Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality
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- Create Date：2022-05-09 19:21:49
- Update Date：2025-09-08
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- Author：Helen Joyce
- ISBN：0861543726
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Reviews
Tracy
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DNF’d at page 97。The writer is selling her opinion without any real medical or psychological input。 The suggested reading provided in the back lacks the credibility or authority to support her stance。 The author is a staff writer at The Economist。 She is not a doctor。 Throw this in a dumpster fire where it belongs。*I was provided an ARC by the publisher
Flapper72
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I， quite genuinely， started this book as， 'People can really identify how they choose， not sure what the big deal is'。 This book then popped up as a suggestions so I thought I'd read it。 The book seems to be well researched and doesn't use lots of sob stories of personal experience。 It really made me reconsider things。 Probably took me back to where the scientists in me would have started twenty years ago。 You can change how you present but your genotypic sex will remain unchanged。 Choosing to i I， quite genuinely， started this book as， 'People can really identify how they choose， not sure what the big deal is'。 This book then popped up as a suggestions so I thought I'd read it。 The book seems to be well researched and doesn't use lots of sob stories of personal experience。 It really made me reconsider things。 Probably took me back to where the scientists in me would have started twenty years ago。 You can change how you present but your genotypic sex will remain unchanged。 Choosing to identify as female doesn't make you genetically female。 If you choose to identify as female then， if you are incarcerated， you are entitled to be treated as a female， in a women's prison。 The vast majority of XX female end up in prison due to years of abuse。 They can now be in a cell with someone who chooses to identify as female but has lived some of their life as a male （because， genetically， they are）。 A woman can be incarcerated with a male sex abuser。 So where are the rights of that XX female？ A woman goes into a communal changing room。 A person who chooses to identify as female also uses that changing room - but they have penis。 How is that acceptable to woman？ Where is their protection。 Woman have generations trying to get equality and safe spaces。 Trans women are people who identify as female but are genetically male。 Their rights are being written into law and yet genetic woman's rights are being trampled on and ignored。 How is that acceptable？ I have not chosen to be a genetic woman。 I love being one but it was not a choice。 Why are my rights being ignored because men presenting as women think that they're more important。 Sounds strangely familiar - men ignoring women and their rights。 。。。more
Lisa
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Rigorously researched and well-written。 This is not a book about transgender people， but on the concept of 'gender self-ID' - the idea that a person's biological， legal sex （or gender， as the terms are used synonymously） is whatever they declare it to be， irrespective of what they were born as， their surgical history， or where they're trying to access。Things I liked about this book: - Joyce tackles some of the prevailing issues in the 'trans debate，' some of which are deeply personal to me。 To s Rigorously researched and well-written。 This is not a book about transgender people， but on the concept of 'gender self-ID' - the idea that a person's biological， legal sex （or gender， as the terms are used synonymously） is whatever they declare it to be， irrespective of what they were born as， their surgical history， or where they're trying to access。Things I liked about this book: - Joyce tackles some of the prevailing issues in the 'trans debate，' some of which are deeply personal to me。 To summarise them （in no specific order）， she raises （1） The medicalisation of （disproportionately LGB， autistic， and/or female） youth， and whether it's possible to give 'medically informed consent' to experimental medicine。 （2） Fairness and inclusivity in competitive sport， and whether it's possible to overcome sex differences in activities primarily designed to showcase said sex differences。 She acknowledges that there is a relatively small proportion of transgender women competing in the female category， but this raises its own question: does the small number justify unfairness？（3） Single-sex spaces （prisons， bathrooms， DV shelters）。 Prisons - Males and females have different rates and forms of criminal offending， and gender self-ID raises the risk that males convicted of violent or sexual offences against females will be housed in the same facilities as females， as has already been the case in the UK， Canada， and the US。 Joyce suggests， rather than endangering females in the female prison or endangering transgender women in the general male prison， prison staff should approach the safety of transgender women the same way they approach other， at-risk male demographics （such as gay men） - separate wards， separate facilities， separate showering times。Bathrooms/changing facilities - Males and females use different facilities due to historical exclusion （'urinary leash'） and contemporary safety。 Joyce does not actually focus on the risk that an innocent child will be exposed to male sex organs， as many trans activists seem to suggest， but talks about the need for consent （to be seen， to see） and the need for more diverse bathroom facilities （which would benefit GNC men and women as well as transgender people）。DV shelters - As a （GNC， SSA） victim of DV， this is where I am somewhat biased。 Males are overwhelmingly perpetrators of domestic violence and females are overwhelmingly victims; Joyce acknowledges the fact that， when a female has been victimised at the hands of a male， her （emotional， physical） recovery may require the total exclusion of males （including transgender women）。 Failure to do so risks silencing the female victim， uncomfortable of telling her story or sharing her space， or breaching the victim's trust in DV facilities。（4） The very construction of sexuality。 Are heterosexual females attracted to male bodies or masculinity？ If the answer is the latter， then would a heterosexual female date a masculine female？ Are heterosexual males attracted to female bodies or femininity？ If the answer is the latter， then would a heterosexual male date a feminine male？Similarly， are homosexual females attracted to female bodies or femininity？ If the answer is the latter， then would a homosexual female date a feminine male？ Are homosexual males attracted to male bodies or masculinity？ If the answer is the latter， then would a homosexual male date a masculine female？ Joyce， in far less repetitive words， argues that there is no basis for sexual attraction without explicit reference to sex。 If the trans activist view is taken， and sexuality is based on self-described gender identity， then there is， quite frankly， no such thing as sexuality。（5） Biology and its place in the world。 Is it possible to be 'male' or 'female'？ Joyce suggests it is， and highlights how trans activists may either deny the existence of these biological categories， claiming that newborns are randomly， arbitrarily assigned a sex， or deny the relevance of biological classification in the contemporary world。 For the latter， she actually discusses an interesting legal trend where judges reject the existence of sex by explicitly referencing sex。（6） Detransitioners and desisters。 Detransitioners， for those who don't know， are people who've started to medically transition， then stop。 Joyce talks about how their experiences， often traumatic and irreversible， are silenced on social media and in the debate。 Desisters， in contrast， are those who experience gender dysphoria and later 'desist' in their （our！） feeling， many of whom are GNC children who grow into perfectly healthy， non-dysphoric homosexual adults。 For desisters， Joyce points out the flaws of medicalising youth without considering their long-term development。I also liked how Joyce contextualised the 'trans debate' - she looked at early trans figures， psychiatry's ongoing stigmatisation of same-sex attraction and femaleness， and the difficulties sporting bodies have had in defining 'male' and 'female' （spoiler: sporting bodies define females as inferior males）。（I actually found it interesting that transgender women were only expected to lower their testosterone to below 10 nm/L。 The rate is much lower than the male average， but much higher than the female rate， where 1。7 nm/L is considered high！）Things I did not like about this bookThe pronouns got a little bit confusing （and sometimes， imho， unnecessary， but that's a different discussion）！ At some points， especially when Joyce discussed detransitioners， she would slip between the 'original' pronouns （female）， the 'transitioning pronouns' （male）， and then the 'final' pronouns （female）。 Similarly， Joyce points out how trans activists use language to silence the 'matter' being debated （for example， in a discussion about sport， legal counsel for the applicants cannot call a transgender girl 'male'）， but falls into the same trap herself。（That being said， I've never cared about being misgendered， so my criticism may be a little bit biased。）Her essays were usually concise， but there were times that the topics changed without warning。 The topic changes were usually relevant， but there were times where I struggled to see the immediate relevance， or follow the point Joyce was trying to make。I would have liked more references in some of the chapters。 I think this critique only stands if the references are poor quality， which I can't comment on as I haven't read her references。In summaryI'd recommend this book to anybody who wants a more informed perspective on the 'trans debate，' whether their interest stems from sports， from women's safety， or from how left-wing feminists like radical feminists （yes， they are left-wing， radical feminist analysis comes from Marxism） could create coalitions with conservative parties。 （I get the feeling that a lot of 1* reviews are from people who have not read the book。 I think it's very childish， to make claims about a book simply because a topic is unpopular， contentious， or woefully misrepresented。 Knowledge is not dangerous！） 。。。more
Frances
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Well-written， well-researched review of some of the issues-legal， medical， social-around Transgender and Gender Identity issues， and why these are increasingly coming into conflict with Women's and Gay rights campaigners。As a lifelong feminist and supporter of LGBTQ rights， I was surprised and alarmed by the increasing conflict and vitriol between these groups around issues of Trans rights。 As a GP， I was surprised at the speed with which powerful medical and surgical treatment with significant Well-written， well-researched review of some of the issues-legal， medical， social-around Transgender and Gender Identity issues， and why these are increasingly coming into conflict with Women's and Gay rights campaigners。As a lifelong feminist and supporter of LGBTQ rights， I was surprised and alarmed by the increasing conflict and vitriol between these groups around issues of Trans rights。 As a GP， I was surprised at the speed with which powerful medical and surgical treatment with significant risks and side effects was being offered to younger and younger teens/children。 This was a great review of some of the history behind these changes and conflicts， and I think is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in a kinder， safer， fairer world for all。 。。。more
Suzie Grogan
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Thought provoking and full of what should be points for discussion。 I recognise there are other points of view， but this is a subject that needs proper debate and this book rightly highlights that the majority of the public are oblivious to the arguments。
Stephen Theaker
，
Took me a while to finish this， but only because I've followed the author on Twitter for a long time， and read other books on the subject， and so there wasn't a huge amount here that was new to me。 Nevertheless， this is a superb overview of the subject， obviously aimed at people who， perhaps as a result of not being terminally online， are wondering how on earth Labour leadership candidates came to adopt policies as insane as letting male rapists do their time in women's prisons。 The book is comp Took me a while to finish this， but only because I've followed the author on Twitter for a long time， and read other books on the subject， and so there wasn't a huge amount here that was new to me。 Nevertheless， this is a superb overview of the subject， obviously aimed at people who， perhaps as a result of not being terminally online， are wondering how on earth Labour leadership candidates came to adopt policies as insane as letting male rapists do their time in women's prisons。 The book is compassionate for people who identify as trans， but quite rightly firm when it comes to the rights of female people to single sex spaces， justifiably boggled by the sexist nonsense adopted by supposedly progressive organisations， and outraged by the lack of concern for female safety shown by sports bodies。 The audiobook is particularly good。 The author reads it herself， and for some reason her voice always brought our cat running to my room！ 。。。more
