He/She/They

Go‑to expert on gender identity, Schuyler Bailar, offers an essential, urgent guide that changes the conversation about gender identity and how we talk about it.

Just a few years ago, Schuyler Bailar rose to national and international prominence when he became the first openly transgender athlete to compete on an NCAA Division 1 team in any sport. A top high school prospect, Schuyler had been recruited by Harvard for the women's team, but after taking a gap year to address mental health and ultimately to transition, Schuyler swam instead for Harvard's men's team. Since then, Schuyler has become a go‑to expert on gender identity for the media and has given hundreds of talks on gender literacy and inclusion. But at the same time, Supreme Court Justice nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson was asked in her confirmation hearing to define the word “woman,” a seemingly simple question that in that particular arena was too politically charged for her to answer. Meanwhile, anti-gay and anti-trans legislation in Florida and Texas shows that trans rights are at the fore. Transgender suicides are up, transgender hotlines are buzzing, and the only thing that is certain is this: America is long overdue for a reckoning with gender.

He/She/They uses storytelling and the art of conversation to give us the fundamental language and context of gender so that we can meet people where they are and pave the way to understanding, acceptance, and inclusion. As a transgender man, inclusion advocate, and LGBTQ educator, Schuyler Bailar is more than familiar with the myriad questions that come up.  In He/She/They, he addresses them head on, such as why being transgender is not a choice, why pronouns are important, and what is biological sex. But this book is more than a book on allyship; many of Schuyler’s vast followers come to him for support; one of his most popular reels is speaking to a young trans person who asks, “does it get better?” Schuyler speaks to everyone, no matter where they are. In the same way that So You Want to Talk About Race defined the conversation about race in American, He/She/They is an essential, urgent, and, as Schuyler points out, potentially life-saving book that will change the conversation about gender identity and how we talk about it, moving us toward a more equitable future.

About the Author

Schuyler Bailar (he/him) is the first transgender athlete to compete in any sport on an NCAA Division 1 men’s team. By 15, he was one of the nation’s top-20 15-year-old breast-strokers. By 17, he set a national age-group record. In college, he swam for Harvard University, on Harvard’s winningest team in 50 years. Schuyler’s difficult choice—to transition while potentially giving up the prospect of being an NCAA champion—was historic. His story has appeared everywhere from 60 Minutes to The Ellen Show to The Washington Post. Schuyler’s tireless advocacy has earned him numerous honors including LGBTQ Nation’s Instagram Advocate for 2020 and the Harvard Director’s Award. In addition to being one of the top social media LGBTQ educators and advocates, Schuyler is a leading DEI speaker and advisor with clients that include the NCAA, USA Swimming, Capital One, Microsoft, and hundreds of other organizations, colleges, and schools. Schuyler also continues his academic pursuits in the Evolutionary Psychology Lab and the Valera Clinical Psychology Lab at Harvard. In 2021, Schuyler released his first middle-grade novel, Obie Is Man Enough. He lives in New York, NY.