Johnny the Walrus

Last updated

Johnny the Walrus
Johnny the Walrus.jpg
Author Matt Walsh
IllustratorK. Reece
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Children's literature, satire
Publisher DW Books
Publication date
March 29, 2022
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages30
ISBN 978-1-956007-05-3

Johnny the Walrus is a satirical 2022 children's picture book by American conservative political commentator Matt Walsh. It allegorically compares being transgender to pretending to be a walrus through the story of a child named Johnny. [1] It was published by DW Books, a division of The Daily Wire . [2]

Contents

Summary

Author Matt Walsh in 2022 Matt Walsh (cropped).jpg
Author Matt Walsh in 2022

In the book, Johnny is a boy with an imagination who dresses up as a walrus by using spoons as tusks. When "internet people" find out that Johnny enjoys being a walrus, he is forced to decide between being a boy or a walrus, and he is not allowed to change his mind. [1] The "internet people" also pressure Johnny's mother into feeding Johnny worms and taking him to a doctor with a saw, who suggests turning Johnny's hands and feet into fins. [2]

Reception

Johnny the Walrus became the bestselling book in Amazon's LGBTQ+ category before Amazon recategorized it on December 10, 2021, to the Political and Social Commentary category. Walsh called the recategorization "an unconscionable attack on gay rights and a horrific example of homophobia and gay erasure." [1] [3]

GLAAD, an LGBT media monitoring organization, had previously called for Amazon to remove the book from its LGBTQ+ category. On the same day, Target removed the book from its online bookstore. [3]

Fox News host Tucker Carlson called the book "hilarious". [4] Conservative news website TheBlaze called it "an effort to push back against radical gender ideology which defies biological reality." [5] Satirist Andrew Doyle, writing in UnHerd , praised the book for mocking the "indoctrination of the young". [6] LGBT news website PinkNews called the book "hateful" and "transphobic". [5] LGBTQ Nation called the book "anti-transgender" and said that the book mocks transgender youth. [4]

In March 2022, a group called No Hate at Amazon circulated a petition demanding that Amazon stop selling books like Johnny the Walrus and Irreversible Damage and instead set up an oversight board that would allow employees to determine content sold on Amazon. At least 500 people signed the petition, which had been presented to Amazon leadership in the summer of 2021. [7] A spokesperson for The Daily Wire Books praised Amazon for "dismissing demands by its woke employees" and said that Johnny the Walrus had sold "nearly 100,000 copies" on Amazon as of June 2022. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transphobia</span> Anti-transgender prejudice

Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to social gender roles. Transphobia is a type of prejudice and discrimination, similar to racism, sexism, or ableism, and it is closely associated with homophobia. Transgender people of color can experience many different forms of discrimination simultaneously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Linehan</span> Irish comedy writer and anti-transgender activist (born 1968)

Graham George Linehan is an Irish comedy writer and anti-transgender activist. He created or co-created the sitcoms Father Ted (1995–1998), Black Books (2000–2004), and The IT Crowd (2006–2013), and he has written for shows including Count Arthur Strong, Brass Eye and The Fast Show. Early in his career, he partnered with the writer Arthur Mathews. Linehan has won five BAFTA awards, including Best Writer, Comedy, for The IT Crowd in 2014.

<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 online documentary film What Is a Woman?.

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

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) 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.

Feminist views on transgender topics vary widely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eli Erlick</span> American activist and writer (born 1995)

Eli Erlick is an American activist, writer, academic, trans woman and founder of the organization Trans Student Educational Resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TERF (acronym)</span> Acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist

TERF is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist. First recorded in 2008, the term TERF was originally used to distinguish transgender-inclusive feminists from a group of radical feminists and social conservatives who reject the position that trans women are women, including trans women in women's spaces, and transgender rights legislation. Trans-inclusive feminists assert that these ideas and positions are transphobic and discriminatory towards transgender people. The use of the term TERF has since broadened to include reference to people with trans-exclusionary views who are not necessarily involved with radical feminism.

The LGBT community in London is one of the largest within Europe. LGBT culture of London, England, is centred on Old Compton Street in Soho. There are also LGBT pubs and restaurants across London in Haggerston, Dalston and Vauxhall.

Casey Plett is a Canadian writer, best known for her novel Little Fish, her Lambda Literary Award winning short story collection, A Safe Girl to Love, and her Giller Prize-nominated short story collection, A Dream of a Woman. Plett is a transgender woman, and she often centers this experience in her writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender rights in the United Kingdom</span>

Transgender rights in the United Kingdom have varied significantly over time, with transgender Britons facing certain social challenges not experienced by non-trans individuals. These include various laws and public attitudes in regards to identity documents, as well as anti-discrimination measures used by or pertaining to transgender people, in the areas of employment, education, housing and social services, amongst others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shon Faye</span> British writer and activist (born 1988)

Shon Faye is an English writer, editor, journalist, and presenter, known for her commentary on LGBTQ+, women's, and mental health issues. She hosts the podcast Call Me Mother and is the author of the 2021 book The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice. She was an editor-at-large at Dazed and has contributed features and comment journalism to The Guardian, The Independent, VICE, n+1, Attitude, Vogue, Verso and others.

