Online retailer Amazon is under fire for selling books that promise to ‘prevent’ and ‘cure’ homosexuality.
One of the controversial books on sale - A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality - was first spotted by leading British author Damian Barr, who criticised the online retailer for making a profit from ‘hatred’.
The book, written by American clinical psychologist and president of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality Joseph Nicolosi, is described as offering ‘compassion and hope for all those parents who seek to lay a foundation for a healthy heterosexual identity in their children’.
Damian told Buzzfeed News: ‘Amazon has a responsibility to their customers to not profit from or promote self-harm and hate crimes.
‘If you read the comments below you can clearly see the book had caused harm to parents as well as children. Amazon is profiting from the pain of the people affected by this book.’
He added: ‘This is not a freedom of speech issue. It’s about people’s freedom to live unmolested and safe, and this book is not doing that. It is advancing outdated, scientifically and psychologically disproven and discredited theories of human sexuality that aren’t just tired, they are harmful.
‘Amazon is not being neutral by selling these. Amazon is making a statement about their values by choosing to sell these books.
‘People can buy this book if they want but you have to ask yourself, “Why would you choose to profit from this book?” Amazon are making money from this hatred.’
Following the find, many Twitter users also publicly asked the company to remove such books from their website.
One said: ‘Hi @amazon Please can you point me to the books about 'preventing heterosexuality', remove the ones about preventing homosexuality, or lose my custom forever. Please let us know which you decide soonest. Yours Everyone human.’
Another also tweeted: 'Well done Damian! I’m so glad this horrible horrible book is being called out. What kind of parent would buy any book with a title: Preventing Health and Happiness by f*cking your child up with pointless crap & fear yet that’s the promise here.'
GoodtoKnow has contacted Amazon for comment.
