In a huge win for LGBTQ equality, sales giant Amazon has clapped back at right-wing outrage, declaring it will not sell any book that labels being gay or transgender as a mental illness.
Cue the lament.
The news follows an open letter to CEO Jeff Bezos from Senators Marco Rubio of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Mike Braun of Indiana, and Josh Hawley of Missouri. In it, the four lawmakers protested Amazon’s banning of When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment, a book of dubious authority that labels transgender people as mentally ill. The Senators have accused Amazon of curtailing right-wing speech by banning the book.
Amazon, however, responded to the allegations by making clear it will not sell any book that characterizes queer identity as illness.
“We carefully consider the content we make available in our stores, and we review our approach regularly,” Amazon wrote in a statement, responding to the letter. “As described above, we have chosen not to sell books that frame LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness.”
“[Amazon Web Services] provides technology and services to customers across the political spectrum, and we respect our customers’ right to determine for themselves what content they will allow,” the letter further stated. “We simply require that our customers comply with our terms of service which, are designed to prevent encouraging and inciting violence that could harm people. AWS operates as a separate business from Amazon’s retail organizations and AWS’s terms of service and customer sign-up process are separate and independent from Amazon’s bookstore.”
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 13, 2021
Marcio Rubio took to Twitter to rant against the company.
“Let me get this right,” Rubio said in a video posted March 13. “Amazon gets to be the most woke corporation on the planet and every day is proving their wokeness by banning books, not allowing traditional charities to participate in Amazon Smiles, denying President Trump access to Amazon’s web services, and denying his campaign that, every day we’re getting messages about how woke Amazon is.”
“That’s fine. Be as woke as you want,” he continued. “I have no problem with that. But when it comes to tax cuts, then they want our help… why don’t you go get your woke, liberal, leftist friends and have them help you. Here’s the bottom line: it’s very simple for me. The largest, richest company in the world and a champion of wokeness, all it does is beat up on conservatives versus hard-working Americans who want to get paid a little bit more and have better work conditions.”
How telling that paying workers a pittance doesn’t seem to matter to Rubio, unless of course a company wants to stop the spread of false and dangerous information. Rather, he feels vilified because he can’t pick on LGBTQ people so easily.
Interesting priorities, Marco.
Mister P
I think Amazon should be taxed more. Rubio got that part right.
It is not a matter of free speech. Labeling transgender people as mentally ill is not and should not be protected speech.
Creamsicle
Amazon should definitely payback value added tax, like Andrew Yang proposed. But that is an entirely separate issue from the content curation choices that a private platform may choose to make.
barryaksarben
These are separate issues and I fear anyone in government BLACKMAILING a person or corporation by threatening them. If you want to talk about institutions not being taxed lets start with all these far right so called churches who have been violating the law about their political participation. Lets start there as I am sure Lil Marco is sooo concerned about it
Erik
Did Marco cross the line into quid pro quo?
Creamsicle
He’s hypothetically saying that when it comes to tax policy, Amazon will come back and court conservative lawmakers. He’s right about that, but he conveniently leaves out the part where those same conservative lawmakers will happily accept donation money and lobbying gifts and forget about which books can be listed on Amazon when that happens.
Openminded
Creamsicle, sadly you nailed it. In the end, the money always talks.
missvamp
go look at rubio’s page. this hypocrites page is full of bible quotes! it’s nauseating! i love reporting sickos like him.
Fahd
No politician is more craven and more willing to say anything to get the vote of the Trump base than little Marco. He tries to pretend he’s not as bad as Ted Cruz or Josh Hawley, but really they’re all birds of a feather. I would think he himself and his beloved party would support the right of a private business, like Amazon, to refuse to spread speech that can easily lead to violence. After all, shouldn’t the free market provide them with an alternative distributor. Typical Republican doublespeak: “it’s a free country until you refuse to do what I want you to do.”
jayceecook
Wait, wait, wait…NOW he’s suddenly against big corporations getting unfair tax breaks?!
This is one of the main reasons Republicans are such hypocrites. They will champion and cry to the high heavens when something benefits them. Yet the second the same thing also favors their “enemies” they will cry foul play.
States rights over big government. Yes. Until a state does something they don’t like. Unfair tax breaks for large businesses. Absolutely. Till one of those businesses won’t sell something they like. Congress not courts. You betcha! Until Congress passes legislation they don’t like. Then they run to the courts to change it. Or support packing the Supreme Court in hopes of changing existing laws instead of allowing Congress to do it.
Brendan76
This is exactly right. I mean … wasn’t he one of the Senators who voted to give companies like Amazon such huge tax breaks in the first place? Oh, and opposed an increase in the minimum wage. And opposes anything that actually helps working people in a meaningful way. I’m from Florida and I was interning with a legislative advocacy organization in grad school when Rubio was still a state legislator (~20 years ago), and I can tell you from personal experience that the general horribleness he exudes is not new. He’s always been like that. He is a bully, a hypocrite, and the worst kind of right wing Christian nationalist. I plan on doing everything I can in his next election (which I think is next year) to get him voted out of office. He’s got to go.
SaintRock
What these Conservatives lie about is that Amazon is not part of the Federal Government. If zealot bakers do not have to make cake for gay weddings then Amazon does not have to sell books they do not want to….. Free Enterprise…. Capitalism ….. Free Market choices. That is what GOP used to go on about. Just like stupid anti mask dummies acting like private places and businesses oppress them, like they have never seen a no shoes no shirt no service sign before? Thus mask is private business call. They serve the public but not the public and anti maskers is not a protected class for anti discrimination laws.
