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Johnny the Walrus is a satirical 2022 children's picture book by American conservative political commentator Matt Walsh. The story allegorically compares being transgender and non-binary to pretending to be a walrus through the story of a child named Johnny.[1] It was published by DW Books, a division of The Daily Wire.[2]
 | |
| Author | Matt Walsh |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | K. Reece |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | DW Books |
Publication date | March 29, 2022 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 30 |
| ISBN | 978-1-956007-05-3 |
Summary
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In the book, Johnny is a boy with an imagination who dresses up as a walrus by using spoons as tusks. When "internet people" find out that Johnny enjoys being a walrus, he is forced to decide between being a boy or a walrus, and he is not allowed to change his mind.[1] The "internet people" also pressure Johnny's mother into feeding Johnny worms and taking him to a doctor with a saw, who suggests turning Johnny's hands and feet into fins.[2] Johnny's mother attempts to take him to a zoo to be with real walruses, but the real walruses do not like Johnny as he is not a walrus. The zoo also refuses to accept Johnny. Eventually, Johnny and his mother realize Johnny is a boy and that it's OK to play pretend while being yourself. They head home as Johnny pretends to be a bird.
Reception
editJohnny the Walrus became the bestselling book in Amazon's LGBTQ+ category before Amazon recategorized it on December 10, 2021, to the Political and Social Commentary category. Walsh called the recategorization "an unconscionable attack on gay rights and a horrific example of homophobia and gay erasure."[1][3] GLAAD, an LGBT media monitoring organization, had previously called for Amazon to remove the book from its LGBTQ+ category. On the same day, Target removed the book from its online bookstore.[3]
Fox News host Tucker Carlson called the book "hilarious".[4] Conservative news website TheBlaze called it "an effort to push back against radical gender ideology which defies biological reality."[5] Satirist Andrew Doyle, writing in UnHerd, praised the book for mocking the "indoctrination of the young".[6] LGBT news website PinkNews called the book "hateful" and "transphobic".[5] LGBTQ Nation called the book "anti-transgender" and said that the book mocks transgender youth.[4]
See also
edit- Political satire
- What Is a Woman?, a 2022 online documentary by Walsh about transgender issues in which he asks the titular question to various people.
References
edit- ^ a b c Migdon, Brooke (December 9, 2021). "Amazon bestseller compares being trans to pretending to be a walrus". The Hill. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ a b Soper, Spencer; Ceron, Ella (June 25, 2022). "Amazon Staff Demand Ban of Books Calling Transgender People Mentally Ill". Bloomberg News. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ a b Midgon, Brooke (December 10, 2021). "Amazon recategorizes book comparing being trans to pretending to be a walrus". The Hill. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ a b Bollinger, Alex (December 9, 2021). "Best-selling LGBTQ book on Amazon is an anti-transgender picture book". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ a b Wakefield, Lily (December 9, 2021). "Amazon lists hateful, transphobic book as number one 'LGBT+ best seller'". PinkNews. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Doyle, Andrew (May 17, 2022). "How to stop children being indoctrinated". UnHerd. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
