Amazon removing books that frame LGBTQ issues as mental illness

Amazon removing books that frame LGBTQ issues as mental illness

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

The move came after four Republicans – sen. Marco RubioMarco Antonio RubioRubio and a bipartisan group of senators push to make daylight saving time permanent The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by the National Shooting Sports Foundation – With 50 days in charge, Democrats hail American Rescue Plan as big victory Senate GOP faces retirement brain drain MOST (Florida), Mike LeeMichael (Mike) Shumway LeeMike Lee says ‘For the People’ voting is ‘as if written in hell by the devil himself’ Black Caucus supports Biden’s choice to head the DOJ Biden Civil Rights Division allegedly calls for antitrust scholar to FTC MORE (Utah), Mike BraunMichael BraunSenate pays homage to ‘Hoosiers’ film Senate prepares for ‘horrible’, ‘stupid’ session before COVID-19 relief vote Murthy promises to focus on pandemic effects on mental health if confirmed as general surgeon MORE (Ind.) E Josh HawleyJoshua (Josh) David Hawley’Cancel Culture ‘is just freedom of speech holding others accountable in the White House searches for a solution to the border race The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by the National Shooting Sports Foundation – CDC news about meetings step towards normality MORE (Mo.) – sent a letter on February 24 to the Chief Executive Jeff BezosJeffrey (Jeff) Preston BezosPentagon awards 0 million in contracts with SpaceK philanthropist MacKenzie Scott of Musk remarries after Jeff Bezos’ divorce Marianne Williamson: Refusing to raise the minimum wage is part of the ‘rigged economy’ MORE questioning 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 frame LGBTQ + identity as a mental illness,” said Amazon in a letter to the senators, obtained by the vehicle.

Amazon vice president of public policy Brian Huseman wrote in the letter that the company has changed its content guidelines for books since 2018, but gave no details on how.

Amazon said it provides its customers “with access to a variety of points of view, including books that some customers may find objectionable.”

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

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

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

“This book exposes the contrast between the media’s sunny description of gender fluidity and the often sad reality of living with gender dysphoria,” according to its online description. “It gives a voice to people who tried to make the ‘transition’ by changing their bodies and did not find themselves in a better situation. Especially worrying are the stories told by adults who were encouraged to make the transition as children, but later regretted undergoing these drastic procedures. “

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

“As I mentioned before: ‘Please quote the passage I’ call the mentally ill ‘,” wrote Anderson. “You cannot quote this passage because it does not exist.”

Anderson and Roger Kimball, the editor of Encounter Books who launched the title, said in a statement to the WSJ that “everyone agrees that gender dysphoria is a serious condition that causes great suffering”.

“There is a debate, however, that Amazon is trying to end, about the best way to treat patients suffering from gender dysphoria,” they added, calling their book “an important contribution” to this conversation.

“Amazon is using its enormous power to distort the market for ideas and deceive its own customers in the process,” Anderson and Kimball said in the joint statement.

Conservatives classified the removal of the book as censorship, criticizing 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 lawmakers in 2018 and remains one of the most rigorously researched and compassionately argued books on the subject, “Senators wrote to Amazon last month.” By removing this book from its markets and services, Amazon has unabashedly exercised its outsized market share to silence an important voice merely for the crime of violating awakened group thinking. ”

Amazon has denied that the removal of the book is not part of a broader campaign against conservative material and voices.

“We offer customers across the political spectrum a wide variety of content that includes differing opinions,” wrote the company.

Senators did not respond to requests for comment from The Wall Street Journal.

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