Abstract: Americans are deeply divided about gender, with debates over gender identity, pronouns, parenting, public restrooms, and women's sports sparking intense conflict. In Gender Flashpoints: The Power of Dialogue, Abigail C. Saguy draws on interviews with 94 activists across the full political spectrum to understand the roots of these disagreements. She finds that beneath seemingly intractable conflicts lie disputes about advocacy goals, strategies, and whose rights matter most—but also surprising areas of agreement. When discussing gender-neutral restrooms, for instance, activists initially repeated polarized positions, yet deeper conversation revealed shared concerns about safety and privacy, along with enthusiasm across the political spectrum for redesigned public restrooms with fully enclosed stalls. Through careful listening and comparative analysis, Saguy demonstrates that engaging in genuine dialogue about charged issues can help identify workable solutions to seemingly impossible social problems, offering both a comprehensive view of contemporary gender debates and hope for finding common ground in our polarized moment.
Abigail Saguy is UCLA Professor of Sociology with a courtesy appointment in Gender Studies. She is the author of four books, including What is Sexual Harassment? From Capitol Hill to the Sorbonne (California, 2003), What’s Wrong with Fat (Oxford, 2013); Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are (Oxford, 2020), and Gender Flashpoints: The Power of Dialogue (Russell Sage Foundation, In Press); over thirty scientific journal articles; and several op-eds published in leading news outlets.