Banning books is a sign of weakness, not strength.

At one time, I wanted to read this book; and I wouldn't mind reading it if I thought it would add anything to the conversation. Unfortunately, what I have read about some of Anderson's arguments suggested strongly to me that he was still misdirecting his analysis, as every spokesperson on the Right seems to.

Don't get me wrong: the Left is just as screwed-up on this subject as the Right is. But this is not the place for an in-depth discussion of that subject.

From a medical point of view, there is no such thing as "transgender ideology." It's simply not a factor. Medically speaking, the reason for medical and social transitioning is the relieving of suffering. There is no other therapeutic approach with consistent reliability in achieving this result. When a doctor prescribes blockers and hormones, it isn't because the doctor believes Johnny is "really" a girl; it's because he believes that Johnny is suffering and that without treatment Johnny's suffering will increase and his quality of life will spiral downward into the abyss. And he isn't simply pulling this out of his nether regions; this is the well-documented course of gender dysphoria.

Transgender people and their adversaries may look at medical treatment as "validation" of the idea that Johnny is "really" a girl; but that's a belief, not a demonstrable fact. It's not science, either way you go. Transgender people can't prove Johnny is, and their antagonists can't prove Johnny isn't. Medicine doesn't care, because medicine is concerned only with the fact of suffering, and not any metaphysical interpretation of it.

The medical issues and the social issues are distinct, and they have been conflated by both sides. It's time for a return to reason.