The American Booksellers Association apologized Wednesday for a “serious, violent incident” in which it promoted a book about gender dysphoria that critics considered “anti-trans.”
The New York-based nonprofit that represents independent bookstores faced criticism after including Abigail Shrier’s book, “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters,” in its July “white box” mailing sent to 750 of its member bookstores, Publishers Weekly reported Thursday.
The book, published last year by Regnery, tackles what Ms. Shrier describes as “transgender politics” and argues that the “trans epidemic” is a “social contagion” that’s particularly harming to teenage girls.
The booksellers group issued a statement Wednesday apologizing to the trans community for “this terrible incident” in promoting the book.
“An anti-trans book was included in our July mailing to members,” the organization said. “This is a serious, violent incident that goes against ABA’s ends policies, values, and everything we believe and support. It is inexcusable. We apologize to our trans members and to the trans community for this terrible incident and the pain we caused them. We also apologize to the LGBTQIA+ community at large, and to our bookselling community.
“Apologies are not enough,” it continued. “We’ve begun addressing this today and are committed to engaging in the critical dialogue needed to inform concrete steps to address the harm we caused. Those steps will be shared in the next three weeks.”
The statement drew swift criticism on Twitter, including from Ms. Shrier herself.
“If there were a Hall of Fame for capitulations to Woke bullies, the American Booksellers Association is hereby inducted,” she tweeted. “The ‘serious, violent incident’ they perpetrated? Including my book in a large box of new book samples sent out to independent booksellers.”
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