I’m going to open this to ALL subscribers today, not just my loyal paid subscribers. (I’m planning a zoom for you folks soon!) But I also want to ask your help. I am officially beginning a project to chart the origins of the youth gender culture war. And how what should have been a nonpartisan healthcare issue became a political battle. And how that obscured the reality of what’s been happening to kids and families. (Though I also want to talk to people who feel they benefitted from these cultural and medical changes!). I have a huge list of people to interview but I want to know whose stories you think need to be told. I’m talking to desisters and detransitioners and whistleblowers and educators and lawyers and therapists and doctors and resisters of all political stripes. Who else? What else? What do you most want to know about how we got here? Whose voice needs to be lifted? Do you have a story you’d like to tell? Leave a comment here or email me—I’m going to use the email from my last book so I have them all in one place. Put “gender interview” in the subject line.
Also, talk about anything else here you want, of course…
I think as useful analogies, it's worthwhile to talk to witnesses of the recovered memory scandal (where therapists jumped on a fad and tore families apart) and the opioid scandal.
The opioid scandal in particular is relevant because doctors treating patients with chronic pain were in a difficult position, because the most effective drugs were also the most addictive, so they could either leave their patients in pain or risk turning them into junkies. Then along came a new 'safe and reversible' miracle drug called Oxycodone, which promised all the painkiller efficacy of morphine with none of the addiction risk.
Of course, that sales pitch of 'safe and reversible' turned out to be wildly untrue, but doctors did a lot of damage before eventually seeing through the false advertising.
I want to know not just where it started, but why was it this particular thing - gender identity- and not something else that caught fire across the globe. I’m planning on rereading Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point because this feels like one of those perfect storm of things coming together “tipping point” stories. If he is willing to touch the third rail, interviewing Malcolm Gladwell and asking him to talk about this from a tipping point perspective might be really informative. Also interviewing someone who studies memes and memetics, especially internet memetics since so much of this has been internet driven.
Also, when you find progressives and registered democrats who say they have concerns but aren’t speaking out, please ask them to speak at length on WHY they are not speaking out about this. The public needs to hear that this is not just a right wing concern, and we need to get out in the open just how afraid Democrats are of disagreeing with their party. We need to make it clear that silence does not equal agreement - it often means fear.
One strand that might be helpful is to trace is through NFP organizations (ACLU, Planned Parenthood, HRC, eg) that changed their mission, what caused that to happen, and what the effect has been on both health care and in schools, which are of course related. Time to Think, for example, noted how Mermaids (once with a very different approach, prizing, as I understand it, talk therapy until Susie Green took charge) had inappropriate influence with Tavistock--about which more information has come out since, including investigation of Mermaids by the charities commission. That same trajectory is playing out in the US, but is not as yet as well covered, so far as I am aware. Here’s an example of change in/distortion of mission, in Planned Parenthood: https://twitter.com/PPFA/status/1678826522868609039 Whatever one’s view on the specific message, it seems odd, at least to me, that, in the wake of Dobbs, PP considers this in any way to be a worthwhile use of its time and funds.
As you know, it is mainstream media refusing to report on social contagions, medical harms, that has gotten us to where we are today.
People outside of the GC bubble are only vaguely aware of what is happening.
And the media reports that only right-winger bigots are against "gender-affirming care".
I thought your substack piece this past April on medical organizations needs repeating, again, and again, remind people that: "But these medical associations are advocacy groups. They represent the interests of clinicians, not patients. Their job is to protect—and sometimes lobby for—doctors and psychologists."
Money--it is behind the medical care we receive in the US:
Also, the money behind organizations such as the HRC. The HRC has been lobbying politicians on the subject of "life-affirming care" before most of us were even aware this gender thing was a thing. (I learned when daughter declared trans.)
HRC bring affirming parents and their children to meet politicians and plead their cases. These parents are zealots. It works. It really works. We need a large response of those harmed by gender medicine visiting Democratic office-holders.
Why are countries in Europe stepping back, Democrats?
Parental trauma. Parents being demonized by people on both sides of the aisle. People accusing them of abuse no matter which tracts they take. People questioning their love and commitment to their children without any background information. Parents trying to navigate this situation while their children are being fed talking points. Parents making decisions not knowing if they are right with plenty of people ready to say “I told you so!” if you make the wrong call - no matter what you choose. No matter what happens, making choices based in love and praying that you are not damaging your child.
