When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment

Last updated
When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment
When Harry Became Sally.jpg
Author Ryan T. Anderson
LanguageEnglish
Subject Gender identity
Published2018 (Encounter)
Publication placeUnited States
Media type
  • Print (hardcover ·paperback)
  • e-book
  • audiobook on CD
Pages264
ISBN 978-1-5940-3961-4
306.76/8 dc23
LC Class HQ77.9 .A556 2018

When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment is a book critical of modern transgender rights and certain treatments for gender dysphoria, written by the socially conservative political philosopher Ryan T. Anderson and published by Encounter Books in 2018. [1] The book focuses on the cultural and political debates surrounding transgender identity, with a particular focus on criticizing what the author describes as "transgender ideology". [2] [3]

Contents

When Harry Became Sally was criticized for repeatedly using the birth or other former name (deadnaming) of trans people, and accused of ignoring transphobia. [1] [4] On the other hand, it has received praise, notably from conservative media. [5] [2]

In February 2021 the book was the first removed from Amazon.com's store under a new hate speech policy enacted by the company. [6] [7] The move was criticized by the National Coalition Against Censorship, [8] [9] and United States Senator Tom Cotton. [8] On March 12, in response to a letter from four other senators, Amazon clarified that the company has "chosen not to sell books that frame LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness". [10] [11] Anderson denies that his book describes transgender persons as "mentally ill". [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identity—their personal sense of their own gender—and their sex assigned at birth. The term replaced the previous diagnostic label of gender identity disorder (GID) in 2013 with the release of the diagnostic manual DSM-5. The condition was renamed to remove the stigma associated with the term disorder.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to transgender topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Walsh (political commentator)</span> American right-wing political activist (born 1986)

Matt Walsh is an American right-wing political activist, author, podcaster, and columnist. He is the host of The Matt Walsh Show podcast and is a columnist for the American conservative website The Daily Wire. He has authored four books and starred in The Daily Wire documentary films What Is a Woman? and Am I Racist?

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Encounter Books</span> American book publisher

Encounter Books is a book publisher in the United States known for publishing conservative authors. It was named for Encounter, the now defunct literary magazine founded by Irving Kristol and Stephen Spender. Based in New York City since 2006, Encounter Books publishes non-fiction books in the areas of politics, history, religion, biography, education, public policy, current affairs and social sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Alabama</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals in the U.S. state of Alabama have federal protections, but still face legal challenges and discrimination on the state level that is not experienced by non-LGBT residents. LGBTQ rights in Alabama—a Republican Party stronghold located in both the Deep South and greater Bible Belt—are severely limited in comparison to other states. As one of the most socially conservative states in the U.S., Alabama is one of the only two states along with neighboring Mississippi where opposition to same-sex marriage outnumbers support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Florida</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Florida have federal protections, but many face legal difficulties on the state level that are not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity became legal in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas on June 26, 2003, although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy law. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the state since January 6, 2015. Discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations is outlawed following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. In addition, several cities and counties, comprising about 55 percent of Florida's population, have enacted anti-discrimination ordinances. These include Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee and West Palm Beach, among others. Conversion therapy is also banned in a number of cities in the state, mainly in the Miami metropolitan area, but has been struck down by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. In September 2023, Lake Worth Beach, Florida became an official "LGBT sanctuary city" to protect and defend LGBT rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender personnel in the United States military</span>

Transgender people have served or sought to serve in the United States military. The subject began to engender some political controversy starting with transgender service members being banned in 1960 and possibly earlier. This controversy came to a head in the 2010s and was subjected to relatively rapid changes for the next few years. As of 2021, transgender individuals are expressly permitted to serve openly as their identified gender. A brief timeline is as follows:

Detransition is the cessation or reversal of a transgender identification or of gender transition, temporarily or permanently, through social, legal, and/or medical means. The term is distinct from the concept of 'regret', and the decision may be based on a shift in gender identity, or other reasons, such as health concerns, social or economic pressure, discrimination, stigma, political beliefs, or religious beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaire White</span> American YouTuber and political commentator (born 1993)

Blaire White is an American YouTuber and political commentator. Describing her politics as center-right, many of White's videos have been centered around social issues such as transgender people, feminism, and Black Lives Matter.

Rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) is a controversial, scientifically unsupported hypothesis which claims that some adolescents identify as transgender and experience gender dysphoria due to peer influence and social contagion. ROGD is not recognized as a valid mental health diagnosis by any major professional association, which discourage its use due to a lack of reputable scientific evidence for the concept, major methodological issues in existing research, and its stigmatization of gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan T. Anderson</span> American religious conservative (born 1981)

Ryan Thomas Anderson is an American religious conservative who is primarily known for his opposition to LGBT rights in the United States, including the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in the United States, laws that ban discrimination against LGBT people, and laws that ban the practice of conversion therapy on children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Heyer</span> Detransitioned anti-LGBT activist (born 1940)

Walt Heyer is an American author, activist and speaker who underwent gender reassignment and lived for eight years as a trans woman before detransitioning in 1991.

