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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
medium-paced
I think this book is a great example of why having a PhD in one field does not make you an expert in all fields. I found the book to use overly emotive and inflammatory language and verges on being transphobic at times. The vast majority of her arguments are cyclical, cite grey literature, or make claims without valid citations. Dr Joyce seems to cherry pick examples to demonstrate her claims and while these scenarios do happen they are very rare and do not represent the “typical” experience or “typical” events. She also cited articles that have flimsy or questionable ethics and/or methodologies.
Many of her claims and opinions lack nuance and do not consider medicine, sociology, anthropology, or psychology. While I do not agree with her points or arguments some ideas are thought provoking, clearly argued, and employ logical sense making.
The author not only makes problematic and reductionist claims about the trans community but also makes such claims about queer people, other cultures, and speaks for groups she does not directly represent.
I am surprised she also has the gall to cite women like Judith Butler or Margaret Mead who would be less than supportive of her views.
Overall I found this book a disappointing academic engagement and would not recommend it.
Many of her claims and opinions lack nuance and do not consider medicine, sociology, anthropology, or psychology. While I do not agree with her points or arguments some ideas are thought provoking, clearly argued, and employ logical sense making.
The author not only makes problematic and reductionist claims about the trans community but also makes such claims about queer people, other cultures, and speaks for groups she does not directly represent.
I am surprised she also has the gall to cite women like Judith Butler or Margaret Mead who would be less than supportive of her views.
Overall I found this book a disappointing academic engagement and would not recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Minor: Homophobia
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Checked this book out from the library without doing my research - if you’re looking for a book that reflects modern gender science and actual respect and compassion for trans folks, put this one back!! Helen Joyce is a TERF and this book is both misleading and problematic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
This book perpetuates harmful misinformation from a trans-exclusionary radical feminist perspective. While claiming to represent compassion for trans lives, the author systematically argues against their rights, all in the name of “women’s rights.” Don’t be fooled!!
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Unfortunately my brain is constructed in a way where if my friends go to a protest against a book I feel an uncontrollable urge to go read it. So this time I read the TERF book!
And it was bad. "Wow, who would have though", you'll think, but I don't know- I think there are probably actually some good criticisms to be made of parts of the ✨current woke trans ideology✨! But this book does not make them. What you get here is crazy amounts of strawmen, cherry picked statistics, and, whenever the statistics are so overwhelmingly against her that there are no more cherries to pick, intentionally mistold and overly emotive stories. It's DailyMail level writing.
Given that fact, I think protesting the author is probably the wrong approach. If you opened the debate and had some moderate pro-trans people get good on the facts, the position Joyce takes here would be gone in a few years. There was literally not even a single chapter where she got the facts right, I think. Maybe I'd give her some points on the concept of gender identity not being very useful. And I liked the idea of Merit vs Crony Beliefs (https://meltingasphalt.com/crony-beliefs/), I had not come across that before. But overall this sucked.
At this rate they should call it Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality: When Ideology Meets Reality. Amirite
And it was bad. "Wow, who would have though", you'll think, but I don't know- I think there are probably actually some good criticisms to be made of parts of the ✨current woke trans ideology✨! But this book does not make them. What you get here is crazy amounts of strawmen, cherry picked statistics, and, whenever the statistics are so overwhelmingly against her that there are no more cherries to pick, intentionally mistold and overly emotive stories. It's DailyMail level writing.
Given that fact, I think protesting the author is probably the wrong approach. If you opened the debate and had some moderate pro-trans people get good on the facts, the position Joyce takes here would be gone in a few years. There was literally not even a single chapter where she got the facts right, I think. Maybe I'd give her some points on the concept of gender identity not being very useful. And I liked the idea of Merit vs Crony Beliefs (https://meltingasphalt.com/crony-beliefs/), I had not come across that before. But overall this sucked.
At this rate they should call it Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality: When Ideology Meets Reality. Amirite
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Helen Joyce’s Trans is a bold and critical take on the growing influence of gender identity ideology and its impact on society, particularly on women’s rights, children’s healthcare, and public policy. Joyce’s arguments are strong and clear, encouraging readers to question the direction in which this movement is heading.
At the heart of the book is the belief that biological sex is unchangeable, and denying this causes real issues, especially for women. Joyce argues that letting people self-identify their gender, without any medical transition, puts women’s spaces at risk. She points to sports, women-only shelters, and prisons as places where biological differences really matter, and she’s worried these hard-fought protections for women are being undermined by gender identity policies.
Another big focus of the book is the medicalization of children who identify as trans. Joyce questions whether puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries are being pushed too quickly, without enough solid evidence. She raises concerns about how many young people might simply grow out of their gender dysphoria naturally, yet are being encouraged to take irreversible steps. Here, Joyce pushes for a more cautious approach, based on thorough medical evidence, rather than rushing to affirm every child’s self-identified gender.