Not exactly on topic but: It pains me to see the Epoch Times garnering respect it does not deserve. This is not a trusted news source. It's a propaganda machine. I have not seen the documentary and can't comment on it but please, consider the source of your info. Let's not become pawns of the right.
Remember this: the GOP is now going all out to cleave persuadable folks from the Democratic coalition with this issue. They believe it's a winner for them. Let's not unknowingly aid them in that effort by powering our bullshit detectors down.
Just a sort-of-rhetorical question. Does anyone else dread their kid's birthdays and other milestones since the gender journey began? My MTF-identifying son turns 18 in February, and will head to college in fall 2024. Both fill me with nothing but dread and grief and anxiety.
It is strange that parallel to the stories about trans-gender kids there are stories of worsening mental health status of kids. But no one wants to draw connections and look at the overlap. To me it is obvious that trans identification is a symptom of widespread mental health crisis for kids, one that we have been unable to successfully tackle. Relative to what is needed to address these problems, pharmaceuticals and surgery is a cake walk, especially when it comes to medical costs and profits.
I’m curious to know the origins of this in the political sphere. When did political contributions get tied to trans issues? Did it start with Obama or earlier? There seems a lot of digging could be done around the Pritzkers. Also Arcus Foundation is a huge source of funding that I believe used to be mostly focused on Gay and Lesbian stuff and then switched to a trans focus. Why?
Several key communities to trace: 1) the medical system. Boston Children’s GEMs clinic was the first in the US. They published an article in Pediatrics in, I think, 2014? Spack et al. Because Boston Children’s is so well respected, I think it paved the way for others to open gender clinics without a solid evidence base. I have seen the medical literature moving toward blatant advocacy on this issue, to the point where the summary and conclusions don’t reflect the data in an article. It would be interesting to trace that phenomena 2) media. I remember years of pieces in publications like the New Yorker with human interest pieces profiling people who transitioned. The tone I remember was respectful, but curious. My gestalt is that many reporters of integrity, like others in the general public, now believe that medicine has established a solid evidence base about transgender children and transition. Levine’s chain of evidence. It might be interesting to look at news coverage over time to see how they quote medical professionals. Who do they quote? Are they referencing the medical literature? When they do, do they accurately reflect the limitations of what we know? 3) advocacy: it’s not surprising that WPATH advocates for medical transition, though it is interesting to see their position evolve over time. Looking at an older version of trans Bodies/Trans selves is interesting also. But how/when did organizations like GLAD, Trevor Project, ACLU, planned parenthood, PFLAG etc buy into and start promoting pediatric transition?
While it is the "progressive thing" to always mention "some people are happy" keep in mind that Dr. Paul McHugh did a study following up those who did the surgeries years later, and as a result of the fact that post-surgery vs no surgeries = no difference in reported happiness, so McHugh closed down the original Johns Hopkins clinic. No one reports on this.
1. Desistors' process of letting go of cross-sex ideation is not explored. We need to know many aspects of their experiences; did they spend more time out in nature, did they start volunteering or doing some other good works that benefit others and become less obsessed, did exercise, body work or meditation play a role, did they become attracted to an opposite sex friend and find a straight identity appealing, did he/she realize that "passing" as the opposite sex is impossible, did the words of a friend or relative on the topic of biological realities start to make sense, did a detransitioner's story hit them in a way to cause reconsideration. (also how old at onset, how long, how old when desisted, any loss of friend groups, have they embraced a religion, do they still experience pressure from the cult, did they make a move geographically?)
2. Detransitioners, same as above, except also include how many appointments led to pills/injections and which surgeries, which permanent, irreversible results they are left with. Start keeping it as data.
Also of note, because I always bring up the fact that trans widows getting PTSD and living in poverty is under reported: Of 40 trans widows in my survey, 20 Questions to Ask a Trans Widow, 15 were coerced/cajoled/forced into unwanted sex with husband wearing female lingerie, 12 of us became aware that he had secret spending habits or credit cards involving profligate spending of money from the family budget. 1 of the crossdressers blew through the toddler's college account for his wardrobe/prostitution habit.
Ask questions about pornography. Both boys and girls are exposed to it at shockingly young ages. It is an industry co-opting the word, "care." Will Dr. Martha Peabody Levine (Rachel's ex-wife) please come forward with the truth about his habits. Also, I have hit on good authority that Dr. Renee Richards, "famous tennis transsexual" regrets all the surgeries, as he told my friend, who was simply in his office for an eye exam. The truth will out. Good luck.
