Rachel Pepper is a therapist who specializes in working with the transgender community and with the families of transgender and gender non-conforming children and youth. She is also a highly trained practitioner in the field of eating disorders. Rachel holds a Masters in Counseling and also a Masters in Journalism. She is an award winning, widely published journalist, a frequent contributor to both fiction and non-fiction anthologies, and the author or co-author of several books, including the newly released Transitions of the Heart: Stories of Love, Struggle and Acceptance by the Mothers of Transgender and Gender variant Children (Cleis 2012), The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians, the Gay and Lesbian Guide to College Life, and The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals. Rachel lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area. She can be reached directly at RLPepper@hotmail.com.