BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Stepping into the Magic City Acceptance Academy, Nico Lang was overwhelmed by visions of what their youth could have been.
Lang's award-winning reporting has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Huffington Post, and Vice. Currently, the nonbinary journalist is focusing their efforts on maintaining Queer News Daily, an Instagram account with the latest news stories impacting the LGBTQ+ community.
Over the past decade, hundreds of families have opened up to Lang about the challenges of raising a child in states banning gender-affirming healthcare, access to a preferred school bathroom or being called by the name they've chosen.
A comprehensive report by the Williams Institute of UCLA provides an overview of the states targeting transgender youth through legislation the strongest.
“When you hear about all of this horrible anti-trans legislation being passed in so many different states -- more than 600 bills in nearly all 50 states this year -- often that's done without really considering the people that it would impact and the young lives that it would harm," Lang said.
From late 2022 to mid-2023, Lang spent time with eight transgender teens and their families from South Dakota, Alabama, West Virginia, Texas, Illinois, Florida and California. The goal was to "recenter trans youth in the story of their own lives," Lang explained.
Each stop is detailed in "American Teenager," to be released on Oct. 8. To celebrate, Charis Books in Decatur, GA will host Lang and Rachel Garbus Benítez of Wussy Magazine for a Q&A discussion on Oct. 19.
One of the book's seven chapters follows Rhydian Gonzalez-Herrero, a high school senior whose scheduled top surgery was put on pause after the passage of Alabama's SB 184.
Rhydian and his mother Mara previously spoke to Lang for a Rolling Stones feature in 2022, as one of many families facing a crossroads if Alabama banned transgender healthcare for children.
A section of Rhydian's story focuses on his school life at the Magic City Acceptance Academy, an LGBTQ+ affirming charter school. With the description of the students' fashion penned as "sartorial maximalism," Lang says MCCA is a place unlike any other in the country.
"That school is just so vibrant and there's so much to look at all the time," they said. "When I wrote the first draft of that chapter, the richness of it all was just really overwhelming and my editor literally said 'There's too much hair in this chapter,'" Lang said. "And I loved that! As a former queer young person, I wish that I'd gotten to exist in that kind of space."
"Any way that one can express themselves is expressed at this school and that just felt really so unique and special to have," they continued. "Especially in a place like Alabama where a lot of these kids are fighting for a space where it's safe to be themselves, not only in their local communities -- but just at all."
Lang is exceedingly grateful to each family -- who opened their homes and hearts -- who described what being an "American Teenager" means for them.
"It's like you're letting people into your family in a way, and it's like my family's become so much bigger because of this book," they said. "And I hope others who read this feel like they have family out there too."
The writing process was a bit challenging for Lang, as they say each chapter was essentially its own "mini-documentary," but showcasing the stories side-by-side was well worth it.
"With this book, I really wanted to remind people that trans kids occupy the same world that you do," they said. "They're doing the same things that you do. They have the same thoughts, dreams, and aspirations for themselves as you."
Beyond a brief epilogue in "American Teenager," Lang has no plans to provide updates on the teens' lives -- intentionally.
"I think those unanswered questions give more of a bit of intrigue," they said. "If I were to answer all the questions of these kids' lives -- where they're going, where they're headed or where things are now -- I don't think you'd worry about them as much, or in the same way."
"It also puts the emphasis on you to try to make the world better for kids like them. If you're wondering, was Ruby able to go off to college? You might be inspired to do advocacy work for teens like Ruby to have the resources they need, so they don't have to flee their home states."
In a similar sense, the journalist doesn't believe they'll write a sequel in the same tone.
"In a perfect world, I hope it's not necessary to do a follow-up to this book. That, ten years from now, all these problems will be solved and I won't need to tell the stories of trans kids trying to fight to protect their rights or trying to exist in a world that wants to erase them."
In closing, Lang hopes readers remember the impact of these stories at the polls, as the Nov. 5 election features presidential candidates with vastly opposing stances on transgender youth healthcare.
"This election will determine if these kids can be themselves and live the lives they want to lead," Lang said. "The responsibility comes down to you for whether these kids get to live their dreams."