Darryl Sloan
，
I have compassion for people who genuinely suffer gender dysphoria， but I've also been aware that the trans activists have been behaving in ways that are destroying meaningful language - attempting to rewrite how we use words like "man" and "woman" and enforcing this rewrite by tyrannical means: "Use the pronoun I want or I'll have you fired！" I mean， could you imagine a Christian boss saying to an employee， "Say Jesus is Lord or you're fired。" Same thing。 So I don't like being tyrannised， okay？ I have compassion for people who genuinely suffer gender dysphoria， but I've also been aware that the trans activists have been behaving in ways that are destroying meaningful language - attempting to rewrite how we use words like "man" and "woman" and enforcing this rewrite by tyrannical means: "Use the pronoun I want or I'll have you fired！" I mean， could you imagine a Christian boss saying to an employee， "Say Jesus is Lord or you're fired。" Same thing。 So I don't like being tyrannised， okay？ Doesn't matter if you're a minority; you don't get to force me to believe in something I don't believe， and you don't get to force me to express something I don't believe。Activism is supposed to work by gradually changing public opinion， then appealing for changes to the law to reflect that more enlightened public opinion。 Trans activism is done backwards。 The MO is: use every trick in the book to have laws changed， then bully the public into submission。But the situation is oh so much worse than I ever thought it was。 Exceptional women athletes are now forced to be runners-up by default in championships because they are forced to compete against men （transwomen）。 Dangerous male prisoners are put into female prisons for the same reason， where they run amok and do easier time。 Women are increasingly losing out on single-sex spaces in bathrooms and changing rooms， which have no been invaded by biological males。For me personally， I face this challenge in the context of working with children aged 11-14。 I'm supposed to use a child's preferred pronoun， call a girl a boy and vice versa， disbelieve the evidence of my eyes。 But worst of all， no questioning of the child's decision is allowed， despite the manifold reasons he/she might have for self-identifying as the opposite sex。 Reasons like: （a） being friendless in real life and gaining instant access to a sympathetic subculture on the internet; （b） in the case of gays and lesbians， there may be a feeling of homophobia towards oneself; how much better to call yourself a heterosexual transboy instead of a lesbian girl， and vice versa; （c） homophobia in parents could also be a motivating factor。The number of teenage girls declaring themselves trans is completely disproportionate to boys and adult women， in a way that cannot be accounted for by genuine gender dysphoria。 But remember， you're not allowed to cast doubt on anyone's decision; that would be transphobic， say the activists。 This presents a huge difficulty of conscience for me， because I'm supposed to confirm the child's new identity， knowing full well that I am encouraging them along a path which has radical irreversible surgery and infertility at its destination。 That's awful！Despite trans activism's attempts to make the words "man" and "woman" meaningless， at least we still live in a world where books like this can be published - or rather， where at least one publisher wasn't scared off。I believe the tide is going to turn， sooner or later。 If it doesn't， then we really are living in an Orwellian dystopia， complete with doublethink and Newspeak。 Read this book。 It will depress you， but it will open your eyes。 。。。more
Mahina Nightsage
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I found this a really helpful book for understanding the current polemic around trans ideology。 As someone who supports human rights and safety for trans people， I found this book speaks to the same concerns I've had about some elements of the movement。 I learned a great deal and feel more able to participate in reasonable discourse to explain some of the problems that activists are not addressing。 Among the issues raised in this book is the push for early medicalization of kids who express gend I found this a really helpful book for understanding the current polemic around trans ideology。 As someone who supports human rights and safety for trans people， I found this book speaks to the same concerns I've had about some elements of the movement。 I learned a great deal and feel more able to participate in reasonable discourse to explain some of the problems that activists are not addressing。 Among the issues raised in this book is the push for early medicalization of kids who express gender dysphoria， something that many kids experience but which usually resolves by puberty。 In addition， there is a lot of misinformation in the world about puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones。 No， they are not harmless， there are many side effects。 And no， not all of the effects can be easily remediated if a person later decides to stop hormone treatment。 It also chronicles the explosion in numbers of girls who are identifying as trans， a statistic that is not explainable and raises important issues of "social contagion" among friendship groups。 As with cutting and anorexia/bulemia， girls tend to ascribe to social trends in waves， heavily influenced by their peers。 In this instance， rather than questioning the dysphoria， there is a push to immediately affirm it as reality。 Joyce uses lots of statistics and they are alarming。 70% of kids desist， that is their gender dysphoria resolves by puberty if there are not steps taken to actively confirm the cross-sex identity。 Certainly， people have a right to choose how they wish to live and they should not be discriminated against。 That does not mean children should be set on a medical path early and without exploring further the reasons behind their dysphoria。 This book is rich and full of information， touching on many important issues such as trans women competing in women's sports， and the cancellation of anyone who detours from the trans ideology that denies biology and states that "trans women are women"。 Although it suffers from not having footnotes to identify where the author got her statistics， it makes an important contribution to the discussion of the problems with the current transgender movement。 。。。more
