If you’re not in the middle of debates about trans rights & research on trans lives, you might be wondering what critics mean when they say Abigail Shrier’s work is transphobic. Allow me to lay a few points out for you, taken—for convenience—from her article in #Quillette. 1/
Shrier frames her work with the familiar stance of: I’m just asking questions! I’m only reporting on these ideas some have, what can be wrong with that?! Don’t stop the messenger of common sense ideas!

Then she lines up her words to make it sound like that’s what she’s doing. 2/
It is noticeable, however, that reporting on current research relating to trans girls isn’t what she’s doing. She’s made up her journalist mind that groups of professionals—with researched & constantly re-evaluated guidelines & ethics behind them—are merely “rubber-stamping.” 3/
In this need that she sees for challenging those professionals’ “rubber-stamping,” she stretches the concept of “science” to claim it for herself. She implies she is writing science and then complains that the National Association of Science Writers disagrees with her on that. 4/
And that study by Littman which she mentions in the above screen shot? It is well known for having no merit for medical work or other questions of care in relation to trans youth. See my lengthy quote-thread below. 5/

So, you can see: Littman's study has been heavily criticized, and judged by experts as having no merit for medical decisions. Shrier says her book is exclusively based on that article. She also makes her own claims about medical decisions. That stuff stinks to high heaven. 6/
And the stink gets worse. A key critique of Littman’s paper was that she based her claims about trans youth not on work directly with trans youth, but on what parents of trans youth told her. Some of those parents Littman recruited from anti-trans discussion boards. 7/
On the basis of those parents’ comments, Littman poses “social contagion” as a reason for some youth’s transness. The reason of “social contagion” has been soundly rejected by other researchers. But, lo, Shrier accepts it and treats it as confirmed. 8/
I used colour-coding in the above screenshot to show you Shrier’s anti-trans use of language. Parents—some of whom are anti-trans—are neutrally named and positioned as authorities on their children’s lives. Their children, on the other hand, are called by denigrating language. 9/
Knowing all that I’ve just shown, this point by Shrier—“I am no activist”—reads like a lie. At least it is a lie in the sense that people who assert trans rights & better efforts for trans health are routinely called “activists” as if that’s a disqualifying attribute. 10/
Just like Shrier herself does in the below excerpt.

Don’t believe her when she claims parents have to affirm a child’s interest in transness “no questions asked.” Parents can ask questions. Support systems for parents are an important element of care. 11/
And that comment she throws in at the end of the paragraph: “let the conversion therapy take its toll”?

The clunking sound is Shrier’s mask slipping and falling noisily onto the floor. 12/
Whoa! A meaningful detail of which I had not been aware. 13/
The book itself is terrible. Zinnia has a number of threads on just how terrible. Please visit her account and follow her critique. 14/

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More from @Katja_Thieme

15 Nov
Ah, that's disappointing. Since Adichie has not publicly commented for a while on trans issues, I hoped she was thinking more critically following from earlier disappointing claims.

Linked below: my thread on why Rowling's anti-trans essay is not perfectly reasonable.
“Again JK Rowling is a woman who is progressive, who clearly stands for and believes in diversity,” Adichie said.

I took Adichie to be a better reader than that.
Read 7 tweets
15 Nov
I laughed. Malinda Smith argues with Jon Kay, points out several times how ill-informed he is on the issue and how disappointing his attempts at argument.

He doesn’t recover from that.

But falls back to this response. 1/
It has some of his favourite tropes, the ones that make him feel good when he’s been beaten at the game he was trying to play.

He’s got some back channel into your institution going! 2/
You are partly being paid by public money, you must be incapable to make it in the rough and tumble market where he, #Quillette editor, claims to do so well! 3/
Read 7 tweets
14 Nov
What’s the egregious part? What do you find so embarrassing? What source are you considering? Why “useless”? What’s true and untrue academic freedom? Where’s there something authoritarian?

So much feeling. So little evidence.

You know what I see? I see a veiled attempt to dismiss the academic freedom of two particular scholars, with no evidence or argumentative merit being brought to challenge their research. Curious. Curious.
If you want to hear the talk that brought about the above tweet, if you want to have your own thoughts on it, it’s here:
Read 10 tweets
13 Nov
A "sudden increase in expenses when you are living well below the poverty line creates an urgent crisis. And yet it would seem no one has responded as if disabled people are even part of this public health crisis, let alone uniquely at risk from it."
"Some have characterized the current situation as disabled people having been forgotten in the response to COVID. I disagree. Disabled people have been excluded, not forgotten."
"The highest numbers of deaths have occurred among residents of long-term care and other congregate care facilities. Who lives in these facilities if not disabled people? Why then was the 'D' word never used?"
Read 5 tweets
12 Nov
I have been blessed!

Golden be the day. Image
Rick Mehta's tweet to me today is in response to this old piece. Two years--or, a lifetime--ago.

Once again, it turns out I'm being much too nice.

It is worse than it first looked.

I'm so glad his university made the right choice and fired him.

Image
Read 4 tweets

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