Openminded
Very good points Saint, but Rubio is right when he states Amazon shouldn’t get gov’t handouts. Of course, IMHO, a private business shouldn’t get gov’t handouts no matter what they do or don’t sell.
Fname Optional Lname
It was perfectly acceptable in his eyes for a company or organization to deny services to a gay person or a gay couple but when Amazon refuses to sell a book that will spread lies, hatred and has the potential to cause violence against a portion of the community he is all of the sudden against it? Hmm he as all about the bakers who did not want to sell cakes to LGBTQ people but this has a different tune for some reason. Such a hypocrite!
Mr. Stadnick
I am no fan of Amazon but sometimes they do things that almost make me think they aren’t an awful company. This is one of them. They don’t have to sell something they agree with. I still won’t buy anything from them but I am impressed with their morals on this issue.
cuteguy
Lil Marco is looking for a platform that can give his receding hairline, uh I mean 2024 poll numbers a boost.
LumpyPillows
Bingo. The republicans are using transgender issues as a campaign tool, like they used gay people before it became less acceptable to hate us. We need to be careful in defending transgender people, while not going overboard to the left and giving them the weapons they need.
BoomerMyles
Rubio supports trans and LGBQ people being assaulted as freedom of religious expression.
Cam
The basic goal for Republicans is for us not to exist.
jcool
but if we didn’t exist they would lose a save christian america revenue stream. they can’t make all of their money off of hating people of color
LumpyPillows
Amazon can do whatever they like, but I’m not happy with censorship. I know I have no desire to read an out-of-date book that calls transgenderism a mental illness. The reality is that transgenderism is a mental/brain anomaly though. Calling it an illness is inaccurate, but it isn’t without some basis. Trying to destigmatize transgender people is a good goal, but when it gets out of hand, such as declaring trans women as women, the other side gets out of whack too. Trans women are trans women; the battle is to make that accepted, embraced and valued.
jcool
this is not censorship. censorship would be trying to make no one able to read the book, like old fashioned book burnings. this is saying i choose not to do business with you and/or your message. a business choice. i think everyone who keeps yelling “censorship” or “cancel” should buy a dictionary from amazon
Cam
You thought you were being subtle.
You are against censorship, BUT……
It’s good that Trans people aren’t stigmatized, EXCEPT…….
Your agenda was quite obvious.
DCFarmboy
The same Amazon company that is fighting their employees who want to have a union in Alabama. Screw Amazon.
Mattster
LOL, a Republican is concerned about “hard working people getting paid more” and “better working conditions”, that’s rich. This man voted against raising the minimum wage, extending unemployment benefits, and pandemic relief. His party has led a charge against unionization and even basic worker safety provisions for the last 40 years.
American workers, and especially the growing ranks of the working poor, are all worse off because of people like Rubio.
rbernard
Is anyone else getting sick and tired of hearing right wing sourpusses overusing the word “woke”?
Cam
If Amazon said they were going to stop donating, Rubio would put on a dress and hop on a stripper poll in their reception hall to get those donations back if they asked him to.
Lightbulb
This is the same Little marco that spent hundreds of thousands in his fancy renovations and may I add used the campaign credit card for personal expenses over and over paid late and got caught? For anyone that is that desperate and broke that you need to use the company credit card to pay personal expenses find a new job? He also got an $800,000.00 advance from a book deal.
If anyone anyone ever used a company credit card where I ever worked for personal use…IMMEDIUATE TERMINATION!! Period Goodbye!
tjack47
Good for Amazon. Yes, they should be taxed more, but we know that won’t come out of profit. It will come out of workers’ and consumers’ pockets, unfortunately. Oh, I’m no fan of Rubio. I believe his proselytizing, because it’s an official public page as a Senator on Twitter, is in violation of The Establishment Clause which is where we get Separation of Church and State. Churches should be taxed as any other for profit business.
HenryCameron
So if you understand that corporate taxes are actually just indirect taxes imposed on workers and consumers, why would you favor increasing those taxes on workers and consumers?
elemirion
Marco Rubio is a stupid twat! He still doesn’t understand that Trump lost, and its going to be litigated to within inches of his life, and Marco, they’re coming for you too. Every single one of you idiot repuglicans who have nearly destroyed this country with your hypocrisy, lies and theft of tax payer money, you will all go down. You should really learn to lie low and stay out of the limelight as it will only focus the beam of justice on you faster!
hotflyer99
GURL BYE!!!!
Invader7
We all KNOW those two faced , hypocrite republithugs are such lackeys for right wing interests. Then they pick and choose what they’re currently outraged about.. When their white , hetero, far right wing , “christian” priviledge is threatened. Too PHUCKING bad a-holes. Your days in power are numbered and a new day is here.Get used to it.Suck it up and put on your big boy panties. We in the GLBTQ world have suffered enough and it’s ending ..Thankfully.
johnnymcmxxx
I hate anyone who uses the word “woke”.
Kevan1
Rubio and his pals need to find their electron microscopes and a needle and go toss off somewhere. Screw him and the clowns who think like him.
yendor808
Return to your cave, you bumbling idiot.
Dennisw
So Marco is for the low paid workers? He hides that so well. Glad I saw this clip!