Tara is a transgender teenager who lacks access to gender-affirming care. She really wants to fit in at the all-girls high school in Virginia, but it’s difficult when she knows how much she physically stands out. This is the beginning of Naomi Kanakia’s Just Happy to Be Here, a young adult (YA) novel about navigating girlhood amidst ongoing political attacks on one’s very existence.
Tara doesn't want to be an activist or spokesperson for the trans community. She simply wants to make friends, feel “normal,” whatever that means, and gain entry into an exclusive club where she feels like she belongs.
When it becomes clear that Tara’s entry into the club is not assured, many students believe transphobia is to blame. However, even Tara isn't certain about that. Despite this, she feels pressured to stand up and fight when all she really wants to do is fade into the background and keep working on convincing her parents she needs gender-affirming care as soon as possible. As much as she doesn’t want to face discrimination, she also doesn’t want people to think she deserves special treatment because of her identity.
More than anything, Just Happy To Be Here is about a girl who desperately wants to be seen for who she is and not for being trans. Kanakia talked with LGBTQ Nation about creating the story in today’s turbulent political climate and the immense responsibility she feels to ensure the novel has a positive impact on trans readers.
LGBTQ NATION: While you were writing this book, state legislatures were debating and passing bans on gender-affirming care. What was it like to work on the story while the events it’s based on were still unfolding?
NAOMI KANAKIA: When I pitched the book in 2021, trans issues were not national issues. They were not things that presidential candidates cared about or that governors ran on. There were indications that this was going to become a focus for Republican operatives, but it was not on my radar, and I don’t think it was on many people’s radars. So when I wrote the first draft of the book in 2021, it didn’t really include any of that.
And then the very first ban on gender-affirming care became law on April 6, 2021 in Arkansas. As I was revising, I started incorporating some of this. I knew the book was coming out in a reasonable amount of time, so I should include something to show how this is suddenly a national issue. It just kept getting worse.
In my author’s note, I mentioned that 10 states had bans on gender-affirming care for teens, and now it has risen to more than 20. At the time, it felt quite surreal; it still feels somewhat surreal. Because being trans is not very interesting. It’s very interesting for the person who goes through it, but to add this whole element where you’re suddenly a public enemy is very strange.
During the same period of time I wrote the book, I read Anne Frank’s diary, and I think the thing that has always struck people about it is that like 90% of what she writes about is like, she has a crush on Peter and she gets annoyed at her mom. It’s very ordinary stuff, but then against the backdrop of such an extraordinary situation, it’s difficult for her to understand.
Let’s discuss the relationship between Tara, a transgender girl, and Liam, a transgender boy, both attending a school for girls. Liam is active in advocating for causes and addressing injustices, while Tara prefers to blend in and live her life quietly. Why did you choose to create these two different characters?
Most transgender individuals, or at least the ones I know, are highly involved in politics. Tara is different in that she prefers assimilation.
Personally, I also aim to assimilate. While I have not succeeded and may not succeed, I would prefer to blend in. I live in San Francisco and have a home. I participate in the PTA at my child's school. I am not radical. I simply want to fit in. I am aware that we are a coalition with diverse needs. Medical transition is crucial for someone like me. However, for nonbinary and genderqueer individuals, it is not necessarily a part of their trans experience. For individuals like me and Tara, being trans is not primarily