Abigail Shrier caused controversy for her first publication: "Irreversible Damage," a book published in June 2020 and contentious in the transgender community.
Abigail Shrier''s book, an American writer, is a journalistic investigation that explores a concept previously studied in psychology: "Rapid-onset gender dysphoria," referring to a phenomenon recently observed in the United States. There has been a significant growth of adolescents (women) who identify as transgender in a short time - without previously shown any signs of identity problems - and seek to initiate a process of I change sex as soon as possible. Under a self-diagnosis of "dysphoria," teenagers begin their transition. According to the author, they are doctors, therapists, activists, and teachers, who encourage and help teenage girls to undergo sex-change treatments for fear that, if they do not, being branded as "transphobic.
WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY ALL ABOUT?
After launching her book on the Joe Rogan show, the famous American host, Abigail Shrier, reported great hatred. Several people said that her book invited to normalize hate speech towards transgender people.
The author denounced that she has been censored and has not been allowed to promote her work on a large scale, while she has been given publicity on topics that encourage contrary views. She also points out that some editorials have prohibited journalists from reviewing her research.
Abigail Shrier decided to respond, "I fully support the adult medical transition. And I have no desire to be a provocateur. I also have no malicious interest in the social life of others." She maintains that her interest is purely journalistic and that she wanted to help adolescents'' parents (since she only talks about them in her book) to understand the phenomenon. "There is nothing malicious in suggesting that most adolescents are not in a good position to undergo irreversible alterations in their bodies, particularly if they suffer from trauma or any other mental health problems that are associated with expressions of dysphoria."
WHAT DOES THE TRANS COMMUNITY THINK?
Criticisms of the author''s work come mainly from the trans community. They suggest that the book normalizes hate speech and does not allow there to be a real acceptance of people who identify as transgender.
Paula Outon, a trans woman and a fervent follower of feminism, points out that accepting herself as a transgender person is a challenging path to follow. Suggesting that it''s done due to social influence or mental health problems is a statement that incites hatred and significantly reduces the complex vision of what it is to identify as a trans person.
"The personal fight with yourself was super complicated. During the first year of my transition, I cried 4 out of 24 hours a day. It seemed to me that I was never going to be able to feel full [...] Crossing the threshold of accepting you as a trans woman is very difficult; it is violent. "
Traducción: Valentina K. Yanes.