Young Transgender Girl Appears on Cover of National Geographic

"The best part about being a girl is, now I don't have to pretend to be a boy."

The January 2017 issue of National Geographic will feature a 9-year-old transgender girl, Avery Jackson, on the cover to celebrate the "gender revolution." This is the first time in the magazine's long history that a transgender person will appear on the cover. Her photograph is accompanied by a powerful caption: "The best part about being a girl is, now I don't have to pretend to be a boy."

Though Jackson only appears on the subscriber version of the magazine, the newsstand version will still feature transgender, intersex, and other non-binary people on the cover.

Photo courtesy of National Geographic

According to National Geographic, this gender-centric issue will spotlight articles about modern American standards of beauty, the quickly changing definition of masculinity, and the science behind gender identity to explore the cultural, social, biological, and personal aspects of gender.

Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric, a two-hour documentary on National Geographic, will further analyze the evolving concept of gender. The documentary will premiere on Monday, Feb. 6 at 9/8c.

The new issue will be available on newsstands on Dec. 27 and online in its entirety here on Dec. 19.