07/19/2021
Economist journalist Joyce challenges the idea that “people should count as men or women according to how they feel and what they declare, instead of their biology” in this alarmist critique of “transactivism.” Characterizing gender self-identification as a “belief system” akin to reincarnation, Joyce traces the origins of gender theory to Judith Butler and other feminist academics in the 1990s, and recounts the story of Christine Jorgensen, who became synonymous with “sex change” in the 1950s. Though Joyce acknowledges that a “suffering minority” of people struggle with gender dysphoria (“misery caused by cross-sex feelings”), she contends that “the truth is that we are our bodies, and our bodies are our selves,” and calls the use of hormone blockers to delay puberty in gender-dysphoric children a “medical scandal.” Joyce also suggests links between homophobia and transitioning, and autism and cross-sex identification. Testimonials from “detransitioners” who have returned to identifying as their biological sex buttress Joyce’s arguments, though she makes no effort to speak with people who have happily transitioned, and doesn’t present statistics on how many people come to regret their surgical and hormonal treatments. Ultimately, Joyce’s unwillingness to take the claims of trans people seriously undermines her arguments, and her talk of the billionaires, academics, and profit-hungry healthcare companies behind “gender-identity ideology” has elements of conspiracy thinking. This one-sided takedown comes up short. (Sept.)
‘I was knocked out by Trans ... Biology vs magical thinking has become such a violent debate that most people involved (myself included) can’t set verbal foot in it without effing and jeffing till the air is blue. But Joyce is always cool, calm and in complete possession of her extensive collection of facts.’
Spectator Books of the Year
'A scholarly, compassionate and courageous examination of a subject that’s sparked an unhelpful civil war within the LGBTQ community. Unlike those of her online counterparts, Joyce’s arguments are well researched, soundly made and avoid the toxicity that mars so much conversation on this topic .’
Books of the Year Observer
'Reasonable, methodical, sane, and utterly unintimidated by extremist orthodoxy, Trans is also a riveting read .'
'How do we want to live? How do we want our children to live? Helen Joyce tackles this matter. Buy her book for your teenagers. Give it to your boss. Send it to the head of HR. Place it on a bench at the Royal Academy. Sex matters. Tell everyone. '
‘A frighteningly necessary book: well-written, thoroughly-researched, passionate and very brave.’
'An intelligent, thorough rejoinder to an idea that has swept across much of the liberal world seemingly overnight . Even those outraged by Joyce’s positions would benefit from understanding them...Open conversation about such fraught issues is the only realistic path forward.'
‘Thank goodness for Helen Joyce ... Trans is a searing and at times devastating analysis of an ideological shift that has had a profound influence on many institutions in the West... With the rigour of an investigative journalist, she looks at the history of the trans movement over the past century.’
‘Incisive, compassionate and nuanced ...In the first decade of this century, it was unthinkable that a gender-critical book could even be published by a prominent publishing house, let alone become a bestseller.’
'Helen Joyce has written a very important, enlightened and powerfully-argued book on one of the most controversial issues of our times. For anyone who wants to understand the spirit of the age, its complexities and challenges, and how to map a truly progressive way forward. Riveting from start to finish .'
'The author brave enough to take on the trans lobby'
‘This is the book every woman should read . It explains how we’re being erased, how our arguments are being distorted, and the cost of standing up...Brilliant, coruscating, brave .’
'A sane, humane book. '
‘anyone wanting to understand how transgender rights became such a flashpoint in identity politics – and why a generation of feminists is so determined to stand its ground – should start here with this polemical book by Helen Joyce.’
Times, Books of the Year 2021 - Patrick Maguire
'A passionate defence '
'I'm off the fence ...This rigorous and brave book nails the absurd idea that sex is just a “social construct”'
‘If... you look to grasp the extent to which gender identity ideology, both academic and popular, bears comparison with the worst sort of pseudoscience, then Joyce is your pick... Perhaps because of her use of biology, Joyce’s feminism is disciplined and thoughtful... [a] careful use of science.’
‘[Joyce] is sharp, lucid and brilliant in analysing how the recent surge of sexual ‘transitioning’ and insistence on self-declared ‘gender identity’, has undermined feminism’s achievements.’
‘A searing analysis of the transgender debate that has dominated much of public discourse in Scotland in recent years, at least among feminists... I urge you to read Helen Joyce’s book... It may well offer you a new perspective on this most troubling of national conversations. It may even change your mind .’
Susan Dalgety addressing Nicola Sturgeon in the Scotsman
'A superlative critical analysis...With this fact-filled, humane, and brave book, a grown-up has entered the room.'
'A tour de force . With a fine eye for detail, she brings all the elements of gender ideology together with clarity and precision...simply a must-read '
‘A courageous, intelligent and important work, rooted in good science and common sense.’
'Well-researched, compelling...a deeply compassionate reminder that there are real trade-offs to be made in human rights activism .’
'The book I wish I’d had the foresight to pitch and the insight to write.'
'An ambitious, wide-ranging, yet incredibly economical book... Trans is an enormously readable and widely accessible book, full of righteous anger and common-sense feminism.'
‘There are few subjects which need treatment that is at once delicate, thoughtful and brave . Helen Joyce manages all of these things in Trans . Anyone looking to understand this most fraught of issues should start here .’
'I've only ever wanted the research to come before the rule changes. Trans is thoroughly researched and extremely illuminating .'
‘If anyone doubts that gender ideology poses a threat to all of us – including trans people – you really should read this book.’
