USA TODAY

Gender is making headlines around the world.

In October, the U.S. Supreme Court told a 17-year-old transgender student that it will decide whether he has the right to use the boys’ restroom at his Virginia high school. In November, popular dating app Tinder announced it was expanding its options for gender identification to nearly 40 choices, following in the footsteps of Facebook, which now has more than 50 gender options to choose among. Pew Research reports five federal agencies are collecting data about about gender identity. And just last week the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) released the results of a new survey that paints a disheartening picture of the treatment of transgender people: One in 10 trans individuals experienced physical violence at the hands of a family memberp 2; even higher numbers left school to avoid mistreatment.p 2

At National Geographic, we have a nearly 130-year history of bringing stories about cultures and science to the forefront. The evolution of our societal thinking about gender — as well as newly revealed complexities about the science of gender — is no exception.

The story of gender plays out all around us. More and more, celebrities are shining a spotlight on the subject. But more quietly, our children, parents, teachers, medical professionals, and officials every day confront an array of issues with gender at the center. Everywhere we looked, in the U.S. and around the globe, individuals and organizations are fighting to redefine traditional gender roles, whether it is girls in war-torn Sierra Leone rejecting the cultural norm of female genital mutilation and child marriage, men in Sweden making use of extended paternal leave after having a child, or people who reject binary, boy-girl labels and find their true identity elsewhere on a gender spectrum.

This is why we’re devoting the January issue of National Geographic magazine entirely to an exploration of gender issues — in science, social systems, and civilizations — and decided to feature the first transgender person on the cover of our magazine: nine-year-old Avery Jackson.

Trans girl, 9, makes history on National Geographic cover

We know our choice to do this may be criticized in some quarters as sensational, or worse. And some of the experiences we document in the magazine and in our online content are hard to write about; the pictures can be hard to look at. This is especially true in the stories about the lives of girls in the developing world, and the revelations of brutal discrimination and ostracism faced by transgender people.

But something profound is happening around gender, whether we choose to see it or not. We thought these stories needed to be illuminated. These are not the stories of celebrities in evening dresses on magazine covers, but those of regular people around the world whose choices are changing our societies. I commend them for their bravery in letting us see into the good, and bad, of their lives.

Not surprisingly, the 80 children we talked to in eight countries from the Americas to the Middle East, Africa to China, were the most candid in reflecting our world back at us. “The worst thing about being a girl is that you just can’t do things that boys can do,” says Tomee War Bonnett, a nine-year-old living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. This sentiment was expressed by girls worldwide — using different words and in different languages, but bound by the same constraints. It breaks your heart, and it makes you mad to hear the voices of these plain-spoken children, who doubt their ability and their potential to a degree that should have ended long, long ago.

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As the first female editor in chief of National Geographic since its founding in 1888, I am proud of our role in bringing a discussion about gender to the forefront. You’ll find it across all of our media platforms — print, digital, and in our original documentary, Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric. Our award-winning news team will expand on the coverage with videos, interactives, a glossary, and maps — including a first-of-its-kind map that takes a look at the legality of gender change around the globe. And I hope our footprint as the number one non-celebrity brand on social media will spark thoughtful conversations around the world.

Now that we know XX and XY, and blue and pink, don’t tell the full story, it is time to write a new chapter to ensure that we all can thrive in this world no matter what our gender — or decision to not identify a gender. That is why National Geographic has set out to tell the story of the gender revolution.

Susan Goldberg is editor in chief of National Geographic Magazine and editorial director of National Geographic Partners. Follow her on Twitter @susanbgoldberg

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