CONTENT WARNING: I do talk about suicidal ideation and address transphobic quotes in this update.
In addition to hosting this book, the public library's description is taken from the politically charged, anti-trans, description on the inside cover of the book.
Not only is this book promoting hateful ideology, but the library itself is showcasing it right on their website, let's take a look at what the description says:
> "The "trans" epidemic sweeping teenage girls."
This first sentence alone describes much of the feelings in the book towards trans people. To Shrier, we are an epidemic, a global plague. And here where it says teenage girls, the book is speaking of trans boys and nonbinary people. Shrier has immediately presented her unwillingness to respect the gender of another human being because she sees transgender identity as an epidemic.
> "Until just a few years ago, gender dysphoria -- severe discomfort in one's biological sex -- was vanishingly rare. It was typically found in less than .01 percent of the population, emerged in early childhood, and afflicted males almost exclusively."
Trans men are often called tomboys and their gender dysphoria can be confused for body dysmorphia because society sees them as girls and expects them to be uncomfortable in their bodies and sees no issue with women trying to emulate masculinity - as long as they don't try to *be men*. As I mentioned in my last update as well the science Shrier sites has been criticized by the researcher's peers for the methodology failing to meet well-respected standards.
> "But today whole groups of female friends in colleges, high schools, and even middle schools across the country are coming out as "transgender."
Trans people still make up a minuscule % of the population. As Trans actor Elliot page stated in his recent interview with Oprah, almost 80% of people in the USA don't know a trans person. in Canada, Angus Reid published a stud in 2016 that put us at 72% of people don't know a trans person. [1]
> "These are girls who had never experienced any discomfort in their biological sex until they heard a coming-out story from a speaker at a school assembly or discovered the internet community of trans "influencers."
Again misgendering trans boys and nonbinary people. Also, the study Shrier sites in her book never question the children and so can not make the claim the children did not have discomfort in their assigned sex. the study questioned the parents only, who were sourced from websites known for opinions against gender non-conformity.
> "Unsuspecting parents are awakening to find their daughters in thrall to hip trans YouTube stars and "gender-affirming" educators and therapists who push life-changing interventions on young girls"
The description continues to misgender trans boys and nonbinary people as well as make wild conspiratorial claims about social media influencers. OK Boomer!
> " -- including medically unnecessary double mastectomies and puberty blockers that can cause permanent infertility."
No one is getting pressured into a double mastectomy, you can sue a doctor if they did that. And puberty blockers are meant so kids can take the time to decide how they want their puberty to proceed. if they decide they're cis they'll be fine.
> "Abigail Shrier, a writer for the Wall Street Journal, has dug deep into the trans epidemic, talking to the girls, their agonized parents, and the counselors and the doctors who enable gender transitions, as well as to "detransitioners" - young women who bitterly regret what they have done to themselves."
No one denies that detransition happens, Liam Knox covered the nuance of detransition extremely well in the article "Media's 'detransition' narrative is fueling misconceptions, trans advocates say" [2]. Detransition happens for all kinds of reasons, and some of those reasons are for safety as Sam Reidal pointed out in 2016 [3]
> "Coming out as transgender immediately boosts these girls' social status, Shrier finds,"
Uh, what? trans people get bullied and abused, this is part of why trans youth are more inclined to contemplate (60%) or seriously consider (40%) suicide than other gender groups. [4]
>"but once they take the first steps of transition, it is not easy to walk back."
The first step to transitioning is always going to see a psychologist so that they can make sure you're actually interested in transitioning and not just going through a phase. This is a common bit of misinformation used to make people fear trans people, printed directly on the library's website.
> "She offers urgently needed advice about how parents can protect their daughters."
Again misgendering trans boys and nonbinary people, as well as calling to action parents to listen to this misinformation and not their children.
> "A generation of girls is at risk. 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."
misgendering trans boys and nonbinary people one last time, dehumanizing transgender people by calling us a craze. and calling to action parents to enforce assigned gender or pressure them out of transitioning: which will hurt transgender children and potentially increase suicidal ideation.
This is *printed on the Halifax public libraries website* alongside the book. Another act of ignorance as the library has the capacity to write original descriptions for books.
This book must go, we must inoculate our communities against hateful material like this.
To quote Voltaire, “The supposed right of intolerance is absurd and barbaric. It is the right of the tiger; nay, it is far worse, for tigers do but tear in order to have food, while we rend each other for paragraphs.” [5]
[1] https://angusreid.org/transgender-issues/
[2] https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/media-s-detransition-narrative-fueling-misconceptions-trans-advocates-say-n1102686
[3] https://medium.com/the-establishment/the-trans-people-who-are-detransitioning-to-stay-safe-in-trumps-america-a1486e50a547
[4] https://www.forbes.com/sites/dawnstaceyennis/2020/07/15/largest-survey-of-transgender-and-nonbinary-youth-says-more-than-half-seriously-considered-suicide/?sh=1545ac9a3404
[5] https://www.themarysue.com/voltaire-beatrice-evelyn-hall/