About Bliss: Fighting for My Trans Son's Life, Joy, and Fertility

Cristina Olivetti

Book cover for About Bliss: Fighting for My Trans Son's Life, Joy, and Fertility
Book cover for About Bliss: Fighting for My Trans Son's Life, Joy, and Fertility

About Bliss: Fighting for My Trans Son's Life, Joy, and Fertility

About Bliss: Fighting for My Trans Son's Life, Joy, and Fertility

Cristina Olivetti

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Description

Cristina's son was about to embark on gender-affirming care that would likely cause infertility, when she realised the need to support both her child and the adult he would become, and give him the right to have children of his own. In doing so she discovered a future - where living your life authentically doesn't mean giving up your fertility - that may be accessible to many, many more trans people in the coming years.
Through interviews with trans thought leaders, letters to her son, and missives about the struggle for reproductive rights of trans people, as well as practical advice for parents, Cristina weaves together a tapestry of voices from the trans community to tell a story that has never been told before -- of transformation, and hormones, and hope. An amazing resource for parents of children undergoing gender affirming care, and a beautiful meditation on the euphoria and challenge of transition

About the Author

Cristina Olivetti is a writer, adult educator, and an advocate for gender inclusion. Fueled by a mission to improve the support that trans youth and their families receive during transition, she is the official gender educator for Free Mom Hugs, a national organization that supports LGBTQ families, and frequently presents her workshop, "Navigating Gender in the New World," to schools, community organizations and businesses. Cristina's essays have appeared in Scholastic, Parent & Child, Spirituality & Health, and the anthology, A Cup of Comfort for Mothers. She is based in Northern California.

Critical Reviews

An indispensable resource for anyone who has a child, a relative, a neighbor or a student who is gender nonconforming. More informative than any memoir, and more deeply personal than the usual guidebook, About Bliss is invents a new hybrid form to provide the blueprint for an informed and loving ally-ship. This book will help us build a better and more gender-compassionate world.--Benjamin Anastas, author of the memoir Too Good to Be True

For those of us who support our trans kids but may not have all of the answers or even the right questions, About Bliss is a godsend. Cristina Spencer's journey with her son, her courage and compassion, and her hard-won knowledge and wisdom are illuminating and inspiring. We need this book.----Clifford Thompson, author of What It Is: Race, Family, and One Thinking Black Man's Blues and Big Man and the Little Men: A Graphic Novel

"This book will encourage and empower anyone caring for trans youth. Educators, medical professionals, counselors and policy makers will be informed and inspired by this story. But mothers, especially, will feel seen. This book is like a huge hug from a good friend. It will give readers the courage they need to advocate fiercely for their trans loved ones."----Sara Cunningham, founder of Free Mom Hugs and author of How We Sleep at Night

Publishing Information

Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Pub date: 2025-06-19
Length: 264 pages

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