A child is born. It’s a boy! It’s a girl! Not so fast! In this series, you will meet young people who defy our gender assumptions. While society may promote the gender binary, nature is more varied.
Gender identity is not a choice but a natural path based on many factors—genetics, hormones, environment and culture. Intolerance has consequences, including self-harm and suicide attempts (52% higher than among cisgender teens), which can be traced to condemnation, discrimination and bullying in all areas of family and societal life.
This story, which appeared in National Geographic’s “Gender Revolution” issue, was an opportunity to meet people from the United States, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Samoa, who had the courage to make themselves visible. Please consider their lives. Perhaps someday, courage will not be necessary to simply be one’s self.
Artist Bios
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Lynn Johnson
Lynn Johnson photographs the human condition. A regular contributor to National Geographic, Johnson is known for finding beauty and meaning in elusive, difficult subjects—threatened languages, zoonotic disease, rape in the military ranks, the centrality of water in village life. She collaborates with the people she portrays to honor their visions as well as her own. At National Geographic Photo Camps, she helps at-risk youth around the world find their creative voices.
Organizations
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National Geographic
Established in 1888, National Geographic is a trusted print and digital publication offering stories that illuminate, inspire, and reveal. Our mission is to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of cultures, the sciences, and the natural world. We advance that mission by creating visually stunning, richly reported photojournalism and distinguished, impartial coverage of the globe’s most pressing issues. National Geographic (@natgeo) has more than 284 million followers.
Redefining Gender
Featuring: Lynn Johnson
Curated by: Todd James
Locations
View Location Details Download a detailed map of this location Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
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