Rainbow Parenting: Your Guide to Raising Queer Kids and Their Allies

Rainbow Parenting podcaster Amer debuts with an insightful program on how parents, educators, and caregivers can “create a queer and gender-affirming environment” for children from birth through elementary school. Providing advice on how to raise kids “with the idea that they can grow up to identify any which way,” Amer offers strategies for teaching children about gender and resisting common gendered parenting practices. For infants, they recommend using gender neutral nursery decorations (such as ocean or outer space motifs) and skipping the gender reveal party. Expounding on the importance of “body kindness” (the idea that “our bodies deserve respect from ourselves and from others”), Amer encourages readers to model the concept of consent for toddlers by asking them “if it’s okay to hug them.” Taking note of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ finding that children often have a sense of their gender identity by age four, Amer exhorts readers to ask preschoolers their pronouns and teach elementary school–age kids about the gender spectrum and LGBTQ history. Filled with practical guidance and thoughtful commentary, this is a valuable resource for raising children beyond the gender binary. (May)