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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
"Transgender craze" lol. No one is gonna be "seduced" into being trans unless they already are.
Relax, parents. More likely, your teens are just reading and writing fanfic on AO3.
Relax, parents. More likely, your teens are just reading and writing fanfic on AO3.
This book is incredibly harmful and psychologically damaging. If you're trying to help or 'protect' your children maybe listen them and ask them what makes them feel safe and cared for instead of devaluing their identity and experiences. If you love your children support them by letting them be themselves instead of trying to shove them into an identity you're projecting onto them.
“Irreversible Damage” by Abigail Shrier made headlines when Target, responding to a tweet from a disgruntled reader, took the book off its shelves briefly in the fall.
The publisher, Regnery Publishing, which recently signed Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri after Simon & Schuster canceled his book deal, was kind enough to send me “Irreversible Damage” in exchange for what they termed “an honest review.”
Upon a careful look at the cover, it’s easy to see why many people would jump to the conclusion that Shrier’s book is anti-transgender. As we all tend to do in real life and at first glance, we judge the book by its cover, make our comments — mostly in a Twitter thread form — without researching or even opening the book.
This is how Shrier’s book became banned from Target’s shelves for a brief period. All it took was one person seeing it and tweeting about it for Target to remove it completely.
From the introduction, however, it’s clear that the author is not transphobic at all. She simply is concerned with the increased rates of girls who want to transition in what she calls an “unprecedented” fashion.
“Between 2016 and 2017 the number of gender surgeries for natal females in the U.S quadrupled, with biological women suddenly accounting for — as we have seen — 70 percent of all gender surgeries. In 2018, the UK reported a 4,400 percent rise over the previous decade in teenage girls seeking gender treatments,” Shrier says in Chapter 1.
She doesn’t write off gender dysphoria. She seeks in the book to show that this sudden spike in girls looking to change genders isn’t something to ignore and potentially can be attributed to the effects of social media and the loneliness that sweeps the current generation.
With each turn of the page, I found myself interested and constantly learning. Shrier does a great job at informing her audience while keeping them captivated.
From the information presented to the diction that Shrier uses, there is no doubt she researched her subject with care and did due diligence to get all sides of the story.
From reaching out to those who opposed her Op-Ed piece, she encouraged conversation so she could hear the other side of the story. She spoke to Trans activists and influencers, psychologists, doctors and many more.
This isn’t a transphobic book, but instead a concern for the popular trend that seems to be sweeping young women, along with how society’s reaction to it can be more harmful than helpful.
I definitely recommend opening this book, whether you agree or not with the title. It exposes issues we have with our doctors and the rampant diagnosing and throwing pills at people left and right.
The publisher, Regnery Publishing, which recently signed Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri after Simon & Schuster canceled his book deal, was kind enough to send me “Irreversible Damage” in exchange for what they termed “an honest review.”
Upon a careful look at the cover, it’s easy to see why many people would jump to the conclusion that Shrier’s book is anti-transgender. As we all tend to do in real life and at first glance, we judge the book by its cover, make our comments — mostly in a Twitter thread form — without researching or even opening the book.
This is how Shrier’s book became banned from Target’s shelves for a brief period. All it took was one person seeing it and tweeting about it for Target to remove it completely.
From the introduction, however, it’s clear that the author is not transphobic at all. She simply is concerned with the increased rates of girls who want to transition in what she calls an “unprecedented” fashion.
“Between 2016 and 2017 the number of gender surgeries for natal females in the U.S quadrupled, with biological women suddenly accounting for — as we have seen — 70 percent of all gender surgeries. In 2018, the UK reported a 4,400 percent rise over the previous decade in teenage girls seeking gender treatments,” Shrier says in Chapter 1.
She doesn’t write off gender dysphoria. She seeks in the book to show that this sudden spike in girls looking to change genders isn’t something to ignore and potentially can be attributed to the effects of social media and the loneliness that sweeps the current generation.
With each turn of the page, I found myself interested and constantly learning. Shrier does a great job at informing her audience while keeping them captivated.
From the information presented to the diction that Shrier uses, there is no doubt she researched her subject with care and did due diligence to get all sides of the story.
From reaching out to those who opposed her Op-Ed piece, she encouraged conversation so she could hear the other side of the story. She spoke to Trans activists and influencers, psychologists, doctors and many more.
This isn’t a transphobic book, but instead a concern for the popular trend that seems to be sweeping young women, along with how society’s reaction to it can be more harmful than helpful.
