LGBTQ+Athletes Claim the Field: Striving for Equality

Reviewed by: Sarah Cropley - Scarborough Public Library, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 6, 2017

Review

LGBTQ+ Athletes Claim the Field: Striving for Equality is a respectful and clear explanation of some of struggles and triumphs that queer athletes have experienced both in the past and today. Kristin Cronn-Mills has complied the stories of many athletes across many sports and draws connections between them to create a complete picture of the stories of this varied crowd.

Cronn-Mills does an excellent job explaining about the discrimination that gay male athletes face and the perceptions of others that lead to this discrimination without disrespecting the athletes or validating the idea that gay people deserve this kind of treatment. Transgender and intersex athletes are also given attention, with respectful descriptions of what it means like to be a trans athlete and an introduction by a trans man describing his relationship with sports throughout the years. The struggles of gay female athletes are given less attention than their male counterparts, and bisexuality is not really mentioned. However, despite these shortcomings, Cronn-Mills does a commendable job presenting this subject. The author also includes positive representation of organizations and athletes who have done well by the LGBTQ+ members of their sports.

This book would be an excellent addition to most schools and libraries.

Overall Book Score: very good