M。A。 Melby
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No， I didn't read it。Why didn't I？ The author， on her bio on Twitter states:"Author of book about gender-ID ideology。 Show me the 3rd gamete， & we can talk。 Rights-hoarding dinosaur。 No， you be kind。"For one， there is no such thing as "gender-ID ideology" in the same way that there is no such thing as the "gay agenda" or the "atheist conspiracy"。 The idea that a hypothetical "3rd gamete" has anything， at all， to do with the validity of trans identity is completely divorced from reality。 It's biz No， I didn't read it。Why didn't I？ The author， on her bio on Twitter states:"Author of book about gender-ID ideology。 Show me the 3rd gamete， & we can talk。 Rights-hoarding dinosaur。 No， you be kind。"For one， there is no such thing as "gender-ID ideology" in the same way that there is no such thing as the "gay agenda" or the "atheist conspiracy"。 The idea that a hypothetical "3rd gamete" has anything， at all， to do with the validity of trans identity is completely divorced from reality。 It's bizarre。How anyone with such a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be trans could decide that she was the one to write a book forwarding conclusions that conflict with consensus statements of every professional organization that does serious research concerning the subject， and keep a clear conscience， I have no idea。Others have taken the time and energy to refute specifics of the text， and I encourage people who have read this book to seek those out， so that you can know the truth。 Also， if you are curious about the subject， there are many great books written by trans people about their own lives。 If you are concerned about the science - the APA and the AMA have information on their websites and PubMed is a great resource。Don't trust information presented by hate groups fueling a moral panic for a quick buck。 Because that is what this is。 Pure and simple。You'll notice that almost every review of this book falls starkly along lines based on whether or not the reviewer believes in the rights and inclusion of trans people in public life and respect for who they are。 That's because this book is not about the science， it's ideology packaged as skepticism。"When Ideology Meets Reality" is a very appropriate title。 。。。more
Kay Grey
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This is a much needed look at all of the nuances of this subject， from trans activism today， to the history of trans health care and medicalization， and everything in between。 No matter what your politics or beliefs are， I highly recommend reading this book before making any assumptions about it or the author。
Iain
，
A well researched look at the negative effects gender identity ideology has on the legal sector， workplace， women's spaces and various other realms。 I don't get the negative press to be honest。 Joyce specifically tries to strike a balance that respects the rights of trans people while also highlighting the general damage that's being done on a societal level。 The almost religious reasoning needed to blindly support gender self identification being espoused by those who supposedly care about scie A well researched look at the negative effects gender identity ideology has on the legal sector， workplace， women's spaces and various other realms。 I don't get the negative press to be honest。 Joyce specifically tries to strike a balance that respects the rights of trans people while also highlighting the general damage that's being done on a societal level。 The almost religious reasoning needed to blindly support gender self identification being espoused by those who supposedly care about science baffles me。 In the end as the people on the street learn what's being done in the name of trans rights a backlash will grow and its the stealth by which policy capture has been carried out that will have people turn on transactivists。 If their goals were outlined honestly in the spotlight of public discourse they would be given the benefit of the doubt but the erasure of women's spaces and the total refusal to listen to the other side will come back to bite them in the future。 。。。more
Frrobins
，
“When ideology meets reality。” This is one of the many ways that Joyce beautifully sums up her arguments as she takes the pulse of what is happening in our society。 It was noticing how gender ideology failed and caused harm when applied to the real world that started my questioning。 Yet given the extremely binary nature of the rhetoric around this issue I was very aware of the fact that questioning or bringing up legitimate concerns gets you branded as a bigot。 I could not unsee what I was seein “When ideology meets reality。” This is one of the many ways that Joyce beautifully sums up her arguments as she takes the pulse of what is happening in our society。 It was noticing how gender ideology failed and caused harm when applied to the real world that started my questioning。 Yet given the extremely binary nature of the rhetoric around this issue I was very aware of the fact that questioning or bringing up legitimate concerns gets you branded as a bigot。 I could not unsee what I was seeing though。 Tragically while there are good intentions behind gender ideology those intentions are not enough to prevent harm。 Especially when reasonable discussion around those ideas is suppressed。 Just because ideas are popular does not mean they are right and the fact that it did not feel safe to point out that the emperor has no clothes was alarming。 It took me awhile， but I eventually found that there are other people who shared my concerns and did not spew hateful rhetoric。 And Helen Joyce is the most articulate of people on this matter。I have been in places where gender ideology is popular and listened to people who identify as something other than their biological sex。 Helen Joyce has a good grasp of the arguments popular in those circles and a gift for identifying and annihilating logical fallacies in the gender ideology movement。 When I started questioning I noted how people captured by gender ideology would use tactics similar to Creationists in how they misrepresent data and take quotes out of context。 