Hide them in the back room
Librarians hiding the naughty books:
Works by authors sceptical of transgender activism became the subject of an internal “grievance” within the library service of Calderdale Council, a local authority affiliated with the controversial LGBT charity Stonewall.
The Telegraph can reveal that books critical of gender ideology have been removed from public view by staff at council libraries, and stashed out of sight in an off-limits storage space.
…
Calderdale Council has stated that no books are expressly banned by library services, but information from the local authority has revealed that “following consideration of a formal grievance internally” a number of titles were “placed in the lending store”.
The council has confirmed that while these books could be found in the catalogue and specifically requested by the public, they “are not visible on our library shelves”.
In practical terms that’s not such a big deal, because using the catalogue and requesting items you find there is pretty standard. In terms of principle it’s outrageous.
The books removed from public view are all critical of gender ideology and transgender activism, and include Helen Joyce’s Trans and Prof Stock’s Material Girls, bestselling titles which argue that biological sex is immutable and not altered by self-identification.
Abigail Shrier’s Irreversible Damage, subtitled The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters and dealing with the consequences of “gender-affirming care” including puberty blockers and surgery, was also placed out of sight.
The book Doublethink: Feminist Challenge to Transgenderism by Janice G Raymond is now concealed along with Trigger Warning by Sheila Jeffreys. Both authors have argued that transgender women are seeking to become a gender-stereotyped image of a woman.
Heather Brunskell-Evans’s Transgender Body Politics, which argues that the transgender activism and gender ideology is a “patriarchal” movement which is damaging to women and children, has also been placed out of public view.
It’s The Trans Index.
Very childish, but I wonder if there was an internal push for total removal from the catalogue, and this was the compromise reached.
Helluva subtitle!
I suppose the rationale for not having the books on the shelves is that it would cause harm to transgendered persons to see them there because they would feel their existence is being erased. So, have they also pulled Richard Dawkins’ books off the shelves because they could cause harm to those who believe in a deity and that they have an immortal soul? Inquiring minds would like to know!
But they will have This Book Is Gay and Gender Queer on the shelves for middle schoolers.
Logical next step: get Vatican support. Maybe the Pope could issue a Papal bull; and to be even-handed a Papal cow as well. Endless possibilities.
Sort of OT, but inspired by Omar’s comment. I’ve been working on moving, and in looking at pet transporters, I got a message from one called “Vatican Pet Transport”. I’d never send my precious animals with such a company. We have probably decided to brave it and just take them along with us. We may not get much sleep overnight; our dog and one of our cats have a long standing feud going.