AIBU about this book at the library?

[LibrarianOfDoom]

However if the baby is transgender, she will feel that is not really a girl but a boy. She will want to do the things boys do, dress as a boy, have boy toys, have a boy's name and be referred to as he and him

This is a book directed at children, it was at my local library today and not in the "teen" section but the kids section. I don't mind children reading anything and everything as far as fiction goes but this is written as non fiction, as facts. It's telling a girl who wants to do "boy things" whatever the fuck that means she might be a boy.
People keep saying that no one is actively "transing" children, but what message does this give to children?

You can't compare this to people trying to avoid children being "turned" gay before anyone tries that one, you can't make someone want to have sex through education but you might well convince them that their gender is wrong if they don't fit in with stereotypes.

Why does it happen? No one knows why gender dysphoria happens. Some babies are born intersex, that is with genitals that are a mix of male and female. Some trans people might have all female or all male genitals but may have a different mix of hormones. Hormones are chemicals produced by glands in the the body that help is create our gender characteristics. For example testosterone helps to develop more facial and body hair and stop menstruation.

This confuses intersex conditions with transgenderism. This is pretty common as well as pretending hormones make you trans. As a woman with PCOS I take serious issue with it. It's also common for trans rights activists to use PCOS and claim it is an intersex condition, to show how supposedly common being intersex is- and then conflate the two.

The feeling of being in the wrong body can start from the age of two or three

Two FFS.

Meanwhile I'm feeling disgusted at myself because I really really want that book gone and I've never wanted a book taken out of a library before. Should I speak to the library or at least ask that they consider buying in something to give another counterargument to the book?

Given that most library books are purchased on an automatic system now it is highly likely that this has never been seen by a librarian as we no longer have the luxury of choosing every book that comes into stock. Why not speak about your concerns to the library assistant or if there's a librarian at your library as to speak to them about it. I frequently get books passed to me which aren't suitable for library stock for various reasons but we don't censor anything and we don't stop children borrowing anything but we do try to have a balanced range of books.

I don't think this book is influencing children but explaining how some children feel

Then labelling them as trans when they are just being children.

Girls liking train sets and preferring to wear jeans and t.shirts does not make them trans.
Telling them they are is just sexist.

Where does it end. Girls can only do girly jobs and boys can only do manly jobs .

So a girl wanting to be an engineer should be considered trans because it is traditionally a male job equally a man wanting to be a nurse should start hormone treatment because nursing was always considered a female career.

Friends DD thinks she is a dinosaur does that mean she is a dinosaur and she should begin cosmetic surgery so she can eventually look like a dinosaur.

You just made a lot of things up though.

No I gave a scenario of possible future events, which could very easily happen based on past events. Admittedly I’m not aware of actual burning of books by TRA’s as the majority of media is now online and therefore burning a magazine article or similar is largely futile. However this is common practice amongst oppressors of information.

I've just looked at Amazon preview and got irritated by the page defining gender. It think any book like this should be stating facts - that our sex defines penis/vagina, boobs, babies etc. but that gender is more complicated and tied into what some people think this means you should act like - but that they are wrong.

I personally don't think 'transgender kids' should be a thing, and that most teenagers feel uncomfortable in their bodies at some point. That's not to say that for some this won't continue through adulthood, but planting a seed based on stereotypes so early on seems dangerous.

With regard to reporting, I'd be curious as to what the policy is, but also worried that ~this issue particularly~ is so hot at the moment you would be branded bigoted and no one would want to take responsibility for it (although the de-professionalisation of libraries will make me rant more...).

Just so I get this right, you want to ban books you disagree with?

No, we don't want children being given books full of bogus "facts" with a highly dodgy agenda.

I wonder how many time that book has been borrowed? OP can you have a look at the date stamp next time you are in there? I can't imagine it's a popular read, and I'd suspect it's there because of an inclusive library policy, not because someone has decided they want to convince children that they are trans.

I agree with the passive resistance of taking it out and repeatedly renewing it....

Would that not trigger some sort of "much loved book" alert? Forcing them to buy more?

It may have found its way on top of the book shelf anyway....no idea how, let's hope the librarians don't check up there

Do they actually stamp books anymore?

Does G Greer nor have a picture book available I can purchase and place next to it?

A friend's ballet dancing 16 YO was told "you must be gay" by a kid who had been taunting him for weeks. He finally said "oh yeah sure, because I spend 3 nights a week surrounded by gorgeous girls and you spend your weekends lying on top of guys on the rugby field and showering together"
Love it!

What did my anecdote have to do with trans?

Yes it was childish name calling but trans is being pushed in our faces constantly. It's almost become an obsession and something that is being normalised. The majority of these kids we see whose parents insist are in the wrong body from a very early age, would have gone on to find their own way, highly likely with the gender they were born into, if child specialists etc were not so desperate to label them as trans.

So yes, childish name calling that made my DD question her own body because society has become obsessed, it's almost fashionable and whilst I admit that for some ( a minute number) this is a very upsetting and confusing time, for most it would pass and they would how on to have perfectly normal lives.

It’s aimed at 9-11 year olds, according to the publisher, and it’s part of a series (Understanding... Self-Confidence; Understanding ... Sexuality).

I don’t like its messages personally. But books shouldn’t ever be banned. Whether they should be promoted face-out in an “adventure” section is a different thing entirely and you could speak to the librarian on those grounds.

Does your library fine children? Ours doesn’t, so I could be tempted to take it out on one of the DC’s cards and just never return it or renew it...

It may have found its way on top of the book shelf anyway....no idea how, let's hope the librarians don't check up there
Job done!

Going to look online to see if my local libraries have this book.......just so i can remove it!

But books shouldn’t ever be banned

Well I'm not certain about that, especially books aimed at children, whose critical faculties haven't fully developed.

But books shouldn’t ever be banned

Not ever? If a book was full of racist bile and inaccurate pseudo science and being aimed at 8 year olds, would you not perhaps suggest a childrens public library may want to remove it from their shelves?

"It may have found its way on top of the book shelf anyway....no idea how, let's hope the librarians don't check up there"

Fuck, you're fucking ignorant.

Racial segregation is an ideology and racial differences tend to be a little off-limits to science.

But transgenderism is also an ideology, minderful, one that's more than "a little off-limits to science".

YADNBU, OP.