Helen Joyce noted several other tactics from the Creationist’s handbook， such as the Gish gallop， anecdotal evidence， appeals to emotion， and how their arguments boil down to only considering the consequences to transwomen while ignoring the consequences to anyone else。 After identifying the arguments they were making she eviscerated them。 She put into words so many things I had been thinking but could never articulate。 She demolished arguments I thought held up well。 She left gender ideology without any sort of leg to stand on。 The fact that the people leaving one star reviews either give vague comments about how poorly researched this is， greatly misrepresent what Joyce said， or smear this book as being anti-Semitic speaks for itself。 And I am going to ask you to do what these people do not want you to do。 Read the book and see how well the smears hold up。 Joyce has written a book that sets a new gold standard for compassionate skepticism。 And she also suggests reasonable ways to protect biological sex while protecting trans people and how to strike a balance。 As nervous as I am to write this review， I also agree that people need to start speaking out as real people are being harmed by this ideology。 So I am speaking out。 To those of you who， like I did a few years ago， can no longer ignore the harm they are seeing but feel as though the only other options are joining hate groups， let me assure you that there is space for people who reject gender ideology as harmful and who also care about respecting trans people。 If you would like to learn how to strike that balance， please read this book for one person’s take on a path forward。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Cristina
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It’s a bit “left vs right” and wish it was more in depth as to why it’s so predominate right now in our youth
Namera [The Literary Invertebrate]
，
⤅ Non-Fiction Book of the Month: MarchThis was lower down my TBR list， but then Lia Thomas happened and I bumped it up。If you haven't heard， Thomas is an American college swimmer who spent three years competing as a mid-ranked male， then transitioned during lockdown and starting competing on the women's team。 As the unsurprising result of benefitting from over 20 years of testosterone and a male physique （including greater lung capacity， upper-body strength， etc） Thomas proceeded to win a top ti ⤅ Non-Fiction Book of the Month: MarchThis was lower down my TBR list， but then Lia Thomas happened and I bumped it up。If you haven't heard， Thomas is an American college swimmer who spent three years competing as a mid-ranked male， then transitioned during lockdown and starting competing on the women's team。 As the unsurprising result of benefitting from over 20 years of testosterone and a male physique （including greater lung capacity， upper-body strength， etc） Thomas proceeded to win a top title contested by literal Olympians。 It's not transphobic to point out - and indeed， many trans people have said - that male athletes competing with females is simply unfair。 The fact that Thomas could go from #400-something as a man， then #1 as a woman， in the space of just two years， says it all。 Women's sports needs to be a protected category for a reason; I think I've mentioned before how Karsten Braasch， a male tennis player then ranked #203 in the world， beat the #1-ranked Williams sisters WITHOUT EVEN TRYING HARD。 Teenaged boys have broken the 100m sprint record set by Florence Griffith-Joyner， the world's fastest recorded woman， in the 1980s。 A bunch of under-15 boys beat the US national women's football team。 （Check out this website for a breakdown of stats。）That's how strong the effect of male puberty is on the human body。 You don't need such dramatic examples， either - a little bit of observation will do it。 I did college rowing， and I've watched countless races。 The rates of even the fastest women's boats pale in comparison to an M2 or M3， let alone an M1。 Sex segregation in sports is not for any nefarious misogynistic reason。 It's so women will actually win。 Women's sports is one of the three main policy areas discussed in this book， alongside women's prisons and children transitioning medically。 Many trans adults have spoken out against the medicalisation of children， who are considered too young to vote， drive or get a tattoo， yet could receive permanent surgeries and impactful hormones under the age of 18。 Joyce discusses these issues cogently and articulately。 I urge anyone who disagrees with the premise of this book to read it first before formulating criticisms。 Speaking as a religious person， I believe that no conviction should be considered above discussion， and that freedom of speech is one of the most vital principles we have。 。。。more
Jonathan
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Trans women are women。 Trans men are men。 Helen Joyce is an antisemite （or at the very least a parrot for antisemitic bullshit who can’t even be bothered to check her facts properly） and a TERF and can basically fuck right off。
Noëlibrarian
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Well-researched and informative。 A boon to parents and others who love children who are identity-confused。
Gage
，
Essential reading if you are interested in the trans debate between the progressives and the TERFs。 Usually， quite hard to find information on some of the negative consequences of transitioning， and this book focuses on them。
mark propp
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great。 very clear-headed and straightforward and reasonable。naturally some people will call this very sensible book the most awful things。it's a funny old world。 great。 very clear-headed and straightforward and reasonable。naturally some people will call this very sensible book the most awful things。it's a funny old world。 。。。more
J。 Alfont Chalmers
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Excellent。 Only thing I can fault Joyce for is using the word "transwoman" to mean "man" and referring to men by women's names and female pronouns。 You cannot destroy an ideology by subscribing to it。Otherwise faultless。 Excellent。 Only thing I can fault Joyce for is using the word "transwoman" to mean "man" and referring to men by women's names and female pronouns。 You cannot destroy an ideology by subscribing to it。Otherwise faultless。 。。。more
A Miller
