Amazon is removing books that consider LGBTQ issues to be mental illness

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Amazon recently made the decision to remove books from its catalog that frame transgender and other LGBTQ identities as mental illness, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The move came after four Republicans – Sen. Marco RubioMarco Antonio Rubio Rubio and a bipartisan group of senators urge to make daylight saving time permanent The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by the National Shooting Sports Foundation – With 50 days at the helm, Democrats applaud US bailout as big Senate GOP victory stands for brain drain retired MORE (Fla.), Mike LeeMichael (Mike) Shumway Lee Mike Lee Says ‘For the People’ Is Voting Law ‘As If Written In Hell By The Devil Himself’ Black Caucus Backs Biden’s Choice To Lead DOJ Civil Rights Division (Utah), Mike BraunMichael BraunSenate honors ‘Hoosiers’ movie Senate braces for ‘God-awful’, ‘stupid’ session ahead of COVID-19 relief mood Murthy pledges to focus on pandemic mental health effects if confirmed as surgeon general MORE (Ind.) And Josh HawleyJoshua (Josh) David Hawley ‘Cancel Culture’ is simply the freedom of speech that holds others accountable. White House Seeks Solution to Border Movement The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by National Shooting Sports Foundation – CDC meeting news a step toward normalcy MORE (Mo.) – sent a letter to the CEO on February 24 Jeff BezosJeffrey (Jeff) Preston BezosPentagon awards 0 million in contracts to Musk’s SpaceX philanthropist MacKenzie Scott remarries after divorce from Jeff Bezos Marianne Williamson: Refusal to raise minimum wage is part of ‘manipulated economy’ MORE asking why “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment” was no longer available on Amazon platforms, including Kindle and Audible.

“As for your specific question about When Harry became Sally, we chose not to sell books that view LGBTQ + identity as a mental illness,” Amazon said in the letter to senators obtained by the outlet.

Brian Huseman, Amazon’s vice president of Public Policy, wrote in the letter that the company had changed its book content guidelines since 2018, but didn’t explain how.

Amazon said it gives its customers “access to a variety of viewpoints, including books that some customers may find objectionable.”

“That said, we reserve the right not to sell certain content,” Huseman wrote. “All retailers make decisions about which selection to offer, just like us.”

It is unclear how many books Amazon has or will remove under the new standard. The Hill has contacted the company for comment.

Published in 2019, “When Harry Became Sally” was written by conservative scholar Ryan T. Anderson and discusses a variety of issues, including gender identity.

“This book exposes the contrast between the sunny portrayal of gender fluidity in the media and the often sad reality of living with gender dysphoria,” the online description states. “It gives voice to people who tried to ‘make the switch’ by changing their bodies, but were no better off. Especially disturbing are the stories of adults who were encouraged to switch as children but later regretted submitting to those drastic procedures. “

Anderson responded to the news on Twitter, saying that Amazon “never seems to have read my books, but relied on hit pieces.”

“As I stated earlier, ‘Please quote the passage I call’ mentally ill, ‘” wrote Anderson. “You can’t quote that passage because it doesn’t exist.”

Anderson and Roger Kimball, the publisher of Encounter Books who released the title, said in a statement to the WSJ that “everyone agrees that gender dysphoria is a serious condition that causes much distress.”

“However, there is a debate Amazon wants to stop on how best to treat patients with gender dysphoria,” they added, calling their book “an important contribution” to that conversation.

“Amazon is using its immense power to disrupt the market of ideas, misleading its own customers,” Anderson and Kimball said in the joint statement.

Conservatives had framed the book’s removal as censorship, calling out the Amazon for continuing to sell other controversial or problematic books such as “Mein Kampf” or the “Communist Manifesto.”

When Harry became Sally sparked important discussions in the national media and among policymakers in 2018, and remains one of the most rigorously researched and sympathetically argued books on the subject, ” the senators wrote to Amazon last month. has unabashedly used its excessive market share to silence a major voice just for the crime of trespassing woke grouphink. “

Amazon denied that the book’s removal was not part of a wider campaign against conservative material and votes.

“We provide customers across the political spectrum with a wide variety of content with differing opinions,” the company wrote back.

The senators did not respond to The Wall Street Journal’s requests for comment.

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