I definitely recommend opening this book, whether you agree or not with the title. It exposes issues we have with our doctors and the rampant diagnosing and throwing pills at people left and right.
The science? Okay at best. Criticism of the medical community? Valid. The bias against the queer community? Bullshit. Misrepresentation of the queer people the author interviewed for this book? Disgusting. Fuck this book.
Irreversible Damage: The book that has been the source of an extraordinary amount of controversy for dealing with a hot-button issue in a not-so-politically correct sort of way. And one of the best books I've read in a very long time.
The book is not, as some have postulated, transphobic. Nor is it homophobic, or hateful. What it is: an exploration of this topic - the rapid onset gender dysphoria that seemingly took down Lisa Littman, an ob-gyn and public health researcher - with a critical eye. The literature, medical/psychiatric/therapeutic professional associations, schools, media and online world are in lockstep: if a child announces that s/he is transgender or otherwise gender nonconforming, we should accept and support this announcement without questioning what led to it. Shrier asks a few simple questions:
- How does this differ from transgender identification in the preceding century?
- Why these girls, and why now?
- Are these girls getting better with this blanket support?
-What are the outcomes of the current medical/psychiatric approach to trans-identification?
As I noted in the last nonfiction book I read, even in nonfiction, authors always imbue the text with their own opinions, and Shrier is no different. She clearly has an opinion on this topic, but as noted above - she is neither transphobic nor homophobic (accusations that have been leveled at her). She is, however, skeptical and analytical - two features she points out are missing from most of the treatments (medical and therapeutic) provided to these girls. Like Littman, she notes a frequent co-occurrence of gender nonconformity among girls in a given school or among groups of friends, which is a statistical impossibility. How can this be? And how can society - especially those tasked with helping adolescents - ignore this?
I'm first a parent and second a physician, and my overwhelming sense after reading this book is that we have a whole generation of girls who are not getting what they really need from their parents, teachers, physicians and support system. They're getting lost on the internet (which I think is true regardless of the transgender issue - it's a huge problem, esp now with pandemic) and they are not receiving the mental health treatment they need. Depression, anxiety, social isolation, imperfection of body, stereotypical perspectives on what is masculine and feminine - kids are struggling with all of these issues. Some will navigate adolescence with bumps and bruises and emerge unscathed on the other side. Others will not, and the evidence provided by Shrier is that these kids are not getting support for the underlying issues. Instead of pursuing the things that may have led to their identification, they are receiving therapy and support for the identity they embrace. In fact, questioning why a teen suddenly identifies as transgender is anathema.
Shrier covers the history of this recent phenomenon and interviews physicians and therapists who have treated and studied innumerable transgender individuals. She interviewed multiple transgender adults, families of daughters who suddenly transitioned in adolescence, and some people who detransitioned. Of course, as in any social science book, her conclusions are informed by those who she interviewed, but this is a fairly unique and unstudied population. In the absence of other data, this is what she has to go on, and unless - and until - academic institutions create well-designed studies around this population, investigative reporting is the only source of information that counteracts the most popular views on this topic.
Shrier notes that in the end, some of these girls are transgender. Some of them are lesbians. Some of them are neither, but have other mental health issues that have not been adequately addressed or treated. She analogizes this rapid onset transgender identification to teenage clusters of anorexia, or multiple personality disorder, or recovered memories of abuse, and makes the point that providing life-altering treatment, or encouraging social transitioning, is not benign and should not be undertaken without full evaluation of the individual, as was done in the past (pretty much up to 2015). Finally, she makes some important points about womanhood: it is hard to get through adolescence, and the changes girls' bodies undergo are amazing and horrifying, but in the end they are wonderful beings with the ability to do just about anything they want to do without regard to their sexuality or degree of masculinity or femininity. And being a woman (and a girl) is an incredible thing.
As I said at the beginning, I think this book was fabulous. As a parent and a physician, I worry about ANY treatment that has the potential to cause harm, and I constantly weigh risks and benefits when dealing with my children, my patients and my community. I don't like to give antibiotics when they won't clearly provide benefit, even if patients want them, because they can cause harm. I don't support further hybrid/remote learning because I believe the risks of keeping our kids home outweighs the benefits. And I view this much the same way: risks and benefits must be evaluated for these girls. They should receive counseling for depression. Their parents should be asked for a social and psych0logical history, as I have been each time we have worked with a new mental health professional for my own children. A BASC should be completed by parents, children, teachers. And if after much therapy - focused on evaluating root causes of unhappiness and body dissatisfaction - a teen is found to have persistent gender dysphoria, transition should be discussed. In other words, treatment should be rooted in full assessment and an accurate risk/benefit analysis.
