Trans is not trauma, no more than surfing is trauma or life or families. Trauma is the mark left by the rocks hit or thrown. Our body responds, heals and grows with it. It does what it can to stop you from hitting the same rock again. When Kaya Wilson came out to his parents as transgender, a year after a near-death surfing accident and just weeks before his father’s death, he was met with a startling family history of concealed queerness and shame.

As Beautiful As Any Other weaves this legacy together with intimate examinations of the forces that have shaped Wilson’s life, and his body - vulnerability and power, grief and trauma, science and narrative.

In this powerful and lyrical memoir, Wilson makes a case for the strength we find when we confront the complexities of our identity with compassion.