I’m pleased to report that Professor Doriane Coleman of Duke University School of Law will be guest blogging this week about her new book, About sex and gender: a common sense approach, to be published Tuesday by Simon & Schuster. (Readers may be familiar with her past guest posts, mostly about who should count as women in women’s sports.) Here’s the publisher’s summary of the book:
About sex and gender The focus is on three consecutive and corresponding questions: What is sex relative to gender? What role does sex play in our daily lives? How should it be reflected in laws and policies? These three men have been front and center in American life and politics since the emergence of the trans rights movement: they have been included in the political platforms of both major political parties. They are the subject of ongoing litigation in federal courts and highly contentious legislation on Capitol Hill. They are key issues in the culture wars being waged between the left and the right on dinner tables, on campuses and in school boardrooms, in op-eds and corporate brochures.
Doriane Coleman asked both sides to develop a better approach. In this book that combines scientific explanation, historical examination, and personal reflection, she argues that denying biological sex and focusing solely on gender can have harmful effects on equal opportunities for women, future prospects for men, and the health and well-being of society. Structural sexism needs to be dismantled – a true achievement of feminism and an ongoing struggle – but going forward we should be sex-wise, not sex-blind.
This book provides rational Americans with a clear guide to sex and gender—something everyone wants to understand but is too afraid to discuss. Coleman shows that the science has it settled, but again, there is a common-sense middle ground where we can support transgender people without denying the facts of human biology. She brings her narrative to life with a series of portraits of luminaries, from legal pioneers like Myra Bradwell and Ketanji Brown Jackson, to Caster Semenya and Kate Campbell champion athletes to civil rights giants like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Pauley Murray. Most importantly, Coleman reminds us that sex not only exists, but is good—and she shows us how to make both sex and gender socially appropriate.
Kirkus comments:
A relevant study of the legal, political, and cultural assumptions underlying hot topics.
Coleman, a legal academic whose work spans sex discrimination law, elite sport and scientific research, takes a stand in the “raging culture war between the left who want to eradicate gender and the right who want to eradicate gender non-conformity” . The author writes this book for “everyone who wants to understand what is happening to them and is inclined to be tolerant and true to science and common experience.”
She asserts that science defines gender as a binary consisting of characteristics that “constitute one of two human forms for reproductive purposes.” Gender, on the other hand, is the impact of our culture on our two physical forms, namely “the social structures based on our gender” and “how we conceive and express ourselves.” Although these terms are used interchangeably in political and legal discourse, Coleman asks readers to first keep the biological differences in mind. She asserts that “the ideological preference to describe gender as a social construct, a stereotype and a myth” denies the scientific validity and common sense of gender differences.
At the heart of Coleman’s discussion is the question of gender-based qualifications in elite female competition. She believes that unlike transgender participation in school sports and activities, within the elite, physical differences between men and women are more important. As a former competitive runner who competed at the national level, the author believes that, no matter what anyone thinks, “a boy-shaped kid should not be a girls state champion.” The author’s careful and well-supported analysis is sure to be controversial, but , she writes, “My sense is that most people are not interested in a sex-blind society; they are interested in a sex-intelligent society.”
Boldly venture into chaotic terrain.
– Kirkus Reviews
And the slogan:
“Women’s civil rights are important, and to achieve them you can’t ignore biology. This is a groundbreaking book – the science, the law, the politics are all explained so clearly. The extremes of right and left determine the narrative, but Doriane Coleman shows us a sound approach that can help us cut through all the noise.
——Edwin Moses, two-time Olympic gold medalist and chairman emeritus of the United States Anti-Doping Agency
“Sex begins at conception. We don’t construct it, it constructs us, from the cellular level to our complete, integrated systems—our body shape and physiology. We are poised to start with ongoing work on sex differences But as Doriane Coleman says, “common sense” here should only help to formulate the policy.
—Virginia M. Miller, Ph.D., professor emeritus of surgery and physiology and former director of the Center for Women’s Health Research at the Mayo Clinic
“This book is a huge challenge to our politics, both on the right and the left. Whether you agree with her views or not, if you are interested in equality, Dorian Coleman writes about sex and gender issues The common ground provides a serious blueprint.
—Guy-Uriel Charles, professor at Harvard Law School and director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute on Race and Justice
“Male and female bodies are inherently different, and many clinical conditions affect women differently than they do men. Confusing sex and gender is disastrous for advancing women’s health care and their chances of success from the playing field to the boardroom. sexual.
—Mary I. O’Connor, MD, Olympian, professor emeritus of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic, Taking Care of You: A Guide to Empowering Women’s Health
“No matter your politics, you need to read this book. Dorian Coleman explains the what, why, and how of our culture wars over sex and gender. She knows that most women want to be free from sexism , rather than becoming a victim of sexism.
—Martina Navratilova, 18-time Grand Slam singles champion and civil rights advocate
I am very much looking forward to Professor Coleman’s visit!
