Live Shamelessly, Reclaim Your Joy, & Step into Your Most Authentic Self

Who Needs this Book

If you dream of a path where your assigned sex and birth is just a jumping-off point and not a box you’re trapped in for the rest of your life; if you crave the freedom to express your gender intentionally and live as the person you know you are; if you want to feel more ease, pleasure, and connection than you ever thought possible—welcome. You’ve come to the right place.

Gender Magic is essential reading for anyone who yearns to step into their fullest self and imagine a life and culture beyond gender binaries.

Whether you’re transgender, non-binary, still exploring, or a cisgender ally, this compassionate and practical guide will help you experience your gender in new ways.

Because, ultimately, transition is not the point. The point is to express your gender in whatever way feels authentic to you, knowing that your journey of self-discovery is worthy of celebration and support. 

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Gender Magic is a first-of-its-kind practical guide to achieving gender freedom with joy, curiosity, and pleasure for transgender and non-binary individuals, gender explorers, and those who love them--perfect for readers of The Body is Not an Apology and Pleasure Activism.

Taking everything they know from more than a decade of working with the queer and trans community, their personal journey of gender exploration, and clinical best practices, licensed therapist, coach, and speaker Rae McDaniel created the Gender Freedom Model. A uniquely supportive narrative for gender exploration and transition grounded in queer joy, their nine-pillar model has helped thousands of transgender and nonbinary individuals explore gender through play, pleasure, and freedom. And now, it can help you too.

Whether you're transgender, non-binary, cisgender, or still exploring, this compassionate and practical guide will help you experience your gender in new, expansive ways by teaching:

  • How to move from anxiety, self-doubt, and fear to a confident, proactive state of mind.

  • How to navigate discomfort and celebrate your inherent worth as you develop genuine self-love.

  • How to design relationships, community, and a sex life that lights you up.

  • Practical tools to align your gender identity and expression with your most authentic self through play, pleasure, and possibility.

Brimming with warmth, celebration, and practical advice Gender Magic is essential reading for anyone who yearns to step into their fullest self and imagine a life beyond gender binaries. Because you--yes YOU--are magic.

Resources

Resources to find ease in transition, join our Facebook community, and find ways to support the trans community through education, action, and donations.

 "Rae McDaniel is a leader in their generation, matching compassion with clear-sighted vision for a sex-positive future."

- Emily Nagoski

Ph.D, NYT Bestselling author of Come As You Are and Burnout

  • Yana Talon-Hicks

    Rae has written a (as-promised) magical book that takes you by the heart and leads you through both their own and your own journey from gender-surviving to gender-thriving. A must-read for anyone with a gender worth celebrating (that means you!).

    -Yana Tallon-Hicks, LMFT - Sex Therapist + Author of Hot and Unbothered: How to think about, talk about, and have the Sex you really want

  • Susan Hyatt

    Gender Magic is a bold and accessible look at gender diversity that had me screaming, “Yes!” all the way through. This book is a celebration of gender freedom for all of us and provides a powerful and hopeful vision of a world where each of us gets to live without shame as our true selves.

    -Susan Hyatt, Master Certified Life Coach, Bestselling Author of Bare, and TEDx Speaker

  • Dr. Scott Mosser

    Rae McDaniel offers a hopeful path forward for gender explorers and those who love them, teaching folks how to find joy and meaning in the journey towards authenticity. This book is full of valuable guidance that honors and prepares people for the complexities within this particular life journey.

    -Dr. Scott Mosser, Surgeon and Founder of the Gender Confirmation Center

  • Rachel Rodgers

    Gender Magic is a masterclass in authenticity, worthiness, and letting your full self be seen -- written from the lens of gender freedom. It’s a must read for anyone on a journey to joyfully break out of confining gender “boxes,” and live their biggest, best life.

    -Rachel Rodgers, Bestselling Author of We Should All Be Millionaires

  • Andrea Owen

    Gender Magic is a fresh and audacious guide to gender freedom, helping readers find the courage and momentum they need to confidently be themselves in the world. This book is essential reading for those exploring gender and those who love them.

    -Andrea Owen, Bestselling Author of How to Stop Feeling like Sh*t, global keynote speaker, and Professional Certified Life Coach

  • Lidia Yuknavich

    Gender Magic reroutes the hero's journey by insisting that all bodies are sites of profound creativity and pleasure, ever generating innovative meanings. A cutting-edge triumph that will likely save lives on its way to illuminating new stories to live by.

    -Lidia Yuknavich, Critically Acclaimed Author of The Chronology of Water

  • Lauren Streicher

    As a sexual medicine expert, I interact with people every day who are confused, mystified and often put off by the very idea that someone does not define themselves by the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender Magic is not only a road map for individuals that do not neatly fit into a binary world but also a road map for those that live in a non-binary world. Rae McDaniel not only has extraordinary expertise and experience but is also a talented writer and storyteller! Gender Magic is fascinating; it is joyful, and it will change you.

    -Lauren F. Streicher, MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

  • Neil "Nelly" Cannon, Ph.D., LMFT, CST-S

    Therapy for transgender non-binary folks changes and evolves faster than any area in our field. Rae is brilliant and I hold them in the highest regard as a true expert on this subject. This book does a great job of honoring the broad spectrum of gender diversity related to both identity and expression. The Gender Freedom Model presented in this book will be a life-changing guide to help folks navigate their gender journey from a place of strength, and help them live their very best life. Truly magical!

    -Neil "Nelly" Cannon, Ph.D., LMFT, CST-S, AASECT Certified Sex Therapist & Supervisor, Clinical Director, the Cannon Institute

  • Tey Meadow

    This book is for anyone looking to think, live, and play more authentically in their gender, body, and spirit. In a culture that frames being trans as either suffering or surviving, Rae McDaniel provides a travelogue of navigating the potential, the pleasure, and the possibility of living gender with deliberate cultivated joy. From mapping your complex gender galaxy to examining hopes, fears, anxieties, even regrets, Gender Magic is an able companion for anyone seeking better self-esteem, better sex, and better relations with others.

    -Dr. Tey Meadow, Associate Professor of Sociology and The Institute for the Study of Gender & Sexuality, Columbia University

About the Author

Rae McDaniel (they/them) is a non-binary Therapist, Certified Sex Therapist, Coach, and Transgender Diversity and Inclusion educator. They are founder and CEO of Practical Audacity, a Gender & Sex Therapy practice in Chicago and an international speaker on gender freedom. As an expert in sexuality and gender exploration, they have been featured in places such as The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Time, Women's Health, Well+Good, Refinery 29, Bustle, Elite Daily, Entrepreneur, and The Independent. Rae holds degrees from DePaul University, University of Michigan, and is certified by AASECT. They live in Chicago with their dog Gizmo, who might actually be a gremlin.

You can also find them at www.rae-mcdaniel.com
For press/speaking/media opportunities and collaborations, please email press@practicalaudacity.com.

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