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Becoming Nicole

the Transformation of An American Family
Aug 17, 2016DorisWaggoner rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Wayne and Kelly's last chance for a child comes from a young relative not ready to rear a child, who offers them hers. The miracle adopted baby are identical twin boys, Wyatt and Jonas. The miracle's a lot more complicated than it first appears, ultimately bonding the family more tightly than Kelly and Wayne could have imagined. Wyatt at first disappoints his dad by not wanting to do all the sporty guy things Wayne longs to share with him, preferring Barbie dolls and pink clothes. Before age 3, "I hate my penis." This isn't a passing thing. He knows he's a girl, sending mother Kelly on a search to learn what transgender means and how she can help. Ironically in 2016 politics, the family's first struggles center around which school bathroom Wyatt, now Nicole, is allowed to use. It takes 5 years, the family having to live apart for 2 years with all of them in the closet, and a lawsuit as the "Doe family," before the state allows her to use the bathroom that fits the gender of her heart. Interspersed with this moving memoir is the science and psychology of what transgender means. Every family with a trans child, and the general public, will benefit from this well written book.