UK Public Libraries Criticised for Stocking Controversial Book on Trans Children

A self-help book aimed at parents of transgender children is currently available in 58 public libraries across the UK, prompting concern from LGBTQ+ campaigners who say it promotes harmful and misleading ideas about trans young people.

An investigation by QueerAF found that When Kids Say They’re Trans: A Guide for Thoughtful Parents, written by therapists Lisa Marchiano, Stella O’Malley and Sasha Ayad, is stocked in libraries across nearly every county in the UK, including in London, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh and Swansea.

QueerAF says the book encourages parents to place children in anti-affirmation medical and educational environments, and to distance themselves from loved ones who support a child’s transition. It also describes the authors as outspoken supporters of anti-affirmation approaches to trans children.

One passage highlighted by QueerAF describes a parent telling their child that “males cannot be female” and that they would be returning to their birth name and pronouns. The same passage claims the child would eventually be happier without transition-related support.

According to the investigation, the book also recommends ideas linked to conversion practices, detransition and so-called “desistance” — the theory that some children who identify as trans will later revert to identifying as cisgender after puberty.

QueerAF reported that the book includes role-play scenarios for parents to use with their children, presenting gender as fixed and unchangeable, and encouraging families to cut off relatives or friends who do not support a desistance-based approach.

The publication also reportedly claims that puberty blockers are usually the first medical intervention offered to trans young people, and suggests that minors can access major interventions without significant assessment or evaluation.

That claim sits uneasily with the current reality in the UK, where trans young people are no longer able to begin new NHS prescriptions for puberty blockers following restrictions introduced over safety concerns.

Manchester City Council, responding to questions from the Manchester Evening News about the book being stocked at Central Library, said public libraries are intended to provide resources that are of “legitimate interest”. It added that this role can sometimes mean carrying books that present different points of view.

That explanation has not satisfied LGBTQ+ advocates, who argue that access to information is not the same as endorsing material that may actively mislead families or contribute to harm.

In response, Manchester-based LGBTQ+ organisation The Proud Trust told the Manchester Evening News: “It is vital that parents of trans and non-binary young people can access accurate and reliable information to best inform them in supporting their child, libraries must serve to ensure the information they are supplying the public with is accurate and trustworthy.”

For critics, the issue is not simply whether controversial books should exist on shelves, but what responsibility public institutions have when it comes to providing information about already vulnerable communities.