In a letter to several Republican lawmakers, Amazon confirmed Thursday that it has stopped selling books that frame LGBTQ+ identities as mental illnesses.
The letter, first published by the Wall Street Journal, was prompted by Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, Mike Lee, R-Utah, Mike Braun, R-Indiana and Josh Hawley, R-Missouri. In February, the group sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to ask why a conservative scholar’s criticism of the “transgender moment” had been removed from the platform.
The book, “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment” by Ryan T. Anderson was originally published in 2018. Fox News reports that the book was at one time an Amazon bestseller list.
However, the book has received criticism from transgender allies. The book cites research that claims transgender people suffer from a mental illness, and reportedly says the “transgender moment” is a “politically correct fad built on a shaky platform.”
In February, the book was removed from Amazon’s platform. That’s when the Republican senators reached out to the e-retailer for clarification.
In its letter, Amazon clarified that the book had been removed from the store because the retailer has “chosen not to sell books that frame LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness.”
Amazon clarified that the book had been removed from the platform after an update to its Content Guidelines for Books. The company also said it had reached out to the book’s content distributor at the time and informed them the book was in violation of its content guidelines.
Anderson told the Wall Street Journal that he believes Amazon is trying to stifle debate on “how best to treat patients who experience gender dysphoria.”
The World Health Organization and other top public health organizations, like the CDC, have removed “transsexualism” and other similar terms from their disease manuals in recent years in an effort to separate gender identity from mental illness.