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It seems that many of Joyce’s beliefs are broadly held but at the same time incredibly taboo。 Her argument is well presented and put language to some of the tensions I have been feeling around this debate。 The first couple of chapters are very heavy but it became easier to read when she started talking about some real world applications。 A very brave book that I hope helps to pave the way to better debate and truly considering the impact of gender self-ID on natal women and girls。
Maria Lyle
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This is an important and well argued book。 I suspect the ‘truth’ - or at least the fair and equitable path for all involved in this particular set of issues - is somewhere between the points argued by Helen Joyce and the transgender activists。 But there is no escaping the fact that by attempting to shut down any debate， and labelling anyone who questions the huge rise in teenage girls with underlying mental health issues （in particular） wanting to transition， as ‘transphobes’ we do society a dis This is an important and well argued book。 I suspect the ‘truth’ - or at least the fair and equitable path for all involved in this particular set of issues - is somewhere between the points argued by Helen Joyce and the transgender activists。 But there is no escaping the fact that by attempting to shut down any debate， and labelling anyone who questions the huge rise in teenage girls with underlying mental health issues （in particular） wanting to transition， as ‘transphobes’ we do society a disservice。 。。。more
Denise Perez
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This is a very informative book。 Definitely a lot to unpack around gender self-identification。 The author opposes this concept and provides a decent amount of both anecdotal and empirical evidence。 However， because it is just one person's perspective， I feel the need now to read a book the support the concept of gender self-identification in order to get a more whole-picture persecptive。 I am looking forward to that as well！ This is a very informative book。 Definitely a lot to unpack around gender self-identification。 The author opposes this concept and provides a decent amount of both anecdotal and empirical evidence。 However， because it is just one person's perspective， I feel the need now to read a book the support the concept of gender self-identification in order to get a more whole-picture persecptive。 I am looking forward to that as well！ 。。。more
Isabel
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Very interesting read。 I do agree with most of what the author exposes as a problem。 Didn't find her opinions phobic at all， but I can see why a lot of people will find her as a TERF。 It is just an opinion， that's all。。。 Very interesting read。 I do agree with most of what the author exposes as a problem。 Didn't find her opinions phobic at all， but I can see why a lot of people will find her as a TERF。 It is just an opinion， that's all。。。 。。。more
Vincent Lombardo
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Well written， clear， comprehensive。 I gave up because I decided that I was not as interested in the subject as I thought， and the book lacks an index。
Frank Furters
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As a curious but uninformed observer of the arguments between Trans activists and second wave feminists， I felt this gave me a clearer view of those feminists arguments regarding gender identity and material sex along with how it's currently playing out in public policy。 The book was very ideological and dogmatic - making the title a bit silly。 I don't know anything about book marketing， so I don't know how much the author has to do with a title。 Some of Joyce's arguments veered into some signif As a curious but uninformed observer of the arguments between Trans activists and second wave feminists， I felt this gave me a clearer view of those feminists arguments regarding gender identity and material sex along with how it's currently playing out in public policy。 The book was very ideological and dogmatic - making the title a bit silly。 I don't know anything about book marketing， so I don't know how much the author has to do with a title。 Some of Joyce's arguments veered into some significant anti-trans territory。 For instance， when reviewing prison rapes experienced by transwoman Joyce says "One oft-cited justification for those transfers is that transwomen are unsafe in men’s prisons。 But are they？ 。。。That would suggest that around 0。6 percent of transwomen in prison report an assault each year。 The Howard League， a campaigning British charity， estimates that one percent of all male prisoners in the UK have been raped， and five percent have been coerced into sex – but those are cumulative， not annual， figures， and also include very many unreported incidents。"If I'd written that line about biological woman in my new book Fem: When Ideology Meets Reality， I think that feminists would rightly see it as bigoted and dehumanizing。 I can imagine: "coerced sex？？ Really？？ That's called RAPE"。 When Joyce is singing to the choir， I don't think she understands （nor does her target audience） about just how bigoted this book gets。 This is just one example of that， though the worst that I perceived。Writing 4。5 pages of reference notes for a book like this is also unacceptable - unless this is actually all the research she did for this book - which then is unacceptable。I still came out agreeing that physiology matters， and that woman have been historically targeted in many ways which took massive efforts to be partially addressed。 Policies meant to ensure that transwoman don't suffer can hinder those gains for biological woman （examples of sport and safe spaces away from bio-men） she argues well。 Science seems to be in progress on how deeply biological sex and socially constructed gender are separate/integrated spheres。 For transwoman and biological woman， there are many issues to be worked out， but it seems like the loudest on each side are pulling against the center， which isn't good for woman as far as I can tell either as a gender or a sex。I'm appreciative to Helen Joyce for writing a book that was engaging and did a fair job of laying out the point of view for woman like her who share similar philosophies。 In an era where a powerful （if minority） tribal left has stopped bothering to pay lip service to Enlightenment ideals and consider free speech a form of violence when in service of ungood political ends， getting this published outside of right wing publishers couldn't have been easy。 。。。more
Arukiyomi
