Athlete Is Agender: True Stories of LGBTQ+ People in Sports

Ages 9 to 14, Grades 4 to 9

Athlete is agender. Athlete can mean anyone. ★ 'This affirming sports assemblage' (PW, starred review) revels in the achievements of strong, passionate, and determined LGBTQ+ athletes across every age, level, and field of sports.

Find your strength in: Adam Rippon’s unbelievable journey from figure-skating Olympic alternate to the first openly gay Olympic medalist in his sport; CeCé Telfer’s career as a trans track star and her unwavering commitment to run for the future freedom of trans athletes; em dickson’s relationship to eir gender identity and how sailing, a sport that doesn’t categorize athletes by gender, helped em embrace eir power and identity, and many other invaluable true stories. Featuring testimonies by world-class athletes and award-winning children’s book authors, as well as profiles on culture-defining figures like Megan Rapinoe and Billie Jean King, Athlete Is Agender is a lifesaving book not to be missed.

This book is for:

·         LGBTQIA+ kids, teens, tweens, and adults

·         Athletes and sports fans

·         Readers looking to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community

·         Parents of gay kids and other LGBTQIA+ youth

·         Educators looking for advice about the LGBTQIA+ community

TITLE IX UPDATE

Laws are constantly being debated, repealed, and fought for. On January 9th, 2025, a federal court in Kentucky argued that transgender and nonbinary students should not be covered by Title IX protections, rolling back the 2021 order from then-Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. Right now, schools are currently required to follow the old version of Title IX, which does not include a section on transgender athletes. It's up to us to keep pushing to get those protections back for transgender students. For transgender athletes reading this, the most powerful thing you can do is to be true to yourself, stay informed, and be sure to vote in every election you are eligible for. 

★ A Junior Library Guild Selection

About the Author

Katherine Locke lives and writes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with their feisty felines. They are the award-winning author of many books for kids and teens, including Gender Rebels and What Are Your Words?; they are also the co-editor and contributor of This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them and Us. They can be found online at KatherineLockeBooks.com and @bibliogato on X and Instagram.

Nicole Melleby, a New Jersey native, is the author of highly praised middle grade books, including the Lambda Literary finalist Hurricane Season, ALA Notable book How to Become a Planet, Camp QUILTBAG (co-written with A. J. Sass), and The House on Sunrise Lagoon series. She is also the author of the picture book Sunny and Oswaldo. Nicole lives with her wife and their cats, whose need for attention oddly aligns with Nicole’s writing schedule. She invites you to visit her online at nicolemelleby.com.