Talk to the funding agents - why do they fund orgs that promote youth transition? How did they decide this was now within their purpose and mission to fund. Did their Board have any real discussions about this pivot. Did their grassroots members demand it.
How did the money start to flow in this direction??
What needs to also be addressed is why gender ideology is being introduced in elementary schools and parents that are beyond pissed off about it. Some of the books being read by teachers is insane. Do all teachers think this is a good idea? Not sure how anyone can deny that grooming is happening.
I wish I had more time to elaborate here, but I would strongly encourage you to enlist the aid of Braver Angels volunteers for this project! Involvement with this organization has helped me tremendously in figuring out how to stay afloat without falling into the same bad behaviors and ungenerous states of mind that I regularly rail against when exhibited by those pushing policies and propaganda that has harmed my child and my family.
I wonder if you could find politicians to talk off the record who are against this stuff but feel they can't speak up. May be hard to get anyone to do. Would also be potentially interesting to hear from whistleblower politicians' staff or Democratic strategists or consultants what the conversations they are having amongst themselves. Also would be good to understand how and why clergy from various religions are adopting gender ideology.
Would somebody please FOLLOW THE MONEY?!? The Holy Grail of Big Pharma is an expensive medication that people have to take for the rest of their lives. I am certain their wealth is behind this. Oh wait! No! That is impossible because they have always been so completely ethical in the past -- NOT!
I think it’s important to cover Tumblr as the delivery mechanism for the indoctrination of many of these kids (full disclosure - my kid included). It’s certainly not the only factor, but it seems to me that some activists found a corner of the internet where vulnerable teens who didn’t fit in liked to hang out, and set out to indoctrinate as many of them as possible with transgender ideology and other extremist views (there’s a lot of Marxist theory, anti-capitalism, and critical race theory thrown in there for good measure). It appears to me to be very deliberate. It’s a small platform, but every single ROGD teen I know of picked it up on Tumblr. Laura Becker wrote an article about it and I’ve read a few others as well.
The other thing I’d like to see explored is how the media came to be so uniform in its messages about this issue, with no questions or critical exploration of the issues around it. It looks like a coordinated effort to use propaganda to influence public opinion, but how did it originally happen? Who funded it, or threatened to cut funding to media sources unless they went along? One of the most influential articles I remember seeing early on was the Time Magazine article about transgender children. It would be interesting to know how that article came to be.
Some of you might remember the movie Spotlight, about the Boston Globe journalists who uncovered the abuse going on in the Catholic church in their area. Not sure if these journalists are retired now, but is it worth reaching out to them to see if they have the fortitude to take on this issue.
"Though I also want to talk to people who feel they benefitted from these cultural and medical changes!"
my suggestion regarding people who feel they benefited from this "care" or cultural changes is their comments be provided in the context of both sides. on the one hand many people claim this "care" (meds) helped them. on the other hand theres no actual "evidence" this "care" (meds) helps anyone. medical group BMJ feb 2023 report Gender dysphoria in young people is rising explains that these self reports are the lowest form of evidence and in the scheme of things these self reports are actually meaningless because their reports arent backed by what the medical community defines as "evidence". to the extent that placeebo effect is a main gender affirmation component, these self reports are often within the first 18 months, omitting the period when many become miserable with their choice.
similarly, regarding the cultural differences, there are many downsides to gender ideology cultural influence. gay and gnc ppl are forced to conform to rigid gender stereotypes which exclude them more than include them in anything. unqualified school employees are performing the severe medical intervention of social transformation of gay kids without parents knowledge or consent and based on implicit homophobia, extreme arrogance and an addiction to the feel good vanity many democrats just cant get enough of.
I'd like to hear some stories from fairly run-of-the-mill cases, as opposed to the most extreme examples. I'd also like to read stories from the non-binary world, as that seems to have some unique challenges for families.
Ah, this is great! There's so much info that has to be synthesized on this topic, from the origins to the differences in how boys and girls fall into the gender ideology trap. It's going to be very interesting to see what you come up with.
What I'm curious about is how and why fictional media (i.e., movies, cartoons, books, toys, etc.) started to quietly erase women of different personalities in favor of sexualized, hyperfeminine ones. I'm pretty sure the answer is 'marketing' but maybe there's a better answer out there.
