Play Proud
Play Proud
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Play Proud
Fiercely Fabulous Queer Athletes
Written by Rob Sanders; illustrated by Izzy Evans
Beaming Books, 2026
ISBN 9798889834915
Hardcover, 40 pp.
11.2 X 8.6 X 0.5 inches | 0.8 pounds
Tall and short. Straight and queer. Sports has got a new frontier.
A rhyming romp through professional and amateur sports, Play Proud highlights sixty historic and modern queer athletes, from Billie Jean King to Megan Rapinoe, Johnny Weir to Carl Nassib. Readers will be on a first-name basis with each of them as they race through the wide world of sports, discovering role models who play hard, play fair, and play proud. The triumphs of these athletes--both on and off the field, court, rink, ring, and pitch--serve as powerful inspiration for everyone who seeks to live their life authentically. Back matter provides key stats on the athlete lineup, as well as a glossary and author's note about how sports can become accepting of everyone.
Rob Sanders is a teacher who writes and a writer who teaches. He is known for his funny and fierce fiction and nonfiction picture books, and is recognized as a pioneer in the arena of LGBTQ+ literary nonfiction picture books. He is the author of dozens of picture books, including Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag, Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights, and Stonewall: A Building An Uprising A Revolution. Blood Brothers, his first middle-grade novel, was selected as a 2023 NCTE Notable Novel in Verse. A native of Springfield, Missouri, Rob has lived and worked in Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee. He now lives in Florida and writes books full-time.
Izzy Evans is an illustrator, animator, and weekend flapjack baker from North London, England. Their work is best known for its diverse characters, gentle humor, and the occasional unicorn.
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