May 4, 2021
Amazon Refuses to Stop Selling Anti-Trans Book
Emell Adolphus READ TIME: 2 MIN.
After announcing earlier this year that it would no longer sell books framing LGBTQ identities as mental illnesses, Amazon is refusing to pull a controversial book from its digital shelves.
"Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters," by Wall Street Journal opinion columnist Abigail Shrier last summer, is "full of misinformation" about transgender people, complained an Amazon employee group recently.
As reported by the NY Daily News, the book reportedly claims that transgender people "are not truly transgender, but rather just confused."
"Writing for Psychology Today in December, (Dr. Jack) Turban slammed the book as 'full of irresponsible journalistic practices and outright falsehoods," the Daily News reports. "The book's central premise is that transgender youth are being rushed into gender-affirming health care, which is something they will later regret, according to Turban."
Dozens of Amazon employees reportedly filed an internal complaint arguing that the book violate's the company's policy about books framing the LGBTQ identity as a mental illness.
However, according to The Seattle Times, Amazon's director of book content risk and quality informed employees that the book does not violate company policies after internal review.
"Amazon has an internal process for evaluating the appropriateness of books and we have shared your feedback," the director wrote in April. "In this case, the process included gathering feedback from Glamazon board members and the Books Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team. After examining the content of the book in detail and calibrating with senior leadership, we have confirmed that it does not violate our content policy."
"A generation of girls is at risk," reads the book's description on Amazon. "Abigail Shrier's essential book will help you understand what the trans craze is and how you can inoculate your child against it–or how to retrieve her from this dangerous path."
Does that sound transphobic to you? Tell us in comments.
