National Geographic magazine, known for its iconic covers, is sparking debate on gender with its latest issue.

Avery Jackson, 9, is the first transgender individual to grace the cover of the 128-year-old magazine. The January issue focuses entirely on issues related to gender.

In an interview on CTV News Channel on Wednesday, National Geographic editor-in-chief Susan Goldberg said the magazine spoke with approximately 80 children from all over the world “about what it meant to be a boy and what it meant to be a girl.”

She added: “They gave us amazing insights into the messages our societies send about gender.”

Goldberg said the magazine tried to highlight how gender has either “helped or hindered these children” and added, “the gender conversation is very profound, whether everybody wants to recognize that or not.”

Featured alongside Avery’s cover photo was a quote from the Grade 4 activist: “The best thing about being a girl is, now I don’t have to pretend to be a boy.”

“We thought that was such a powerful statement, and it also put her kind of at ground zero for this debate going on about gender and this conversation,” Goldberg said.

In an editor’s note called “Why We Put a Transgender Girl on the Cover of National Geographic,” Goldberg pointed to mixed online reaction ranging from praise to some readers so enraged they threatened to cancel their subscription.

To help readers have an “intelligent conversation” about gender issues, the magazine included a glossary of gender-related terms and a guide for parents on ways to speak to children about gender.

“We really view this whole thing as a way to have a thoughtful conversation about what in fact, is this huge and ongoing topic,” Goldberg told CTV News Channel.

Other stories apart from Avery’s featured in the “Gender Revolution” issue focus on the lives of girls in the developing world, including increased risk of child marriage, sexual assault, female genital mutilation and early pregnancy.

“The situation for girls in the developing world is really very sobering,” Goldberg said, adding the magazine also put together a separate article that focused on girls living in the Western world.

Another story looks at “manhood rituals” from all over the world. Another feature looks at the “science” of gender.

“It’s a little more complicated than what we all found out in high school biology,” Goldberg said.

The issue of gender will also be examined in an accompanying broadcast documentary called “Gender Revolution, a Journey with Katie Couric.” The documentary will air on National Geographic on Feb. 6.