Inventing Transgender Children and Young People by Michele Moore

There may be reasons for this. Are middle-of-the-road and conservative parents less likely to have children who develop a transgender problem? Missing from the book, and from the wider pushback, are more moderate or socially conservative people who are not religious believers.

Its proponents are left-liberal ‘progressives’ who have been shocked to find transgender dogma pushed as the apex of ‘progress’. This points to an unspoken feature of the non-religious transgender-critical movement that has sprung up on both sides of the Atlantic. Much of Gender-Critical Dad’s chapter revolves around this, though he also recounts in depth how he and his partner deal with a daughter who wants to be male. It is striking how the authors are worried about being considered anti-progressive bigots. This ranges from anti-bullying programmes to tv shows and re-education in primary schools. Stephanie Davies-Arai, head of Transgender Trend, a parents’ group critical of the provisions for gender reassignment for minors, uncovers a wealth of disturbing material from mainstream media and the education system in England which shows just how far the sudden normalisation of transgender identity has gone in a few years. Theirs are probably the most compelling voices as their views and research reflect attempts by contemporary non-religious parents - the majority - to make sense of this whole problem and to fight back on behalf of their children’s health and well-being. Several authors in the book are parents of children who have considered themselves transgendered. It has also recently gained an important sympathetic review from one of the clinicians at the Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock and Portman Clinic in London, who revealed that her colleagues hold a variety of views on the topic.

It is the first book of its kind, and as such repays careful reading. This book is a collection of essays by various secular British critics of the normalisation of transgender identity in children and adolescents. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018. Heather Brunskell-Evans and Michele Moore. Transgender Children and Young People: Born in Your Own Body. Carys Moseley reviews a collection of essays by various secular British critics of the normalisation of transgender identity in children and adolescents.

Inventing Transgender Children and Young People by Michele Moore