<i>Irreversible Damage</i> 2020 book by Abigail Shrier

Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters is a 2020 book by Abigail Shrier, published by Regnery Publishing, which endorses the controversial concept of rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD). ROGD is not recognized as a medical diagnosis by any major professional institution nor is it backed by credible scientific evidence.

Stella O'Malley is an Irish psychotherapist and author, with three books on parenting and mental health. She is a regular contributor to Irish national newspapers, podcasts, and TV. She made a documentary about gender dysphoria in children for Channel 4, and is the founder of Genspect, a self-described gender critical organisation opposed to gender affirming care.

<i>Johnny the Walrus</i> 2022 childrens book by Matt Walsh

Johnny the Walrus is a satirical 2022 children's picture book by American conservative political commentator Matt Walsh. The story allegorically compares being transgender and non-binary to pretending to be a walrus through the story of a child named Johnny. It was published by DW Books, a division of The Daily Wire.

Starting in 2021, there have been a considerable number of books banned or challenged in parts of the United States. Most of the targeted books have to do with race, gender, and sexuality. Unlike most book challenges in the past, whereby parents or other stakeholders in the community would engage teachers and school administrators in a debate over a title, local groups have received support from conservative advocacy organizations working to nationalize the efforts focused on certain subjects. They have also been more likely to involve legal and legislative measures rather than just conversations in local communities. Journalists, academics, librarians, and others commonly link the coordinated, often well-funded book challenges to other reactionary efforts to restrict what students should learn about systemic bias and the history of the United States. Hundreds of books have been challenged, including high-profile examples like Maus by Art Spiegelman and New Kid by Jerry Craft.

<i>What Is a Woman?</i> 2022 American documentary film by Justin Folk

What Is a Woman? is a 2022 American documentary film about gender and transgender issues, directed by Justin Folk and presented by conservative political commentator Matt Walsh. The film was released by conservative website The Daily Wire. In the film, Walsh asks various people "What is a woman?", attempting to prove that their definition of womanhood is circular. Walsh said he made the film in opposition to "gender ideology". It is described in many sources as anti-trans or transphobic. The film was released to subscribers of The Daily Wire on June 1, 2022, coinciding with the start of Pride Month.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genspect</span> Organization opposing transgender rights

Genspect is an international group founded in June 2021 by psychotherapist Stella O'Malley that has been described as gender-critical. Genspect opposes gender-affirming care, as well as social and medical transition for transgender people. Genspect opposes allowing transgender people under 25 years old to transition, and opposes laws that would ban conversion therapy on the basis of gender identity. Genspect also endorses the unproven concept of rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD), which proposes a subclass of gender dysphoria caused by peer influence and social contagion. ROGD has been rejected by major medical organisations due to its lack of evidence and likelihood to cause harm by stigmatizing gender-affirming care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ky Schevers</span> American transgender rights activist

Ky Schevers is an American transgender rights activist. She was assigned female at birth, but gradually transitioned to male, including medical transition at the age of 20. Five years after, she detransitioned to female. She became prominent among the detransitioned community and for writing and making online videos about the gender transition and detransition process under the pen names Crash or CrashChaosCats. Another nine years after detransitioning, Schevers broke with the detransitioned community over its attacks on gender transition in general, and began to retransition. She now identifies as transmasculine and genderqueer, but using feminine pronouns, and she co-leads "Health Liberation Now!", an organization defending transgender rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abigail Shrier</span> American freelance journalist and author

Abigail Shrier is an American author and former opinion columnist for the Wall Street Journal.

References

  1. 1 2 Cha, Ariana Eunjung (February 2, 2018). "Ryan Anderson's book on transgender people is creating an uproar". The Washington Post .
  2. 1 2 Jones, David Albert (1 August 2019). "Book Review: Ryan T. Anderson, When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment Mark A. Yarhouse, Understanding Gender Dysphoria: Navigating Transgender Issues in a Changing Culture". Studies in Christian Ethics. 32 (3): 402–406. doi:10.1177/0953946819843467. ISSN   0953-9468. S2CID   199165371.
  3. Lu, Rachel (July 29, 2018). "The Assault on Reality". National Review.
  4. Ford, Zack (January 25, 2018). "Conservative book 'When Harry Became Sally' attacks trans people while conveniently leaving them out". ThinkProgress. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  5. Dreher, Rod (March 8, 2021). "Why 'When Harry Became Sally' Matters". The American Conservative. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  6. Haring, Bruce (February 27, 2021). "Amazon Under Fire For Erasing From Its Sales Site Book Critical Of Transgender Movement". Deadline Hollywood.
  7. Anderson, Ryan T. (February 23, 2021). "When Amazon Erased My Book". First Things.
  8. 1 2 Sosa, Ninette (March 9, 2021). "Sen. Tom Cotton responds to Amazon's book ban on "When Harry Became Sally"". KWNA.
  9. "Statement on Amazon's Removal of When Harry Became Sally". National Coalition Against Censorship. March 4, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Gstalter, Morgan (March 12, 2021). "Amazon removing books that frame LGBTQ issues as mental illness". The Hill .
  11. "Amazon says its ban of transgender-critical book was due to updated content policy". Catholic News Agency. March 12, 2021.