This Book is Gay

Juno Dawson, born in 1981, is a prolific author of young adult fiction and non-fiction. She has published young adult books regularly since 2012. Dawson is a transgender woman; when she originally published This Book Is Gay, she presented publicly as a cisgender gay man. The book was originally published under her old legal name (often called a “deadname” by transgender people). However, she had begun transitioning privately at the time of publication. This Book Is Gay was written from her life experiences within the LGBTQ+ community and uses her expertise in communicating with a young adult audience.

Dawson is a School Role Model for the Stonewall organization and regularly visits schools to speak on LGBTQ+ issues. She previously worked as a primary school teacher before focusing on writing full-time. Dawson uses her expertise, both as a teacher and a young adult author, to present her information in ways that are easily digestible to young adults. Dawson plays with the form of text, frequently bolding some words or writing others in all capital letters, to convey emphasis and stress to resemble the ways young adults communicate. These emphasized words draw attention to the main points and humorous moments, which helps the reader retain information.

Dawson has spent much of her life and writing career helping LGBTQ+ youth understand themselves through education. This Book Is Gay is one of her earliest self-help books for adolescents. Others include What’s the T?, which addresses transgender identities in-depth, and Mind Your Head, which covers mental health issues. Her work is dedicated to ensuring LGBTQ+ youth do not have to experience the same pitfalls, ignorance, and stigma that older generations of LGBTQ+ people have had to endure.