Alex Gino is an American author of fiction for young readers, known for centering LGBTQ+ characters and themes. Gino, who uses singular they pronouns, was born in 1976 and grew up in Staten Island, New York. Long involved in activism around gender and identity, Gino brought that perspective to writing for children and middle-grade readers.
Gino is best known for the debut middle-grade novel originally published in 2015 as George and later reissued under the author's preferred title Melissa. The book tells the story of a transgender girl who longs to play Charlotte in her class production of Charlotte's Web and to be recognized as the girl she knows herself to be. It was praised as a groundbreaking, affirming portrayal of a transgender child for young readers.
The novel won the Stonewall Book Award and other honors, but also became one of the most frequently challenged and banned books in American libraries and schools, placing Gino at the center of national debates over representation and censorship in children's literature.
Gino has continued to write inclusive fiction for young people, including the novels You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P! and Rick. Through accessible, compassionate storytelling, Gino has become an important voice for LGBTQ+ representation in middle-grade literature.
