‘Bravo to Sheila Jeffreys who, with exceptional courage, clarity and scholarship interrogates the dogma of transgenderism – that men can become women and women men via hormones, surgery and/or subjectivity. Gender Hurts challenges us to consider how transgender ideology and practices accommodate gender hierarchy and create harmful consequences for transgendered persons themselves, but also for women and children. Anyone inclined to dismiss these views as transphobic needs to read this lucid and compelling book.’

Janice Raymond is Professor Emerita of Women’s Studies and Medical Ethics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (USA) and author of The Transsexual Empire.

‘Feminists fighting to free women from male definitions of what a woman is now find themselves assailed by male transgender activism claiming the right to make precisely such a definition. This clash of human rights has produced more heat than light. But Jeffreys illumines it by countering misogynistic threats of violence with scholarly research and reason. In a climate rife with pain on both sides, toxic with stereotypes, ignorance, misunderstanding, and fear, she dares to offer clarity. Even those who disagree with her must surely recognize that as an act of courage.’

Robin Morgan

Sheila Jeffreys is Professor of feminist politics in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She teaches courses in feminist theory, on the politics of sexuality and lesbian and gay politics, and international gender politics.

She has a considerable reputation both in the academic world and in the world of feminist and lesbian and gay politics for my work on sexuality, including 7 single authored books, with my eighth book, Man’s Dominion, to be published by Routledge in October, 2011. My work is heavily referenced in academic journals and books, with 53 citations in international refereed journals in 2009 according to the Web of Science citations index, and 47 for 2010 to date.