I strongly recommend reading this, especially if you disagree with the ideas postulated here. We've reached a bizarre point culturally where people believe they will be harmed by reading things they don't like. That makes no sense. If you read something you disagree with, you can then make a cogent argument refuting its points.
The book is not, as some have postulated, transphobic. Nor is it homophobic, or hateful. What it is: an exploration of this topic - the rapid onset gender dysphoria that seemingly took down Lisa Littman, an ob-gyn and public health researcher - with a critical eye. The literature, medical/psychiatric/therapeutic professional associations, schools, media and online world are in lockstep: if a child announces that s/he is transgender or otherwise gender nonconforming, we should accept and support this announcement without questioning what led to it. Shrier asks a few simple questions:
- How does this differ from transgender identification in the preceding century?
- Why these girls, and why now?
- Are these girls getting better with this blanket support?
-What are the outcomes of the current medical/psychiatric approach to trans-identification?
As I noted in the last nonfiction book I read, even in nonfiction, authors always imbue the text with their own opinions, and Shrier is no different. She clearly has an opinion on this topic, but as noted above - she is neither transphobic nor homophobic (accusations that have been leveled at her). She is, however, skeptical and analytical - two features she points out are missing from most of the treatments (medical and therapeutic) provided to these girls. Like Littman, she notes a frequent co-occurrence of gender nonconformity among girls in a given school or among groups of friends, which is a statistical impossibility. How can this be? And how can society - especially those tasked with helping adolescents - ignore this?
I'm first a parent and second a physician, and my overwhelming sense after reading this book is that we have a whole generation of girls who are not getting what they really need from their parents, teachers, physicians and support system. They're getting lost on the internet (which I think is true regardless of the transgender issue - it's a huge problem, esp now with pandemic) and they are not receiving the mental health treatment they need. Depression, anxiety, social isolation, imperfection of body, stereotypical perspectives on what is masculine and feminine - kids are struggling with all of these issues. Some will navigate adolescence with bumps and bruises and emerge unscathed on the other side. Others will not, and the evidence provided by Shrier is that these kids are not getting support for the underlying issues. Instead of pursuing the things that may have led to their identification, they are receiving therapy and support for the identity they embrace. In fact, questioning why a teen suddenly identifies as transgender is anathema.
Shrier covers the history of this recent phenomenon and interviews physicians and therapists who have treated and studied innumerable transgender individuals. She interviewed multiple transgender adults, families of daughters who suddenly transitioned in adolescence, and some people who detransitioned. Of course, as in any social science book, her conclusions are informed by those who she interviewed, but this is a fairly unique and unstudied population. In the absence of other data, this is what she has to go on, and unless - and until - academic institutions create well-designed studies around this population, investigative reporting is the only source of information that counteracts the most popular views on this topic.
Shrier notes that in the end, some of these girls are transgender. Some of them are lesbians. Some of them are neither, but have other mental health issues that have not been adequately addressed or treated. She analogizes this rapid onset transgender identification to teenage clusters of anorexia, or multiple personality disorder, or recovered memories of abuse, and makes the point that providing life-altering treatment, or encouraging social transitioning, is not benign and should not be undertaken without full evaluation of the individual, as was done in the past (pretty much up to 2015). Finally, she makes some important points about womanhood: it is hard to get through adolescence, and the changes girls' bodies undergo are amazing and horrifying, but in the end they are wonderful beings with the ability to do just about anything they want to do without regard to their sexuality or degree of masculinity or femininity. And being a woman (and a girl) is an incredible thing.
As I said at the beginning, I think this book was fabulous. As a parent and a physician, I worry about ANY treatment that has the potential to cause harm, and I constantly weigh risks and benefits when dealing with my children, my patients and my community. I don't like to give antibiotics when they won't clearly provide benefit, even if patients want them, because they can cause harm. I don't support further hybrid/remote learning because I believe the risks of keeping our kids home outweighs the benefits. And I view this much the same way: risks and benefits must be evaluated for these girls. They should receive counseling for depression. Their parents should be asked for a social and psych0logical history, as I have been each time we have worked with a new mental health professional for my own children. A BASC should be completed by parents, children, teachers. And if after much therapy - focused on evaluating root causes of unhappiness and body dissatisfaction - a teen is found to have persistent gender dysphoria, transition should be discussed. In other words, treatment should be rooted in full assessment and an accurate risk/benefit analysis.
