National Geographic has announced its very first transgender cover subject for its January 2017 issue, which focuses on gender shift. The 9-year-old girl. identified as Avery Jackson of Kansas City, was picked among 80 kids around the world who discussed their stories with the magazine.
The choice, however, has brought on a mix of reactions, especially from the subscribers of the magazine. Some expressed their appreciation and praised the decision, while others criticized National Geographic and threatened to cancel their subscription.
National Geographic's editor-in-chief Susan Goldberg said that the issue comes "at a time when beliefs about gender are rapidly shifting," according to the official site. She's well aware of the praises and criticisms, as well as the opinions that were raised by the public on the magazine's Facebook page.
The Washington Post reports that some called out the magazine for "child abuse" even as the LGBT community applauds the story of Avery Jackson. Some people think that gender shifts cannot happen too early for children. Yet there are also those who believe that if adults would only hear out the kids truthfully, some have actually set their notion of their gender at the age of 3-years-old.
Goldberg further said that it was a conscious choice to put the children in the special issue on gender. Many celebrities have been out and proud about who they really are but the magazine staffers thought it was important to have regular people facing gender issues in the classroom or at work.
The January National Geographic issue will be followed up with a documentary on transgender, which will be aired on the National Geographic Channel on Feb. 6. Entitled "Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric," the show will tackle the unanswered questions that people might have about transgender and gender issues.
