NEWS

National Geographic gender issue

Nawar Kagete, Kaputir, Kenya -- “You are seduced wherever you go. You are chased by men. If you go to fetch water, you are chased; you go to collect firewood, you are chased.”
Nawar Kagete, Kaputir, Kenya -- “You are seduced wherever you go. You are chased by men. If you go to fetch water, you are chased; you go to collect firewood, you are chased.”
© Robin HammondNational Geographic
Mikayla Mcdonald Ottawa, Canada -- “There isn’t anything I can’t do because I’m a girl. Everyone is equal. There is always the same amount of opportunities for everyone, but in the olden days everyone wasn’t equal.”
Mikayla Mcdonald Ottawa, Canada -- “There isn’t anything I can’t do because I’m a girl. Everyone is equal. There is always the same amount of opportunities for everyone, but in the olden days everyone wasn’t equal.”
© Robin Hammond/National Geographic
When Massachusetts twins Caleb (left) and Emmie (right) Smith were born in 1998, it was hard to tell them apart. Today Emmie says, “When we were 12, I didn’t feel like a boy, but I didn’t know it was possible to be a girl.” At 17 Emmie came out as transgender, and recently she underwent gender-confirmation surgery. She plays down its significance: “I was no less of a woman before it, and I’m no more of one today.”
When Massachusetts twins Caleb (left) and Emmie (right) Smith were born in 1998, it was hard to tell them apart. Today Emmie says, “When we were 12, I didn’t feel like a boy, but I didn’t know it was possible to be a girl.” At 17 Emmie came out as transgender, and recently she underwent gender-confirmation surgery. She plays down its significance: “I was no less of a woman before it, and I’m no more of one today.”
© Lynn Johnson/National Geographic
Assigned female at birth, Hunter Keith, 17, has felt himself to be a boy since fifth grade. By seventh grade he told his friends; by eighth grade he told his parents. Two weeks before this photo was taken, his breasts were removed. Now he relishes skateboarding shirtless in his Michigan neighborhood.
Assigned female at birth, Hunter Keith, 17, has felt himself to be a boy since fifth grade. By seventh grade he told his friends; by eighth grade he told his parents. Two weeks before this photo was taken, his breasts were removed. Now he relishes skateboarding shirtless in his Michigan neighborhood.
© Lynn Johnson/National Geographic
Johan Ekengård and his wife equally split the allowed parental leave. Erik manages the morning routine with their children, from left, Tyra, Stina, and Ebbe.
Johan Ekengård and his wife equally split the allowed parental leave. Erik manages the morning routine with their children, from left, Tyra, Stina, and Ebbe.
© Johan Bävman/National Geographic
Mehayle Lynnea Elliott, seven, has competed in about 120 pageants. A room in her Humble, Texas, home is dedicated to her awards and portraits, which are sometimes retouched. She recently appeared on the reality TV series Toddlers & Tiaras.
Mehayle Lynnea Elliott, seven, has competed in about 120 pageants. A room in her Humble, Texas, home is dedicated to her awards and portraits, which are sometimes retouched. She recently appeared on the reality TV series Toddlers & Tiaras.
© Kitra Cahana/National Geographic
By attending an alternative Bondo ceremony that does not include genital mutilation, these girls in the Masanga community receive a free education guaranteed by Masanga Assistance Education, a Swiss nonprofit. A woman known as the Bondo devil, a high authority in the secret society, participates in the ceremony.
By attending an alternative Bondo ceremony that does not include genital mutilation, these girls in the Masanga community receive a free education guaranteed by Masanga Assistance Education, a Swiss nonprofit. A woman known as the Bondo devil, a high authority in the secret society, participates in the ceremony.
© Stephanie Sinclair/National Geographic
Ghazipur landfill, 70 acres of trash in Delhi, India, provides a hunting ground for seven-year-old Zarina, who salvages items to sell. Like girls in many parts of the world, she lives in poverty with little access to education.
Ghazipur landfill, 70 acres of trash in Delhi, India, provides a hunting ground for seven-year-old Zarina, who salvages items to sell. Like girls in many parts of the world, she lives in poverty with little access to education.
Stephanie Sinclair, © Stephanie Sinclair/National Geographic