Just LIke the Family Proclamation

     A few weeks ago, while on the web I noticed a brief note reporting that Amazon, which sells 72% of all the books in this country at this time, had withdrawn (cancelled?) the selling of a a book called “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment” by Ryan T. Anderson.  It was said that this book had argued against current transgender ideology.
    I experienced a rebellious moment with the thought “No one can tell me what I can or cannot read,” did a quick websearch where I found a small independent bookseller still selling this book and ordered a copy.  It came this week, and it had been a fascinating read.  The author is a young man with a Ph.D. in political philosophy from the University of Notre Dame.  I found the book to be carefully drawn and well-documented in a way that meets every scholarly standard of which I am aware.  It appealed to my professional background and training in ethical human counseling and child welfare.
    The author examines the current popular woke culture assumption that a person can change their gender identity to differ from their biological sex, the transgender phenomenon.  He challenges the Obama era (and proposed Biden) government-enforced assumption that such gender identity can be treated the same legally and culturally as biological sex.  He reports that in the last decade or so that at least 45 gender clinics have opened in our country that have the specialty of treating persons with “gender dysphoria,” using hormone therapy and surgery to alter primary and secondary sexual characteristics.
    Transgender advocates often use the argument that they are preventing suicides by providing such medical therapy, but Dr. Anderson reports that there is considerable evidence that people who subject themselves to such “transition” are no better off as a result.  The high suicide rate continues and many, many of these persons regret having subjected themselves to these drastic procedures and try to transition back to their biological gender.
    Especially troubling are cases in which minor children are identified by adults (parents, school counselors, etc.) as “gender dysphoric” and steered toward or receive transition treatment. There is also the troubling issue of antidiscrimination policies that allow biological males into women’s restrooms and into female sports competition.
    As I was reading a later chapter in the book on recommendations for healthy culture and families, I remarked to Wendy, “This reads just like the Church’s Proclamation on the Family.  It is nothing short of amazing that Amazon feels obligated to protect our society from even reading this.”