Queer Adolescence: Understanding the Lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual Youth

About the Author

Charlie McNabb was a queer adolescent. When they entered puberty, Charlie was told that they was "a woman now" and it was made clear that there was an expectation of eventual heterosexual union and childbearing. That was uncomfortable! Charlie has been fascinated by queer puberty experiences ever since. Charlie started doing research on queer and transgender menarche experiences in 2010. They've surveyed over 150 people and done in-depth one-on-one interviews with a few dozen more. In addition, they have been collecting puberty accounts and ephemera from both popular and DIY culture (advertisements, fiction, zines, and so forth). This research has produced several conference papers and zines as well as a growing archival collection. Charlie's background in anthropology (BA 2005), folklore (MA 2011), and library science (MLIS 2013) has given them experience with large-scale surveys and interviews, library and archival research, and sensitive analysis. Rowman & Littlefield published Charlie's previous book, Nonbinary Gender Identities: History, Culture, Resources in 2017.