Erin asked Brian Katcher:

Hi Brian! Out of curiosity, did you know that most trans people find the word "transgendered" to be very offensive, and that no trans person would come out by saying "I'm actually [gender assigned at birth]"? I wanted so much to love Almost Perfect, but that problematic language made it so hard.

Brian Katcher Hi, Erin! Thank you for your questions! Yes, I'm aware that 'transgender' is the correct term...at least I'm aware of that now. And I know I shouldn't have had Sage refer to herself as a boy...well, I know that now. I was trying to make it clear to both Logan and the reader what Sage was saying, but you're right, she wouldn't have phrased it like that. Actually, there's quite a lot I would have changed about ALMOST PERFECT. I wrote it about ten years ago, and while I tried to do my research, I did miss the mark in several places. That's no excuse for sloppy research. All I can say is I was honestly trying to write a book about the struggles of transgender people, a subject that was barely touched on in YA literature at the time. Through this book I've heard from many transgender readers who've both loved and hated what I've written. All I can say is the experience educated me greatly, and my errors were mistakes on my part, and were not meant to be insulting. Thank you very much for reading. Have you read any of the great YA books about transgender people that have come out more recently? I can send you a list of titles if you like.

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