12 hours ago
‘Sparkly' pro-trans books targeting toddlers
Toddlers are being targeted with books that present a positive vision of becoming transgender, research has found.
Campaign groups Sex Matters and SEEN in Publishing have carried out the first comprehensive report of its kind examining gender ideology in the publishing industry.
The report found that gender ideology – the belief that being a 'woman' can be independent of biological sex – has become 'dominant' in the industry.
The review concluded that the state of children's publishing is 'particularly concerning'.
It found that a 'shiny, sparkly world of trans identities' is being promoted to young readers, with 'many aimed at toddlers'.
Recent titles aimed at children include Julian is a Mermaid, Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?, and She's My Dad.
The audit of the publishing industry found that of 21 publishers surveyed, a fifth of their output on transgender-related products was targeted at children.
The report raised concerns that the message in the books was often that becoming transgender will 'resolve bodily hatred and create enduring joy in the form of 'trans euphoria''.
The report quotes an extract from the book I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, which states: 'From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl's brain in a boy's body.
'She loved pink and dressing up as a mermaid and didn't feel like herself in boy's clothing. This confused her family, until they took her to a doctor who said that Jazz was transgender and that she was born that way.'
The report warns that 'ideological marketing to children risks causing extensive harm', particularly by suggesting that 'a trans identity can cure any bodily discomfort or anxiety that they may be feeling'.
It suggested this could set children down the path to medically transitioning by undergoing hormone therapy or surgery.
The report also warns that many books embed the idea that 'if girls like clothes and toys that are more typically aimed at boys, they may really be a boy in a girl's body'.
The concerns come after last year's Cass Review which concluded that children who think they are transgender should not be rushed into treatment they may regret.
The report also follows April's Supreme Court decision which ruled that the definition of a woman is based solely on biological sex.
The problems highlighted in children's publishing are part of a wider issue with ideological conformity in the industry, the report claimed.
Work carried for Sex Matters by author Matilda Gosling said 'gender-identity beliefs have become dominant in publishing', and even led to 'poor commercial decisions guided by ideology'.
It also found that the enthusiasm of the publishing industry for pro-gender ideology works was misplaced, with analysis finding that 'gender-critical books sell, on average, nine times more' than books promoting gender ideology.
It cites the example of author Helen Joyce receiving a £20,000 advance for a book, Trans, which then went on to sell 100,000 copies internationally and more than 23,000 in the UK.
The report claims that transgender model Munroe Bergdorf, by contrast, received a six-figure sum for the book, Transitional, which went on to sell fewer than 3,000 copies in the UK.
It added: 'Commissioning editors have run scared of bold, brave, interesting books that reflect a diversity of ideas and that readers want, and instead commissioned books that fit the beliefs of their junior staff.'
The dominance of these beliefs has also led to years of people being 'cancelled' or silenced for their gender-critical beliefs, it has been claimed, and the entrenchment of equality, diversity and inclusion policies within publishing houses which 'exclude' gender-critical staff.
This year, Ursula Doyle settled a legal case with Hachette, a large publishing house, where she worked until coming under fire from pro-transgender activists for publishing the 2021 book Material Girls, by Prof Kathleen Stock.
In 2023, Gillian Philip, the children's author, claimed she was dropped by her employer after publicly supporting JK Rowling's critical views on transgender issues. She ultimately lost her legal battle.
That same year, Sibyl Ruth, the gender-critical editor, said she was dropped by a literary consultancy after stating that the idea of someone with a 'heavy five o'clock shadow' being a woman 'blows my mind'.
The report concludes by calling on the publishing industry to 'make a clear commitment to freedom of speech both internally and in commissioned work'.
