In 2022, their chapbook Anywhere Else but Here was published by Fjords Review, and in 2023, they won the James River Writers’ and Richmond Magazine’s Best Unpublished Novel Contest. Alexis lives in Richmond, VA, where they work as a freelance writer and an LGBTQ+ rights advocate.

Adam Polaski is the Communications & Political Director for the Campaign for Southern Equality. Throughout his career he has provided communications support to a wide range of nonprofit organizations, including Freedom to Marry, The Brigid Alliance, the Local Solutions Support Center, GLSEN, and Freedom for All Americans. He has been recognized for Excellence in Online Journalism by the National Gay & Lesbian Journalists Association, and his writing has been published in Hello Mr., The Seventh Wave, The Bilerico Project, and Love Unites Us, an anthology book about the marriage movement. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in journalism from Ithaca College and now lives in Asheville, NC.

Host or Publisher Susan Norton