Absolutely Everything is Wrong with the ABA’s “Apology” Statement

Yesterday, the American Booksellers Association issued an apology statement on Twitter. Who were they apologizing to and why, you ask? Well, they were explaining that somehow, someone somewhere slipped the anti-trans tract “Irreversible Damage” into their July selections for members. 

pic.twitter.com/RmPSkmyrmX

— American Booksellers Association (@ABAbook) July 14, 2021

If you don’t remember the “Irreversible Damage” drama, here’s the TL;DR: Last year, author Abigail Shrier released the book to widespread protest. By its very nature, “Irreversible Damage,”—which is chock full of bad science, inaccurate or barely-there data, and general fearmongering—is an anti-trans treatise that exists to create fear in the heart of parents everywhere whose kids have maybe expressed that their assigned gender doesn’t feel right to them. Shrier’s book specifically went after trans guys and nonbinary AFABs, positioning transness as a kind of enemy of womanhood and claiming that the “transgender craze” is actively ruining the lives of people who may, at some point in the future, detransition. Trans activists fought to pull the book from public libraries and bookstores, with some success. Amazon recalled the book, then reversed their decision. Almost a year after the initial release, we’re somehow still trying to explain to the world that “Irreversible Damage” isn’t just a harmless opposing opinion. It’s a collection of cis fears and hysteria surrounding what some parents still view as the “problem” of having a trans kid. 

So when the ABA slipped it into their July offerings and then offered a too-little-too-late apology, trans folks weren’t exactly satisfied. 

Trans writers and activists were quick to point out the lack of responsibility taken and passive language favored in the ABA statement.

This isn’t an just an accident
Someone had to be responsible for including that book
That was an active decision someone made

— Dr. Ada-Rhodes Short 🤖🧠 (@The_Ada_Rhodes) July 15, 2021

it’s weird that the aba apologized to the lgbtqia community at large after the transphobic thing lol

— Manhunter (1986) (@k8bushofficial) July 15, 2021

Others were absolutely gobsmacked at the sheer audacity on display: 

what the fuck
WHAT THE FUCK https://t.co/oYRuYi0wFq

— (((Jay Edidin))) (@NotLasers) July 14, 2021

Some simply told it like it is:

Hey guys I tripped fell and accidentally shipped every indie bookstore in America a copy of Mein Kampf complete with a handwritten note about how it’s an amazing book everyone should read. No clue how this happened just a big oopsie.

— bitcoin wallet inspector (@Conqy) July 15, 2021

Yeup. And the ABA released a…well the first sentence is in passive voice, so hard to call it an apology.

— Josh Cook (@InOrderOfImport) July 14, 2021

Thankfully, there is still some good in the world, and it helps to be reminded of that. Several booksellers took the opportunity to share recommendations for work by actual trans authors who haven’t made up all their data in an attempt to self-martyr:

Today is a great day to visit your local bookstore and pick up one of the *many* amazing new books written by trans authors, any of which would have made a great July selection for ABA members. https://t.co/c9GwPBHMqn

— Seven Stories Press (@7StoriesPress) July 14, 2021

As longtime @ABAbook members with beloved staff across the gender spectrum, we’re extremely disappointed and angered to see the ABA promoting dangerous, widely discredited anti-trans propaganda, and we’re calling for accountability. https://t.co/dIukcNpyTt

— Harvard Book Store (@HarvardBooks) July 14, 2021

Some folks were nice enough to offer an example of what a real apology would look like:

“We did something inexcusable.

“We will never promote this author or this imprint again.

“We will donate an amount equal to what we got, out of our own pockets, to a trans advocacy group chosen by a panel of trans booksellers we will pay to review potential recipients.”

— Nialle Sylvan (@Bokvattirsaga) July 14, 2021

While many simply saw the news and logged off for the day, rightfully so.

Ah. I see That Book About The Evil Trans Contagion is trending on here after the ABA defecated in the center of the bed, yesterday.

Time to eject from this hellsite for the day. pic.twitter.com/XMFkdRLTM1

— Emily Dare (@TheEmilyDare) July 15, 2021

It’s all a big transphobic mess, capped off by a non-apology.

Same vibe https://t.co/4RCs8swRaL pic.twitter.com/sz12xEBxIN

— Dr. Ada-Rhodes Short 🤖🧠 (@The_Ada_Rhodes) July 15, 2021

Every day is truly a winding road.