《成为妮可》被学生们选为今年的“读书日”。 这本书的主要主题，妮可·梅恩斯和她的父亲韦恩·梅恩斯，10月25日在萨克州立大学发表了讲话。 (博彩平台/杰西卡·弗恩 更多的照片

本月早些时候，妮可·梅恩斯创造了历史，成为第一位在电视上扮演变性超级英雄的变性女演员。 Her character is Nia Nal, aka “the Dreamer,” on the CW Network series 超级女孩.

但有些人会说她一生都是英雄。

Maines and her father, Wayne, headlined 萨克拉门托州’s One Book Day on Thursday, Oct. 25, in the University Ballroom. They shared their personal and life-altering story in conversations with Tristan Josephson, assistant professor of Women’s Studies.

超过500名学生、教师和工作人员聚集在一起参加中午的演讲。 另一次露面是在晚上7点。

The Maines family was the subject of the 2016 bestseller 成为妮可：一个美国家庭的转变 by Amy Ellis Nutt, which is 囊状态’s One Book for 2018-19.

21岁的妮可出生时被指定为男性，取名怀亚特。 他和他的同卵双胞胎兄弟乔纳斯（Jonas）一出生就被住在缅因州奥罗诺（Orono）的保守派中产阶级夫妇凯利（Kelly）和韦恩（Wayne）收养。

“I came out to my parents as ‘different’ when I was 3 or 4,” Nicole said as her dad nodded. “I knew I would be a girl one day. 这是世界上最自然的事情。 I asked my parents, ‘When do I get to be a girl?’ ”

她的父亲回忆说，当他得知自己和妻子要领养一对双胞胎男孩时，他是多么激动。 他梦想着有一天能给他们买足球和猎枪。

It took him years to come to terms with Nicole’s transformation.

“If I could tell politicians that when I needed help, it wasn’t the conservatives who came to our aid, it was people with purple hair and tattoos,” he said.

这是“一本书”十年历史上萨克州立大学的学生第一次为校园社区选择了一个书名。 The selection committee, made up of faculty, staff, and students, presented a list of candidate books to the First Year Experience (FYE) program’s First Year Seminar class. 成为妮可 以压倒性优势当选。

“Our goal with One Book is to broaden understanding and give our campus community new insights,” said Hellen Lee, professor of English and faculty coordinator of the One Book Program. “We respect the dignity of each individual, and we use that as a guiding principle when choosing our books.”

Nutt, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, spent four years researching and writing 成为妮可, which chronicles the challenges faced by an ordinary couple with a child growing up transgender.

The family challenged local school district administrators who wouldn’t allow their female-identifying child to use the girls’ bathrooms. In 2014, after a seven-year legal battle, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court agreed that Nicole’s rights had been violated. 这是美国最高法院第一次宣布变性人可以平等使用公共厕所。

妮可和乔纳斯·梅恩斯于2015年6月高中毕业，她在接下来的一个月接受了变性手术。 妮可现在住在不列颠哥伦比亚省的温哥华，在追求她的演艺事业的同时，她也是变性人权利的倡导者。

In addition to the two “Conversations with Nicole and Wayne Maines,” 囊状态’s One Book Day activities included:

  • 一个关于跨性别和酷儿身份和生活经历的小组讨论。 由骄傲中心主办。
  • One Book special exhibit grand opening, 4:30-5:30 p.m. on the 大学图书馆 mezzanine: Hosted by 大学图书馆, Special Collections and University Archives, and the Centers for Diversity and Inclusion (Women’s Resource Center, Multi-Cultural Center and PRIDE Center.)

所有的“一本书日”活动都是免费向公众开放的。 去 to the 图书日网站 for more information and to download a free parking pass for the 7 p.m. event.

“This year’s One Book speaks to the ways in which we as a campus honor and respect identity,” said Melissa Muganzo, PRIDE Center coordinator. “In recognition of both 国际代词日 (Oct. 17) and Transgender Day of Remembrance (Nov. 20), 骄傲中心 is excited to host the Maines family and looks forward to the continued efforts to make 囊状态 a more inclusive campus.”

The discussion of 成为妮可 marks the first time that subjects of the selected One Book, rather than a chosen book’s author, addressed the campus community.

萨克州立大学推出了“一本书”计划，向校园社区和其他人介绍那些以引人注目的方式探索当代问题的作家。 The first One Book Author Day, in 2008, featured Firoozeh Dumas talking about her book 有趣的波斯语：在美国成长的伊朗人回忆录.

作为学术事务部门的独立项目，One Book于2017年加入FYE。 – 迪克西•里德