Faith Curriculum Library: Common Read: A Community for Learning and Reflection

Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families UU Common Read Resource Kit

Photo of the cover of Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families, featuring

Authentic Selves

The Common Read of Authentic Selves is a sweeping compilation of life stories and portraits of trans and nonbinary people, as well as their partners, parents, children, siblings, and chosen family members. Through interviews and photo portraits, the subjects of Authentic Selves invite readers into their real lives--their revelations, challenges, joys, and networks of support. This year’s UU Common Read discussion materials invite participants to tell their own stories and form a deeper understanding of how their gender identity has shaped their lives.

Discussion Materials

The core discussion materials for this Common Read are offered in two, parallel tracks:

  • Discussion Guide for a UU group with any or mixed gender identities
  • Discussion Guide for UU participants with any trans or nonbinary identities

Each discussion track provides four 90-minute sessions for religious professionals or lay leaders to facilitate in-person or online.

For Parents, Caregivers and Family

The resource kit also supports Common Readers who love and care for transgender or nonbinary youth--or may find themselves doing so, one day--with a single 90-minute session, ideally offered as a fifth session.

For UU Youth Groups

Finally, this Common Read for youth groups offers a sequence of four workshops, each under an hour, designed for a cohort that already meets regularly.

Bulk Discount

The inSpirit Book and Gift Shop offers a 10 percent discount on bulk orders of Authentic Selves.