Fair play How sports shape the gender debates

Barnes, who is nonbinary, recalls playing basketball with their father in the driveway of their Indiana home. Barnes went on to play basketball in high school and coach basketball in college. Now they write about sports with an emphasis on LGBTQ and transgender themes. In recent years, numerous bills have been filed throughout the U.S. to restrict sports participation for transgender athletes. Fair Play explores, in a sensitive and empathetic way, how sports and gender are entangled within the fluid notion of identity. Barnes offers a nuanced look at this complicated and controversial subject by examining the past, present, and future of sex-segregated sports. Of particular interest is the chapter on the history of Title IX, established in 1972, which banned sex-based discrimination in education programs and activities, fundamentally changing the way sports were taught and played in the U.S. Also here are discussions of the use of performance-enhancing drugs that may offer physiological advantages and sporting organizations' policies governing participation for transgender and intersex athletes. Through interviews, deep research, and thoughtful observations, Barnes provides much-needed clarification on a topic that too often leads to confusion and discomfort. An important study on the policing of gender.

ESPN reporter Barnes debuts with a rigorous exploration of contemporary debates around who gets to compete in women's sports. They explain how efforts to regulate women's sports have proliferated ever since the passage of Title IX in 1972, which created the modern two-sex sports landscape by effectively requiring schools to fund women's athletics if they funded men's sports. Detailing how sports officials have policed who counts as a woman, Barnes describes the ordeal of South African runner Caster Semenya, a cis woman whom the World Athletics federation only allowed to continue competing in the women's category for the 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1,500 meter races if she took medication, which had harsh side effects, to suppress her naturally high testosterone levels. Barnes resists providing definitive solutions on incorporating trans and nonbinary athletes into sex-segregated athletics, writing on the one hand that they're not opposed to restricting trans men taking testosterone from competing in the women's category. On the other hand, the author argues that though trans women who "went through testosterone-driven puberty" may "retain some physiological advantages," such differences in ability are unavoidable in sports and shouldn't necessarily disqualify them. The nuanced analysis captures the complexity of the issue while cutting through bad faith arguments. Searching and timely, this brings clarity to a much debated topic. (Sept.)

A sports journalist's careful study of both women's sports and exclusionary practices facing transgender athletes. Sports, Barnes explains in their significant debut book, have become a "primary battleground" for a number of culture debates and policy proposals impacting the transgender community, especially transgender youth. Expanding on years of reporting for ESPN from the nexus of sports and gender identity, the author seizes a lightning rod of an issue and effectively imparts clarity and nuance. Barnes astutely positions today's deliberations and controversies within the history of Title IX and women's sports programs, enriching this context with research on the science of hormones, fallouts among seemingly obvious allies in the space of women's sports advocacy, personal stories of transgender athletes' competing at various levels, and the author's own experience as a nonbinary former athlete with a deep love for women's sports. The book is a solid resource for those seeking to understand or discuss sensational news headlines and reactive legislation, providing a foundation built from informative and detailed explanations of relevant topics, including the difference between using testosterone to medically transition and using it for competitive advantage, endogenous puberty, and the distinctions drawn and restrictions imposed by governing bodies like the NCAA and the International Olympic Committee. The heart of the narrative involves questions Barnes raises about the very idea of sex-segregated sports, what qualities are prized in athletic competition, and their personal, thoughtful ideas for a possible path forward. The author is clear in their desire to investigate all the complexities of the issue and dismiss ill-informed arguments. Their attempt to distill truth and instill comfort beyond traditional gender definitions results in a powerful treatise on what current outrage, particularly about transgender girl and women athletes, says about how we think about sports as a whole. Enlightened and empathetic--required reading for anyone weighing in on gender and sports. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.