Amazon.com Inc.
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said it recently removed a three-year-old book on transgender issues from its platforms because it decided not to sell books suggesting transgender and other sexual identities as mental illnesses.
The company made its decision Thursday in a letter to Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Mike Braun of Indiana and Josh Hawley of Missouri, who were reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The senators wrote to CEO Jeff Bezos last month asking for an explanation as to why “When Harry Sally Became: Responding to the Transgender Moment” was no longer available on Amazon AMZN. 1.83%
also not on the Kindle and Audible platforms.
“As for your specific question about When Harry Become Sally, we have chosen not to sell books that label LGBTQ + identity as a mental illness,” Amazon said in the letter, signed by Brian Huseman, Amazon’s vice president -president of public policy, with reference to sexual identities that include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, among others.
‘When Harry Became Sally’, written by conservative scholar Ryan T. Anderson, was published in February 2018. The book focuses on a variety of issues, including gender identity.
“Everyone agrees that gender dysphoria is a serious condition that causes great suffering,” he said. Anderson and Roger Kimball, publisher of Encounter Books, the non-profit organization in New York that published the book. .
“However, there is a debate that Amazon wants to conclude on how to best treat patients with gender dysphoria,” they added, calling their book an “important contribution” to the conversation. “Amazon uses its power to distort the market of ideas and misleads its own customers in the process,” they said.
Amazon’s decision comes as the country’s largest technology platforms are scrutinized over the decisions they make about what content is acceptable. In their letter of February 24, the senators characterized Amazon’s decision to remove the book as a sign ‘to conservative Americans that their opinion is not welcome on the platforms.’
The four senators could not be reached for comment late Thursday afternoon.
In their letter, the senators also told Mr. Bezos asked if Amazon has changed its content guidelines since 2018. In its response on Thursday, the company said it had indeed changed its guidelines since that year, without providing further details.
Amazon said it “gives its customers access to a variety of viewpoints, including books that some customers may find offensive.”
“That said, we reserve the right not to sell certain content,” Amazon said. Huseman, written. “All retailers make decisions about what choice they want to offer.”
According to Amazon, 53% of all books sold in the US and 80% of all e-books, according to recent 30-day sales data from Codex Group LLC, are a book research company. Removing a title from Amazon’s platform can have a significant impact on its performance.
Write to Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg by [email protected]
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