CENSORED: Big Tech Removes Conservative Scholar's Book on Transgenderism
ABOVE: Dr. Ryan T. Anderson appeared on the Tuesday edition of CBN Newswatch to talk more about the growing censorship of conservative ideas by big tech and the federal government. Newswatch is seen weekdays on the CBN News Channel.
Amazon has removed a conservative author’s best-selling book about the transgender movement without offering him any notice or explanation.
Dr. Ryan T. Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, discovered Sunday his book, “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Movement,” had been removed from the web store.
Want to know what the transgender book Amazon doesn't want you to read actually says? Here's a good review @MatthewJFranck wrote of it in @PublicDiscourse https://t.co/LFPBX1G3gu
— Ryan T. Anderson (@RyanTAnd) February 22, 2021
The Goodreads synopsis of the 2018 book describes it this way:
The transgender movement has hit breakneck speed. In the space of a year, it’s gone from something that most Americans had never heard of to a cause claiming the mantle of civil rights.
But can a boy truly be “trapped” in a girl’s body? Can modern medicine really “reassign” sex? Is sex something “assigned” in the first place? What’s the loving response to a friend or child experiencing a gender-identity conflict? What should our law say on these issues?
“When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment” provides thoughtful answers to all of these questions. Drawing on the best insights from biology, psychology, and philosophy, Ryan T. Anderson offers a balanced approach to the policy issues, a nuanced vision of human embodiment, and a sober and honest survey of the human costs of getting human nature wrong.
Now it looks like Apple may have also blocked the book, and Twitter is now censoring it as "sensitive content."
Twitter is now reporting the cover of my book as “potentially sensitive content.” I’m sure Amazon, Apple, and Twitter—it’s all just a coincidence! pic.twitter.com/jS9FjnlzFb
— Ryan T. Anderson (@RyanTAnd) February 23, 2021
Anderson noted on Twitter his book is still available on the Barnes & Noble website.
In a statement to TheBlaze, Anderson said he is used to the biased scrutiny he has faced from many in the mainstream media, noting both The New York Times and The Washington Post have published “hit pieces” on his book.
“People who have actually read my book discovered that it was a thoughtful and accessible presentation of the state of the scientific, medical, philosophical, and legal debates,” Anderson said. “Yes, it advances an argument from a certain viewpoint. No, it didn’t get any facts wrong, and it didn’t engage in any name-calling.”
***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
“It was praised by a who’s who of experts: the former psychiatrist-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital, a longtime psychology professor at [New York University], a professor of medical ethics at Columbia Medical School, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University, a professor of neurobiology at the University of Utah, a distinguished professor at Oxford [University], and a professor of jurisprudence at Princeton [University],” he continued.
Anderson also suggested a link between the fact that the Democrat-led U.S. House of Representatives is set to “ram through a radical transgender bill” — referring to the very controversial Equality Act — and Amazon’s de-platforming of his book.
“Make no mistake,” he said, “both big government and big tech can undermine human dignity and liberty, human flourishing and the common good.”
Several prominent conservative voices called out Amazon for censoring Anderson’s book:
Amazon just removed @RyanTAnd's book, "When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment"
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) February 22, 2021
But here are books they still sell:
- Let Harry Become Sally
- Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
- Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
- My Autobiography by Mussolini pic.twitter.com/59lgekvm2R
I hope this is a mistake @amazon. If not, then it’s absurd and unacceptable. https://t.co/d9DEb9YQly
— David French (@DavidAFrench) February 22, 2021
This is ridiculous. @amazon please fix this error and restore @RyanTAnd’s book immediately. Unless this was intentionally done and you are playing thought-police with books that question and counter far-left ideology? If that’s true, you risk losing half your customer base. https://t.co/DpyWcSXeut
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) February 21, 2021
I am transgender and this book is enlightening, thoughtful and well-researched. It provides necessary and important information on the science and the social impact of the Gender Identity movement.@amazon @AmazonHelp must address this. Removing a book entirely is deeply wrong. https://t.co/C6gCizCCwW
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) February 21, 2021
Some mid-level censor at Amazon appears to be conducting an experiment in what they can get away with:https://t.co/uQTf8XIxbr
— Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) February 22, 2021
Progressive corporations banning books seems bad. https://t.co/UUOYEJN4Yo
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) February 22, 2021
WHAT?! Amazon is censoring “When Harry Became Sally.” This book is rigorously cited & based on science. So the only reason Amazon would do this is because they don’t want anybody to question the leftist trans ideology. https://t.co/uRXxFr0TVO
— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) February 21, 2021
***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***