Joyce also touches on how social and political pressure have made it hard to have an open discussion on these topics. She believes that fear of being labeled transphobic has prevented healthy debate and led to policies being adopted too fast. She’s especially critical of how detransitioners—people who regret their transitions—are often ignored, which, in her view, is a crucial part of the conversation that’s missing.
What stands out most in Joyce’s writing is how she challenges the current narrative, even if it makes people uncomfortable. She forces readers to think about the broader consequences of allowing gender identity to override biological sex, especially for vulnerable groups like women and children. Whether or not you agree with her, Joyce’s arguments push for a more balanced and evidence-based conversation on these issues.
I was recommended this book because I was shown a tweet by J.K. Rowling and disagreed with a quite visceral reaction to her stance, which I couldn’t fully explain at the time. Looking back, I think I bought into the idea that she’s a bigot, after having read that statement so much online. After reading Trans, I think she's actually being courageous in speaking her mind against the rampage that she has to endure for it.
The book opened my eyes to some of the complexities of the debate and made me question my initial reaction. It’s made me realize that there’s more to this conversation than I initially thought.
At the heart of the book is the belief that biological sex is unchangeable, and denying this causes real issues, especially for women. Joyce argues that letting people self-identify their gender, without any medical transition, puts women’s spaces at risk. She points to sports, women-only shelters, and prisons as places where biological differences really matter, and she’s worried these hard-fought protections for women are being undermined by gender identity policies.
Another big focus of the book is the medicalization of children who identify as trans. Joyce questions whether puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries are being pushed too quickly, without enough solid evidence. She raises concerns about how many young people might simply grow out of their gender dysphoria naturally, yet are being encouraged to take irreversible steps. Here, Joyce pushes for a more cautious approach, based on thorough medical evidence, rather than rushing to affirm every child’s self-identified gender.
Joyce also touches on how social and political pressure have made it hard to have an open discussion on these topics. She believes that fear of being labeled transphobic has prevented healthy debate and led to policies being adopted too fast. She’s especially critical of how detransitioners—people who regret their transitions—are often ignored, which, in her view, is a crucial part of the conversation that’s missing.
What stands out most in Joyce’s writing is how she challenges the current narrative, even if it makes people uncomfortable. She forces readers to think about the broader consequences of allowing gender identity to override biological sex, especially for vulnerable groups like women and children. Whether or not you agree with her, Joyce’s arguments push for a more balanced and evidence-based conversation on these issues.
I was recommended this book because I was shown a tweet by J.K. Rowling and disagreed with a quite visceral reaction to her stance, which I couldn’t fully explain at the time. Looking back, I think I bought into the idea that she’s a bigot, after having read that statement so much online. After reading Trans, I think she's actually being courageous in speaking her mind against the rampage that she has to endure for it.
The book opened my eyes to some of the complexities of the debate and made me question my initial reaction. It’s made me realize that there’s more to this conversation than I initially thought.
Like another book I have read "The End of Gender by Dr Debra Soh", this author is not anti-trans or transphobic but rather focuses on gender ideology and transactivism and its impact on women’s spaces. She is clear that the ideology is just that – an ideology and not based on biological or scientific evidence.
The fact that men can self-identify without surgery or hormonal transition means they can access women’s spaces such as bathrooms, sports, women’s shelters and even prisons. She also argues that we are so focused on gender stereotypes that what was once a “tomboy” or an “effeminate boy” is now labelling these children as trans.
The book was worth reading, but at times it could become repetitive. However, it was refreshing to hear a voice that calls for an evidence-based approach to gender ideology that has infiltrated our social, cultural and legal world and has impacts on women and girsl.
The fact that men can self-identify without surgery or hormonal transition means they can access women’s spaces such as bathrooms, sports, women’s shelters and even prisons. She also argues that we are so focused on gender stereotypes that what was once a “tomboy” or an “effeminate boy” is now labelling these children as trans.
The book was worth reading, but at times it could become repetitive. However, it was refreshing to hear a voice that calls for an evidence-based approach to gender ideology that has infiltrated our social, cultural and legal world and has impacts on women and girsl.
informative
medium-paced
Any person, male or female, who has caught onto the disturbing trend of gender ideology needs to read this book. Anyone who works with or has kids needs to read this book. Let go of your fears of being seen as “transphobic” for questioning the gender identity industry. Helen Joyce is much more even handed and compassionate in this account than is honestly warranted, given the vitriol and violence with which transactivists respond to even mild critique. This phenomenon cannot continue to go unchecked, and Trans succinctly outlines why. Everyone has a stake in dismantling the transgender industrial complex, including people who identify as “trans.”