Statement on Amazon’s Removal of When Harry Became Sally – Blogging Censorship

Statement on Amazons Removal of When Harry Became Sally

The National Coalition Against Censorship is deeply concerned by Amazons sudden decision to remove from sale a book, When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment by Ryan T. Anderson. Amazon had been selling this controversial title for the last three years. While the books arguments anger many people, they are part of the public debate over gender identity. Amazons decision to stop selling it threatens the marketplace of ideas.

Amazon has a First Amendment right to sell whatever books it wants. However, from its earliest days, it has committed itself to selling an unprecedentedly wide range of books. Its website states, As a bookseller, we believe that providing access to the written word is important, including content that may be considered objectionable. Though Amazons content policy reserves the right to exclude hate speechor other material we deem inappropriate or offensive, the company has not defined what it considers hateful or offensive content.

Amazon is not like other booksellers. It sells more than half of all print books and a significant share of e-books and audio books in the United States. This gives the company an outsized role in shaping opinion and discourse. When Amazon decides to remove a book, it matters not only to the author and their publisher, but to the entire public sphere.

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Statement on Amazon's Removal of When Harry Became Sally - Blogging Censorship