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For more reviews and the 1001 Books Spreadsheet， visit http://arukiyomi。comThe battleground of free speech is currently in your underwear。 You may have felt a slight irritation there at times and by no means should you ignore it。 Your very you-ness is at stake。Into this battleground rides Helen Joyce on the back of her trusty steed Trans。 Despite self-identifying as an atheist， Joyce has no problem at all with the sex immutability in the creation account that I get my understanding of the world For more reviews and the 1001 Books Spreadsheet， visit http://arukiyomi。comThe battleground of free speech is currently in your underwear。 You may have felt a slight irritation there at times and by no means should you ignore it。 Your very you-ness is at stake。Into this battleground rides Helen Joyce on the back of her trusty steed Trans。 Despite self-identifying as an atheist， Joyce has no problem at all with the sex immutability in the creation account that I get my understanding of the world from:So God created man in his own image，in the image of God he created him;male and female he created them。Genesis 1:27 Joyce of course does not begin "in the beginning" but rather looks to evolutionary biology of mammals and what she terms the "immutability" of sex i。e。 that if your sex is male at birth （and therefore conception？） it is always male and if it is female it is always female no matter what gender you might decide you want to be later in life。I say "what she terms" because there are many who are working very hard to convey the idea that not only gender but sex itself is in fact mutable。 Take her for example。 While many of you in the street may actually have no issue with trans rights whatsoever， you might find it difficult to swallow the pill offered by anyone who is trying to convince you that you， not the midwife， gets to decide if you are male or female。Because this does in fact seem to be the logical terminus of gender identity ideology once you start looking into it， you might want to give it a bit more thought because of its implications for your own self。 While some of you might imagine a world where anyone can decide on a daily basis what sex they are as the utopia hu（person）ity has always dreamt of， there are some significant issues to be overcome。Joyce describes these issues principally as the threat to homosexuals and women in particular and she does so with common sense and conviction。 For the former， it's that while in the past many young people with gender dysphoria would ride out the storm and end up identifying as homosexual， they're now being encouraged almost without caution to start on the path to being trans。 Joyce argues persuasively that this can have consequences so traumatic as to warrant preventative legislation， particularly in the US。For women， the issues have no less traumatic impact when you consider that the most vulnerable in any given society are， by far， likely to be females who have suffered at the hands of males。 Arguing that men who simply self-identify as women can occupy places alongside victimised women in prisons， hospital wards and even therapy sessions for sexual abuse is bread-and-butter for gender ideologists。 If that troubles you， then Trans is worth a read。 If it doesn't， you've likely already made your mind up about Trans before reading it。Joyce also spends a fair amount of time focussing on the issue of transwomen being admitted to women's sport and annihilating them。 Only， it seems， World Rugby has had the oval-shaped balls to tackle this head on and state unequivocally and publicly Transgender women may not currently play women's rugby Elsewhere， notably in the current winter Olympics in China， there are no such barriers to women being physically unable to compete in their own category。Gender ideology isn't going away anytime soon。 It is very quickly taking hold in large areas of society such as media， business and sport。 It's high time that those of us in the street became more informed as to what's at stake。 Trans will do that for you。For more reviews and the 1001 Books Spreadsheet， visit http://arukiyomi。com 。。。more
Mike Horne
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Presume for a moment that we could scientifically conclusively prove that a small number of males and females would live psychologically healthier lives if they transitioned to the opposite sex。Does society have to change？ Do we have to reject sexual binary， sexual dimorphic traditional understanding of men and women？ Males cannot have babies， and females do not have penises。 Women have all the rights as men （unlike two centuries ago， or even 60 years ago）， but they are not men。 Nor are men wome Presume for a moment that we could scientifically conclusively prove that a small number of males and females would live psychologically healthier lives if they transitioned to the opposite sex。Does society have to change？ Do we have to reject sexual binary， sexual dimorphic traditional understanding of men and women？ Males cannot have babies， and females do not have penises。 Women have all the rights as men （unlike two centuries ago， or even 60 years ago）， but they are not men。 Nor are men women。 Is it possible to come up with a compromise that will be acceptable to trans folk and traditional folk？No， says Helen Joyce in her new book Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality。 Trans ideologues are seeking to short-circuit all discussion。This is a clearly written strong argument for discussion and compromise。 Here is a paragraph from the end of the book。“I doubt any mammalian species could live like this: other people’s sex is too evolutionarily salient。 If you disagree， that’s fine – but you will have to argue for your unisex utopia， and wait for the rest of us to buy in。 You cannot simply declare that it already exists， and that the rest of us must live in it。 。。。more
Vanessa Lopez
