TSP Tuesdays | August 5th, 2025

Not Your Feminism, Not Your TERF by Jordyn Wald explores the rise of trans-exclusionary rhetoric within feminist movements. While most feminists support transgender rights, a small but vocal group—commonly called “TERFs” or gender-critical feminists—argue for “sex-based rights” that exclude trans women. Drawing from recent research, Jordyn highlights how this perspective relies on rigid and outdated notions of biological sex and often aligns with conservative political agendas.

TSP’s Summer of Sociology Reading List, 2025 spans a wide range of sociological themes—from youth mental health and labor to nationalism, race, and identity. With titles covering politics, culture, inequality, and everyday life, it offers something for every curious reader.

A recent execution in Tennessee drew national attention after concerns were raised that a heart device could cause severe pain during the procedure by delivering electrical shocks. For broader context on why the death penalty remains embedded in U.S. culture, check out the 2016 piece, The Resiliency of the Death Penalty in the United States.

With the fall semester just weeks away and global conflicts intensifying, campus protests are already beginning to take shape. Explore our collection of sociological insights in Campus Protests and Student Activism: Some Sociology Perspectives.

3Q with Ranita Ray Slow Violence: Confronting Dark Truths in the American Classroom, with CCF’s Alicia Walker with Ranita Ray discussing her new book Slow Violence: Confronting Dark Truths in the American Classroom, which exposes the everyday harms marginalized students face from school personnel—including racism, fatphobia, and gender-based harassment—often disguised as discipline. Drawing on years of fieldwork, Ray describes how subtle but repeated indignities accumulate over time to erode students’ well-being, political consciousness, and love of learning.
3 Q with Christopher Bjork & William Hoynes More Than Just a Game: How the Youth Sports Industry Is Changing the Way We Parent and What to Do About It with Chris Bjork on his new book More Than Just a Game: How the Youth Sports Industry is Changing the Way We Parent and What to Do About It, on how the youth sports industry pressures families into early specialization, financial strain, and achievement-focused parenting.

Theory for Good: Sociology in Cultural Studies by Hannah McCann shares how sociological theory enriches cultural studies classrooms by offering students tools to make sense of their everyday lives. Arguing that teaching theory is a form of public engagement, she shows how applied, reflective learning—especially in today’s age of AI—can foster critical thinking and the need for sociology, now more than ever.

“Life is (not) a Cabaret”: A Genocide-Informed Review of The Guthrie’s Cabaret by Kyra Layman, who reflects on the production which forces audiences to confront the dark historical truths that underlie the surface.