These are some points I want to make, not a summary of the book. Shrier may or may not agree with what I say or how I say it.
To be clear at the start, I support basic human rights for all people, including people who wish to present socially as the stereotypic opposite sex, or even, as adults, alter their bodies as part of that quest. However, it is not a basic human right to force other people to deny material realities. Sex is a material reality, not a social construct. I do not support the anti-science ideology that conflates and confuses sex with personality/gender, claiming human sex (biology) is therefore a “spectrum”, or a “social construct”, or that a person’s sex at conception can later be changed — it cannot.
Personality is a spectrum, or actually a series of spectrums, and hopefully evolves somewhat over a lifetime as we mature. The political left seems to think that supporting the LGBT population requires total capitulation to an irrational ‘genderist’ (sexist) ideology that, like far right religious conservatism, locks sex and personality together. On the right, a girl who likes to play with trucks should squelch that interest and strive to enjoy only properly “feminine” (?) activities like the universe intended. Ridiculous. On the left, a girl who likes to play with trucks should recognize she is a boy and start puberty blockers, then testosterone, then double mastectomy. Ridiculous — a blatant revival of old-fashioned sexism in an even more destructive form. What to do? Make sure she has some trucks to play with. It’s part of her girlhood.
Many on the left either have no idea what is going on, or they are blinded by genderist ideologues who have captured the conversation with BIG MONEY support ultimately coming from the gender clinics, hormone manufacturers, and pornography empires who want all the bodies and eyeballs they can get. On the11thhourblog, you can follow the money powering the insidious marketing campaign. These big dollar interests, disguised as a civil rights movement, have corrupted LGBT organizations, the ACLU, the Dems, the academy, feminism, the liberal media, healthcare professionals and more. This left-leaning LGBT person could not be more pleased with Shrier’s compassionate, factual and balanced book. Someone who actually cares enough about young girls to stick her neck way out there in this era of unreason.
I do not want teenage girls to be misdirected and gaslit about the nature of sex, or forced to compete with boys in sports where male physicality gives an innate advantage, or forced to share female spaces with boys.
So...what a breath of fresh air this book is, exposing the role of social media, money, and the new cultish version of “trans” in making life for some adolescent girls too painful to bear. If you care about your children’s science education and/or sex education, read this book. If you have a daughter, read this book.
7/11/20 Edit:
Schrier ends the book with seven ideas for parents of girls to consider. I would add one more idea into the mix:
8. Learn how destructive relationships and groups can gain control of a person, and teach your children how to recognize the tactics of cults and thought control.
I recommend TERROR, LOVE AND BRAINWASHING by Alexandra Stein. Also consider books by Robert Lifton or Steven Hassan. Finally, read a disturbing 2017 paper written by Jenn Smith, a Canadian trans-identified male: “Synanon, the Brainwashing Game and Modern Transgender Activism: The Orwellian Implications of Transgender Politics.” You can google it.
7/25/20 Edit:
I have just learned about a new organization of healthcare professionals who recognize the problem with the current ‘gender affirmative’ model and have banded together to promote evidence-based gender medicine. These adults are standing up together in a way that makes them more difficult to silence. I am grateful.
SEGM - Society for Evidenced-Based Gender Medicine. “Our aim is to promote safe, compassionate, ethical and evidence-informed healthcare for children, adolescents, and young adults with gender dysphoria.”
12/6/20 Edit:
In the UK on 12/1/20, Keira Bell age 23 won her case against the NHS Tavistock Gender Identity Development Service. The Court determined that adolescents and children under age 16 are NOT capable of giving consent to life-altering medical and surgical interventions such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries to address gender dysphoria. Further, at ages 16-17 physicians should consider obtaining a court order for such treatment. This is a major win in the fight against the rampant medical transing of children. You can read the judgment for yourself by searching Bell-v-Tavistock.
12/21/20 Edit:
Within the last couple of days Amazon has deleted all the comments made in response to reviews. About 23 comments were made in response to my review. That dialogue was genuine and beneficial. I am sorry to see it has been removed from view.
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Reviews with images
Must read if parent or mentor of young girls
I highly recommend you read this book. The book is based on interviews of parents, doctors, therapists, educators and trans influencers.There are statements an ideologies I don’t agree with in the book but my overall take is she is addressing a phenomenon happening with young girls and teens that is akin to the 90a anorexia movement with teenagers where groups of teens are coming out trans in numbers that don’t make sense. If you’re objecting to the book based on the author or because of the title of the books, then so be it. But you know the old saying, don’t judge a book by its cover. 🙂 As a mother of three girls, I found this gave me some understanding of what I have personally seen occurring and things to be aware of as a parent and mentor to girls. In no way did I ever feel like she was being disrespectful or dishonoring to the trans community. I find it interesting the push back to this book from people who have never read it.
Top reviews from other countries
Left-wing progressive feminist mom of 2
Left-wing progressive here
Reviewed in Canada on November 12, 2023
Bambi
Excelente lectura, interesante e informativa.
Reviewed in Mexico on March 10, 2022
Tutto perfetto, ottima base letto!
Parents should read this
Reviewed in Italy on March 3, 2024
