Nia Chiaramonte has been a Human Resources professional for the last 20 years, focused on creating a culture of love, inclusivity, and ""Employees First"", understanding that individuals and teams must feel safe and secure in order to thrive and grow. Building a culture of safety became personally important as Nia struggled to be who she is. After spending the first 35 years of her life in hiding, scared to be who she is, scared of what it might cost her, she came out as a transgender woman. While the cost has been high, the freedom to be and embrace herself as who she is has been worth it. As co-founder of Love in the Face and co-author of Embracing Queer Family, Nia hopes to support other transgender and LGBTQIA+ individuals and their families on their own journeys of self-discovery. Katie J. Chiaramonte is a mother, a doula, writer, teacher and a spiritual mystic. She has spent many years in organized religion trying to fit in, and has found her way to an open space, through love. As a sendee of The Living School, she studied contemplative spirituality and it's role in today's rapidly evolving world. After over fifteen years of formal and informal lay ministry in the Christian tradition, Katie has found that love has brought her out into a more spacious place where tradition melts away and all things connect in a wide and endless web. As co-founder of Love in the Face and co-author of Embracing Queer Family, Katie hopes to support other transgender and LGBTQIA+ individuals and their families on their own journeys of self-discovery.
""I've been queered in my relationships to friends, family, and congregants. Though I am cis and straight, my theology has been queered. I see God differently, preach differently, advocate more passionately for a world in which my queer and becoming beloveds know for sure they are magical and created in the image of God. Nia and Katie have queered me, with beautiful work, stories, anecdotes, wisdom, and frank and fierce love."" --Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister for Public Theology and Transformation at Middle Church; author of Ten Essential Strategies for Becoming a Multiracial Congregation and The Power of Stories ""A deeply compassionate and helpful guide for Queer and trans folks and the people who love them. Nia and Katie Chiaramonte encourage understanding, differentiation, and loving boundaries--all of which are necessary for strong relationships--and provide a beautiful illustration of the truth that freedom for one person can lead to freedom for others as well."" --Austen Hartke, author of Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians ""This tender, insightful, and substantive book will help you, your family, and your community respond with love to a queer family member. Drawing from the authors' own experience, it helps you navigate through confusion and conflict to trust, hope, and love."" --Brian D. McLaren, author of Faith After Doubt ""Family is a contested term for LGBTQIA+ persons, and family is essential to feel normal again. Finding the right kinds of familial ties or relationships, whether biological or chosen, is essential for queer people and queer families. Bonds of love are what help reduce harm against those of us who are different. This book shows us the way of one family's journey toward normalcy and building queer family. I hope you will read it and learn, as I have learned, how essential feeling normal is for Queer and Transgender folks."" --Roberto Che Espinoza, PhD, author of Activist Theology and Body Becoming: A Path to Our Liberation ""We all deserve to find a little peace for ourselves, and Katie and Nia help us to discover ourselves most gently with this book. They also remind us that while our stories are not the same, we can see ourselves in each other and our collective power as queer folks."" --Courtney Reyes, LGBTQ+ advocate