Amazon on Thursday announced plans to stop selling all books that frame transgender and other sexual identities such as mental illness, a decision made after four Republican senators complained to CEO Jeff Bezos last month when the company withdrew a single book on the subject of your virtual shelves.
In his response to senators on Thursday, Brian Huseman, vice president of public policy at Amazon, said the company’s content guidelines are updated regularly, sometimes resulting in the removal of previously approved books.
The company had no intention of highlighting a book, he explained. Instead, it will be banning the entire category.
“We reserve the right not to sell certain content,” wrote Huseman. “All retailers make decisions about the selection they want to offer, just like us.
“As for your specific question about When Harry became Sally, we chose not to sell books that frame LGBTQ + identity as a mental illness. “
The book, “When Harry became Sally: Responding to the transgender moment,” was available on Amazon for three years before its removal in February.
His sudden disappearance from the Amazon store drove Sens Republicans. Marco Rubio (Florida), Mike Lee (Utah), Mike Braun (Ind.) And Josh Hawley (Mo.) accusing the e-commerce giant of political censorship “for the crime of rape sparked group thinking.”
The men also accused Amazon of having “a vague and undefined pattern of ‘offensive content'” that had been inadequately invoked to justify removing a single book, noting that it had previously been allowed to be sold.
Responding to that statement on Thursday, Huseman noted that Amazon clarified its content guidelines. The company now explicitly prohibits “books that frame LGBTQ + identity as a mental illness”.
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