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Not a transphobic book， but it is critical of the excesses of trans activism。The author tries to stay objective， and weighs in the conflicting interests of all the different groups who have a stake on the matter。 She is successful for the most part， although every now and then some parts of the book felt like a rant。 I do sympathize with most of her opinions， but I was more engaged in the reading when she limited herself to describing facts and real situations。The main focus of the book is direc Not a transphobic book， but it is critical of the excesses of trans activism。The author tries to stay objective， and weighs in the conflicting interests of all the different groups who have a stake on the matter。 She is successful for the most part， although every now and then some parts of the book felt like a rant。 I do sympathize with most of her opinions， but I was more engaged in the reading when she limited herself to describing facts and real situations。The main focus of the book is directed to a very extreme flavor of "trans activism"， it is not at all an attack on trans individual。 Whom， the author posits， are also negatively impacted by the excesses of the activists and would benefit from a nuanced， evidence-based， approach to the subject。The content of the book is interesting and raises very important questions that we should be asking about the current push of self-id and gender identity ideology in western， first world （mostly english speaking） societies。 All in all it is a solid book。 My only big criticism （and the reason I am giving it a 3/5 ） is the way citations were used。 I am not sure if it was a choice by the author or the editor， but it was really unnerving to me that citations were not directly linked to their source， using the typical "citation"[n] format。 Instead， at the end of the book there is a list of additional bibliography， separated by chapter。 This makes it very hard to verify any particular citation since it is not obvious from which of the additional readings it was taken。I hope they fix this in any future edition and link citations to their sources using a more efficient system。 。。。more
Emmanuelle
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I spent so much of my childhood wishing I was born a boy and there's never been a day in my life that I haven't wished I wasnt treated by the world the way they treat people perceived as women。。。。////This book is humane， incredibly well researched and fascinating。 Joyce has clearly put way more thought into all of this than most people and is clear from the beginning that her issue is with aspects of transactivism and NOT with individual trans people。 She argues that we look for ways to protect I spent so much of my childhood wishing I was born a boy and there's never been a day in my life that I haven't wished I wasnt treated by the world the way they treat people perceived as women。。。。////This book is humane， incredibly well researched and fascinating。 Joyce has clearly put way more thought into all of this than most people and is clear from the beginning that her issue is with aspects of transactivism and NOT with individual trans people。 She argues that we look for ways to protect everyone。The first few chapters are the most boring as they cover the history of gender identity and the transactivism movement。 But after there， it is a wild ride。I still feel like I am not allowed to ask questions about the realistic implications of Self ID policies。 I have been told that transwomen are being killed by the likes of me， if I do。 Therefore， NO questions or discussion allowed or else you are a bigot。 And I am sure most people will never pick up this book for those reasons- heck， I am still terrified of being threatened or sexually harassed for even putting this on my GR account and literally NO ONE reads these except myself later on。。。。。。But it doesn't feel right to not voice my thoughts because I have spent so much of my life learning about the criminal justice system and who ends up suffering the most because of it。 So I can't get behind the prison Self ID policies。The way they have been executed in many countries has been a nightmare。 The statistics of convicted rapists asking for transfers to womens prisons is alarming。 They are endangering the most truly vulnerable and least defended population in America - incarcerated women- who are so likely to have ended up there as a result of a life path created from living with trauma from childhood sex abuse and violence from male bodied people。 Statistically， female bodied people are incredibly UNLIKELY to have committed any sexually violent crimes though VERY LIKELY to be victims of them。 So I cannot believe that male bodied people who are in prison for raping children， including men who did not identify as a woman or non binary before being sentenced for violent and sexual crimes against women or children nor plan to change their appearance in any way， are allowed to use these unregulated Self ID laws to move to prison wings with women and their babies。 Some of these people feel unsafe because male prisons are tough on pedophiles。 But is the answer to put them in women-and-children units？ This isnt abstract transphobic thought but a reality playing out in many countries now as they have rolled these out with little to no thought for women's safety。 I cannot believe I am supposed to respect them and their motivations just as much as I DO respect people who have transitioned without any history of sexual crimes against women。 I am also aware of the very real dangers transwomen incarcerated with men face， but can't there be some alternatives？ To tell a population where more than one in five have been assaulted by male bodied people that they can never again consent to not seeing or engaging with penises - no matter how traumatic it is to them and possibly harmful to their chances of recovery from sexual assault- is insane and cruel。 So why aren't there compromises for everyone's safety here？ I can't believe it's become taboo and often deemed inherently transphobic to talk about how women are being hurt by certain self ID policies。 There ARE ways to give and maintain rights for trans people without eliminating protections for people suffering from sex based oppression。 I do not believe it is an either/or situation。 I think these conversations SHOULD BE intersectional。 I am still a 'tomboy' though I spent so much of my childhood wishing I was born a boy。 In fact， there's never been a day in my life that I haven't wished I wasnt treated by the world the way they treat a woman。 So while I very much accept and am aware of my privilege as a white person - I will never be thankful for the violence and trauma that I have only had to endure because of my biological sex。 I think gender identity is complex and nuanced and that none of us asked for any of this lol。 I believe that trans people deserve compassion and respect。 I do my best to treat everyone as a human being。 But I believe I should be able to do so without it being asked of me to pretend that sex-based oppression does not exist or to entirely suspend any concerns that completely unregulated Self ID laws can be abused or have unintended legal consequences。 。。。more
Keri Beth
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