<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.

The LGB Alliance is a British nonprofit advocacy group founded in 2019, in opposition to the policies of LGBT rights charity Stonewall on transgender issues. Its founders are Bev Jackson, Kate Harris, Allison Bailey, Malcolm Clark and Ann Sinnott. The organisation has said that lesbians are facing "extinction" because of the "disproportionate" focus on transgender identities in schools.

<i>When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment</i> 2018 book by Ryan T. Anderson

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. 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".

"We're being pressured into sex by some trans women" is the original title of a BBC News article written by Caroline Lowbridge and published on 26 October 2021. Produced by the BBC's regional service in Nottingham, the article claims that lesbians are being pressured by transgender women into having sex with them. The article received widespread criticism among the LGBT community as transphobic. It drew particular attention for the inclusion of comments from American pornographic actress Lily Cade, who wrote a blog post after the article's publication calling for the "lynching" of high-profile trans women. Cade's comments were subsequently removed from the article.

The Women's Declaration International (WDI), formerly the Women's Human Rights Campaign (WHRC), is an international advocacy organisation founded in the United Kingdom. WDI has published a Declaration on Women's Sex-Based Rights, and has developed model legislation to restrict transgender rights that has been used in state legislatures in the United States. The organisation has been described as gender-critical, anti-trans, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-gender, trans-exclusionary, trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF), and as a hate group, and in several countries the group has been linked to the far right. It has been noted by Southern Poverty Law Center as being part of an "anti-LGBTQ+ pseudoscience network".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libs of TikTok</span> Far-right and anti-LGBT Twitter account

Libs of TikTok is a handle for various far-right and anti-LGBT social-media accounts operated by Chaya Raichik, a former real estate agent. Raichik uses the accounts to repost content created by left-wing and LGBT people on TikTok, and on other social-media platforms, often with hostile, mocking, or derogatory commentary. The accounts promote hate speech and transphobia, and spread false claims, especially relating to medical care of transgender children. The Twitter account, also known by the handle @LibsofTikTok, has nearly 3 million followers as of February 2024 and has become influential among American conservatives and the political right. Libs of TikTok's social-media accounts have received several temporary suspensions and a permanent suspension from TikTok.

<i>What Is a Woman?</i> 2022 online film on gender and transgender identity

What Is a Woman? is a 2022 American online film about gender and transgender issues presented by conservative political commentator Matt Walsh. The film was released by conservative website The Daily Wire, with direction by Justin Folk. In the film, Walsh asks various people "What is a woman?". Walsh said he made the film in opposition to "gender ideology". It is described in some 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">Transphobia in the United States</span> Prejudice against Americans of other gender identity than assigned at birth

Transphobia in the United States has changed over time. Understanding and acceptance of transgender people have both decreased and increased during the last few decades depending on the details of the issues which have been facing the public. Various governmental bodies in the United States have enacted anti-transgender legislation. Social issues in the United States also reveal a level of transphobia. Because of transphobia, transgender people in the U.S. face increased levels of violence and intimidation. Cisgender people can also be affected by transphobia.

The notion that LGBT people, or those supportive of LGBT rights, are engaging in child grooming and enabling child sexual abuse is a far-right conspiracy theory and anti-LGBT trope. Although the belief that LGBT individuals are more likely to molest children has no basis in fact, this stereotype has existed for multiple decades in the U.S. and Europe, going back to before World War II.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Migdon, Brooke (December 9, 2021). "Amazon bestseller compares being trans to pretending to be a walrus". The Hill . Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Soper, Spencer; Ceron, Ella (June 25, 2022). "Amazon Staff Demand Ban of Books Calling Transgender People Mentally Ill". Bloomberg News . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Midgon, Brooke (December 10, 2021). "Amazon recategorizes book comparing being trans to pretending to be a walrus". The Hill. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Bollinger, Alex (December 9, 2021). "Best-selling LGBTQ book on Amazon is an anti-transgender picture book". LGBTQ Nation . Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Wakefield, Lily (December 9, 2021). "Amazon lists hateful, transphobic book as number one 'LGBT+ best seller'". PinkNews . Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  6. Doyle, Andrew (May 17, 2022). "How to stop children being indoctrinated". UnHerd . Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  7. O'Donovan, Caroline (June 1, 2022). "Amazon employees protest the sale of books they say are anti-trans". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 2, 2022.