Trans Fairy Tale Released For Trans Day Of Visibility

To mark Transgender Day of Visibility on 31 March, the co-authors of groundbreaking LGBTQ-inclusive fairy tales Promised Land, Maiden Voyage and Raven Wild have released them all as ‘Read Alouds’ on YouTube. Since the release of their first book in February 2017, co-founders Adam Reynolds & Chaz Harris have received support from the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, American education organisation GLSEN, and media coverage that includes BuzzFeed, Upworthy, Teen Vogue and more.

Written by New Zealand-based authors Adam Reynolds & Chaz Harris, in collaboration with Jaimee Poipoi (Maiden Voyage) and Caitlin Spice (Raven Wild), the inclusive fairy tales feature illustrations by Christine Luiten & Bo Moore. Each tale on YouTube is narrated by award-winning actress Geraldine Brophy, with a soundtrack by Emmy-winner Tane Upjohn-Beatson.

“LGBTQ visibility and representation in storytelling is so important for young people, because if we don’t see ourselves in stories, we don’t see ourselves in the world. Given the legislative attacks on the trans community and targeting of rainbow events around the world, it’s more vital than ever for stories like ours to be available for all to see,” co-founder Chaz Harris said.

“We created the stories we needed to read when we were growing up, because love is love and everyone deserves to live happily ever after,” added co-founder Adam Reynolds. “With our stories now on YouTube, families can have their own rainbow story time anytime, anywhere.”

The creation of the Promised Land Tales trilogy was funded through a series of viral Kickstarter campaigns between 2016-2019 that raised over $145,000NZD. Actor and LGBTQ activist Sir Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings) said of the first book: “From every point-of-view, including artistically, it’s a beautiful book.”

The authors hope to one day get the books traditionally published and distributed beyond what they achieved through self-distribution, as well as adapting them for the big screen. In the meantime, the books are still available to buy as ebooks on Amazon Kindle.

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