In 2014, Time magazine published the article, "Transgender Tipping Point," acknowledging the heightened visibility of the "T" within the LGBTQ population. Recently, that visibility has come to the fore in states' battles over who has access to which bathrooms. Davis (political science, Temple Univ., PA) covers that issue here in his cleverly named chapter "Bathroom Bouncers." But the author also does much more in his survey of the hot-button issues confronting transgender people navigating society's barriers. He explores the complex questions of identification and documentation, college admissions, and single-sex sports. The overarching question: To what extent are gender markers useful, accurate, and productive in these instances? The author not only challenges the status quo but, in the appendix, provides guidelines for organizations to perform a gender audit, which includes worksheets and policy guidelines based on Davis's consulting experience. VERDICT This highly recommended work offers clear, real-world discussions of issues facing transgender people, along with practical applications and solutions. It will be useful to academics, policymakers, and general readers.-David Azzolina, Univ. of Pennsylvania Libs., Philadelphia © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Davis (The Ethics of Transracial Adoption), a professor of political science at Temple University in Philadelphia, challenges readers to consider why binary sex identity categories are used so pervasively in our everyday lives, and whether such routine categorization is needed. Sex-identity discrimination, the author argues, happens to both transgender and cisgender individuals whose appearance is at odds with observers' beliefs about how masculine and feminine people should look in public, and the routine sorting of individuals into sex identity categories invites discriminatory social and institutional policing of individuals' sex identities. In four brief chapters, this work examines four common locations of sex-identity sorting: sex markers on identity documents, sex-segregated restrooms, single-sex colleges, and sex-segregated sports. Davis consistently pushes readers to consider whether the practice of sex sorting bears any rational relationship to the goals its proponents claim to further: fighting identity fraud, promoting personal health and safety, addressing sexism in higher education, and encouraging fair play in competitive sports. An appendix offers guidelines for conducting a "gender audit" of organizational policies and practices, encouraging critical self-assessment of everyday acts that unnecessarily invoke sex and gender classifications. The author, a transgender man of color, approaches this topic as both an expert scholar and an individual whose own identity has been subject to hostile scrutiny. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Davis (political science, Temple) makes a substantial contribution to discussions about gender identity. He explores how mainstream transgender activism focuses more on making it easier to change administrative sex markers and less how the current, arbitrary paradigm harms everyone. Davis makes a compelling case that "all of us would be better off in a society with dramatically fewer sex-classification policies." From examining sex markers on government documentation, to sex-segregated restrooms, to single-sex college admissions in the US, to sex-segregated athletics, Davis invites readers to see how removing sex identity markers can benefit "everyone, no matter their sex identity." The book draws strength from the powerful anecdotes Davis selects to elucidate the arguments he substantiates in each chapter, allowing for readers with gender studies backgrounds to reflect on a new approach to these conversations and also for new readers to gain additional context. The author brilliantly grounds abstract concepts in real human experiences in each chapter. This book is a rare example of a text that speaks fluently to experts and novices alike. Indispensable for all libraries and readership levels. Summing Up: Essential. All public and academic collections. --Caro Pinto, Mount Holyoke College