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Gender can be a state of mind

Piers Morgan might have had a meltdown over Emma Watson winning the first Gender-Neutral acting trophy at the MTV Movie…

Gender can be a state of mind

Representational Image (Photo Credits : Getty Images)

Piers Morgan might have had a meltdown over Emma Watson winning the first Gender-Neutral acting trophy at the MTV Movie and TV Awards, but her win proves that the topic of gender positivity is being increasingly recognised in the creative world.

However, even before MTV’s foray into this topic, many writers made their points on gender positivity through their books, which explored areas like LGBT and gender fluidity. Here are some popular books that delves into gender positivity:

'The Boy with Pink Hair' by Perez Hilton: Written by Hollywood’s most proficient gossip blogger, Perez Hilton, 'The Boy with Pink Hair' revolves around a boy who, as the title suggests, has pink hair which results in him facing a difficult time at school. However, the sweet tale sees the boy not only taking pride in his ‘candy hair’ but also using his uniqueness to solve issues at school.

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'Sleeping Bobby' by Mary Pope Osborne: Anyone who has a liking for fairy tales would know the story of ‘Sleeping Beauty’, where a princess is pricked by a needle and goes into a never-ending sleep only to be woken up by a true love’s kiss. Well, 'Sleeping Bobby' is exactly the same story, only here it isn’t Beauty in need of a saviour, but Bobby whose saviour in arms is a feisty princess, who fights all odds and wakes him up from his deep slumber.

'My Princess Boy' by Cheryl Kilodavis: This one has been accepted across all age ranks. Told from a mother’s perspective, the story is about a 4-year-old-boy who enjoys doing things, which are traditionally thought to be for girls – jewellery, wearing dresses and sparkly items. The books, basically, tries to open the discussion of gender fluidity in the society.

'10,000 Dresses' by Marcus Ewert: '10,000 Dresses' is a picture book with illustrations by Rex Ray. It is one of the most famous books to have taken the issue of transgender acceptability to kids. The book follows the life of young Bailey, who wants to wear dresses but is rebuked by her family members who tell her that she is a boy. But the restless protagonist does not let that pull her down and takes help from a compassionate older lady to design her favorite dresses.

'King and King' by Linda De Haan and Stern Nijland: Originally written in Dutch, 'King and King' dives right into the LGBT theme, only the stage is a kingdom. The young King Bertie in the book is under pressure from his mother to find a princess soon. However, in due course, Bertie stumbles upon the love of his life- Prince Lee. And yes, the story does end on a 'happily ever after' note.

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