Following a year when issues surrounding gender have been in the public eye more than ever before, National Geographic took the bold decision to put nine-year-old Avery Jackson, a trans girl from Kansas City, on the front cover of its January 2017 issue.

The issue explores how gender roles look in different countries around the world. “Today, we're not only talking about gender roles for boys and girls - we're talking about our evolving understanding of people on the gender spectrum.” Said Nat Geo's Editor, Susan Goldberg in an open letter she penned entitled “Why We Put a Transgender Girl on the Cover of National Geographic”.

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