These Books Are(n't) Harmful
But they are gender critical
By J.A. Kelly
Introducing a new series for Heterodoxy in the Stacks. “These Books Are(n’t) Harmful” will offer reading lists to anyone interested in engaging with what “the other side” has to say about controversial topics. Even if these books are in a library near you, they might not end up on displays and may be actively hidden from view. Speakers sharing these views may be removed from libraries. So, in the spirit of viewpoint diversity, intellectual freedom, and the right to read, we provide a non-exhaustive list for you here.
Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shreier
Investigates the explosion of gender dysphoria among young girls.
Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism by Kathleen Stock
A calm feminist critique of trans activism.
The Abolition of Sex: How the “Transgender” Agenda Harms Women and Girls by Kara Dansky
Takes a legal perspective examining how women and girls are being hurt by the transgender movement.
Time to Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock’s Gender Service for Children by Hannah Barnes
Examination of themedical scandals of the Gender Identity Development Service in the UK.
Doublethink: Feminist Challenge to Transgenderism by Janice G Raymond
Explores the consequences of the gender identity ideology.
Transgender Body Politics by Heather Brunskell-Evans
Evaluates the medical industry’s incentives to encourage the transgender movement.
Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality by Helen Joyce
Confronts the ways in which the trans movement has impacted civil society at many levels.
Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans: Tales from the Home Front in the Fight to Save Our Kids by Josie A. and Dina S.
Parents share their perspectives and advice around navigating childrens’ mental health difficulties while being pushed to adopt a trans narrative.
Visit their substack:
If you don’t see these titles in your local library, many collections policies offer the ability for patrons to suggest purchases to add to the collection. Interlibrary Loan is another great option. Many weeding policies evaluate circulation and ILL stats, so if you would like to continue seeing these titles in your library, please check them out. The OCLC WorldCat numbers were obtained on the date of publication.
Two more suggestions:
The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism by J. Michael Bailey (7 editions in 1,897 libraries)
When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment by Ryan T. Anderson (5 editions in 594 libraries)
Incredibly, you can't buy Anderson's book on either Amazon or Bookshop.org. The latter also delisted Abigail Shrier's book following an internal staff revolt. To its great credit, Barnes & Noble has sold and continues to sell most of the books mentioned in this article.
And I'll add a non-polemical title that is a fascinating look at why sex evolved in the first place. I always thought I knew, but most of what I learned was either wrong or very incomplete. It is still an open question. The book is "The Red Queen - Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature", by Matt Ridley.
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-red-queen-sex-and-the-evolution-of-human-nature_matt-ridley/250866/?resultid=b5a162f2-177d-4c8b-b1f3-4b58e55620d2#edition=3489641&idiq=4339252
This is one of the few non-fiction books I've read cover to cover more than once.