I strongly recommend reading this, especially if you disagree with the ideas postulated here. We've reached a bizarre point culturally where people believe they will be harmed by reading things they don't like. That makes no sense. If you read something you disagree with, you can then make a cogent argument refuting its points.
This book was everything I knew it could be and more. Her views on gender dysphoria being the major cause of bandwagoning for this generation is freeing. I have a step daughter who once claimed within the last year that she identified as a boy. My husband sat down with her to get to the root of her beliefs in the matter. After a lengthy and heartfelt conversation his daughter admitted she didn't actually feel like she was a boy but felt more comfortable dressing as one due to her discomfort in girl clothes and that they made her feel as though she was being constantly targeted by others,more specifically seedy older men. I cannot say I blame her one bit for feeling that way. I grew up in a similar situation(having had to attend a catholic academy where girls were required to wear skirts) and having to contend with men harassing me on city buses. I cut my hair and started wearing my twin brothers clothes to avoid that kind of unwanted attention.
Shrier makes a great statement that in the past before internet,the majority of girls did not have mentorship on what gender dysphoria was in comparison to transgenderism.
Shrier makes a great statement that in the past before internet,the majority of girls did not have mentorship on what gender dysphoria was in comparison to transgenderism.
People calling the author transphobic clearly haven’t read the book. It’s a very thought provoking read and if your thoughts aren’t provoked then you’re not working with much up there. Considering some people live in an echo chamber and refuse to hear anything other than what they want to hear it’s not surprising this book has stirred them up.
Eye-opening. Authentic. Poignant.
More than anything, I have come away from reading this book with a deeper sense of empathy and desire to understand and be helpful.
More than anything, I have come away from reading this book with a deeper sense of empathy and desire to understand and be helpful.
This promotes harmful ideology and I’m shocked that this was published. Not helpful, not informational, simply hateful. Trans people are not a fad or a craze. Disgusting.
slow-paced
This book is full of flawed science and bad surveys masquerading as science. The main study on 'Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria' interviewed exactly Zero trans people and solicited feedback from an anti-trans parenting forum.
This book is absolutely indistinguishable from racist eugenics. It proves the point that transphobia and racism are intertwined. Trans men are men, and not erasing women in any way. Go read Stone Butch Blues, its free and way better.
Edit: Shrier is among the same people saying treating your trans kids with love and compassion is child abuse while at the same time saying that kids should be taken away from loving families. I would ask what's the real irreversible damage? It's not letting your kid cut their hair.
Edit 2: The same bills Shrier supports (Banning all healthcare for trans youth) have now evolved into restricting gender affirming healthcare for people under 25!! You can run for congress, make decisions and lawsfor others, but still wouldn't be old enough for trans healthcare. You can guarantee the fight against our bodily autonomy will not stop with trans people. The same people against trans health are also against reproductive health.
Edit 3: I just want to say I 100% called it that even 1 month after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, Abigail Shrier has said absolutely nothing about reproductive rights. She's just endlessly tweeting about trans people. Sounds like she doesn't actually care about the wellbeing of women and pregnant people.
This book is absolutely indistinguishable from racist eugenics. It proves the point that transphobia and racism are intertwined. Trans men are men, and not erasing women in any way. Go read Stone Butch Blues, its free and way better.
Edit: Shrier is among the same people saying treating your trans kids with love and compassion is child abuse while at the same time saying that kids should be taken away from loving families. I would ask what's the real irreversible damage? It's not letting your kid cut their hair.
Edit 2: The same bills Shrier supports (Banning all healthcare for trans youth) have now evolved into restricting gender affirming healthcare for people under 25!! You can run for congress, make decisions and lawsfor others, but still wouldn't be old enough for trans healthcare. You can guarantee the fight against our bodily autonomy will not stop with trans people. The same people against trans health are also against reproductive health.
Edit 3: I just want to say I 100% called it that even 1 month after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, Abigail Shrier has said absolutely nothing about reproductive rights. She's just endlessly tweeting about trans people. Sounds like she doesn't actually care about the wellbeing of women and pregnant people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Deadnaming, Racism, Transphobia