Below is an excerpt from ”American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era,” a new book from LGBTQ+ journalist Nico Lang chronicling the everyday experiences of seven families of trans youth in seven states. In this chapter exclusively shared with HuffPost, a pair of trans siblings in Florida grapple with the impact of anti-trans legislation on their lives, while also navigating their own struggles. Some of the individuals in this excerpt are being identified by pseudonyms because they are concerned for their safety.
Today is Jack and Augie Darling’s second day in their new apartment, and absent a couch, they squat together on a purple suitcase in the mostly empty living room, alternating turns resting their heads on each other’s shoulders. Taking a hiatus from an afternoon’s worth of heaving boxes up a perilously narrow flight of stairs, the two engage in a bit of good-natured sibling rivalry — their favorite pastime — by…