Beyond They/Them: 20 Influential Nonbinary and Gender-Diverse People You Should Know

Beyond They/Them is a captivating, gorgeously illustrated book celebrating 20 trailblazing nonbinary, genderqueer, and two-spirit individuals who have left an indelible mark on music, sports, film and television, politics, and more.

A 2026 CHILDREN'S BOOK COUNCIL TEACHER FAVORITE!

Explore 20 biographies of game-changing and noteworthy nonbinary people of diverse backgrounds and in a wide variety of industries. Beyond They/Them: 20 Influential Nonbinary People You Should Know is a fully illustrated guide to celebrities, activists, musicians, and other influential people of various identities across the nonbinary spectrum. Complete with beautiful illustrations by the talented artist Cameron Mukwa and written by Em Dickson, this book is a celebration of nonbinary joy and proves that there has been, and always will be, a place for people of all genders.

Featured individuals include:

• ND Stevenson
• JanelleMonáe
• Rebecca Sugar
• Maia Kobabe
• Sarah Gailey
• Joshua Whitehead
• Quinn
• Layshia Clarendon
• Jaiyah Saelua
• Vico Ortiz
• Sam Smith
• Demi Lovato
• Cris Derksen
• Amita Kuttner
• Uzomo Asagwara
• Maebe A. Girl
• Audrey Tang
• Dr. James Makokis
• Dr. Jonathan P. Higgins
• Judith Butler

em dickson (e/em/eir/she) (Children’s Lit MA/MFA, Simmons) is a school librarian, authenticity reader, competitive sailor, and sea shanty enthusiast. Like Peter Pan, e has a strong emotional attachment to eir shadow, a fluffy black muppet of a dog called Luna. When not reading or writing, e can be found harmonizing to random sounds, collecting trinkets in eir pockets like a dragon, or promoting the color teal. E feels most at home by the sea, which is convenient, since e spends most of eir time in coastal Massachusetts. You can find em @mlereads.

Cameron Mukwa is an illustrator primarily working in graphic novels. His work shares his Anishinaabe heritage through storytelling and pattern design, as well as his lived experience as a nonbinary transgender person. He loves bright colors and bold designs that represent people of all backgrounds, and his passion is making art about being trans and happy, showing kids of all ages that it’s good to be different. His debut graphic novel The Ribbon Skirt was published by Scholastic’s Graphix imprint.