58 UK libraries stock ‘self-help’ book which encourages conversion for trans kids
Almost 60 UK libraries stock a ‘harmful’ book targeting parents of trans kids (stock image via Getty Images | Swift Press)
A “harmful” self-help book aimed at parents of transgender children is currently stocked in 58 UK public libraries.
An investigation by QueerAF found that When Kids Say They’re Trans: A Guide for Thoughtful Parents by therapists Lisa Marchiano, Stella O’Malley and Sasha Ayad is available to loan from libraries in nearly every county in the UK, including cities like London, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh and Swansea.
The organisation writes that the book “encourages parents to put children in anti-affirmation medical and educational spaces, and to cut off loved ones who support their child’s transition” and describes the authors as “outspoken advocates of anti-affirmation approaches for trans children”.
An excerpt from the book highlighted by QueerAF reads: “I sat my son under a large maple tree in our backyard and told him that males cannot be female, and we would be going back to his birth name and pronouns. I said, ‘Honey, I know that this is something you feel you cannot live without. But you will be able to live without it. And you will actually be happier.”
When Kids Say They’re Trans also recommends “conversion practices, detransition and ‘desistance’”, QueerAF reported.
‘Desistance’ refers to the process of people who previously identified as trans during their childhood reverting back to identifying as cisgender following puberty.
The book also reportedly recommends “role-play scenarios” intended for parents to carry out with their children that present gender as fixed and unchangeable, and encourages parents to cut off loved ones that don’t support the ‘desistance’ approach.
It also suggests that puberty blockers are “usually the first medical intervention” offered and presents a belief that minors can “access most medical interventions without significant assessment, evaluation or exploration”.
This belief comes at a time when trans youth are now incapable of obtaining new prescriptions for puberty blockers from the NHS amid safety concerns.
Manchester Council spoke to Manchester Evening News on 19 April about the city’s Central Library stocking the book, saying that the function of the library is to provide resources of “legitimate interest”. However, it also acknowledged that that function often leads to situations where publications may “present different points of view”.
In response, Manchester-based LGBTQ+ organisation The Proud Trust told MEN: “It is vital that parents of trans and non-binary young people can access accurate and reliable information to best inform them in supporting their child, libraries must serve to ensure the information they are supplying the public with is accurate and trustworthy.”
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