Lisa this is a great idea for an investigation. There are a number of voices that I think could give you a great, much broader overview of how we got here. 1) Dr. Zucker who had gender dysphoria added to the DSM. I wonder if it was thought through as much as it should have been at the time. 2) Dr. Roger McFillin at the Radically Genuine podcast who could give you a great background on how studies are manipulated and the pharma money behind this. 3. James Esses, he was thrown out of his therapy course for not towing the party line in the UK, he’s had a lot to add about what is happening in the background in professional circles. Jamie Reed, whistleblower. Dr. Jon Uhler who works in prisons with sex offenders, will give an horrific window into the incredibly manipulative minds of groomers. Good
I want to know where this started. I want to know if the CIA or military psyops are behind this. It is not realistic to believe it's just social contagion on social media. It's worldwide. It's not just "forever chemicals"--they've been around since the 30's-50's at least and awareness has existed (and been squelched) since the 70's-80's. That indicates the same sort of planned, organized series of events as the COVID "Pandemic". This is a social contagion that was planned and manipulated from behind the scenes. I want to hear from people who have been involved in US psyops. Or at least who are watching it.
I think you should talk to Leor Sapir about this topic if you haven't already. He has a lot of ideas around why this happened in the US in particular, de Tocqueville etc. And how the Obama era policies led to this outcome.
I was born with a rare condition known as hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Lupron, a medication, interacts with the GnRH receptors in the pituitary gland and can induce a state in the body that closely resembles hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, which reflects the condition I was born with. This concept was expounded upon by Dr. Michael Laidlaw during his testimony to Florida's committee on gender affirming care.
I've had personal experience with having my puberty completely blocked until the age of 16, at which point I began hormone replacement therapy (HRT). I've been on this therapy for 40 years and can speak to its significant effect on a young person. Before the rise of queer theory, I received treatment from Stanford Clinics and the University of California San Francisco's Clinics( home of gender affirmation therapy). and their stories were very different from today.
I'm more than open to sharing my story if you're interested. My life has been riddled with health challenges. Each year, my insurance company has to handle $33,000 in claims. Despite these challenges, I've been fortunate enough to receive outstanding care because of my pituitary gland condition. The thought of what lies ahead for adolescents taking Lupron deeply saddens me, as I have a clear understanding of the potential Serious health complications.
So... the folks at Boston Children’s GEMs: Laura Edwards Leeper, Norman (?) Spack, an NP with a last name beginning with the letter M who did all the GEMs presentations at the Boston Children’s annual Adolescent Health conferences for years. Also Miles McKenna, trans influencer with over a million followers, who is still posting, but much less frequently.
I'd like to understand how the gender curricula really got into public schools. Is it parent bodies (or parents of GNC/trans kids) driving it? Principals who want to be ahead of the curve? Local nonprofits supported by big charities offering free trainings that sound too good to pass up? It crept in here in my NYC suburb, and the administration has really dug in, pretending like we've always had this and there's no possible objection.
rex landy please. she has the substack reality bites. sometimes this issue seems to be drowning in white middle class american and english voices. don't get me wrong. i love those. but this is a global issue and we need to listen to people from all countries and all walks of life. so we get a more rounded view. rex landy is a formidable maori woman from new zealand. her depth of understanding, intelligence and brave activism is second to no one. she needs to be heard.
The origins of the youth gender culture war. That is a very perplexing question. In my mind, it is all tied up in the deconstruction of everything in society that is currently occuring, and is inextricably intertwined with social justice theory and advocacy (as you pointed out in your amazing piece on this topic). The voices needing lifiting up, in my opinion, include the scientists, doctors, mental health providers, teachers, administrators and government officials who are being silenced, whether via gender affirming policies in the workplace, having articles retracted as a result of politically motivated lobbying, or otherwise. The voices of parents need to be heard as well. Our lived experiences do not match up with what is being said about gender affirming care: there are no safeguards in place; medical procedures are being performed on minors; "informed consent" is a joke and children are not actually capable of providing it, as they really don't understand the full implications (I can provide a list of examples of how my 17 year old has demonstrated this lack of understanding). In my mind, what is occuring in American society is frightening. As a result of gender and social justice theories permeating every institution and mainstream media outlet, my children are completely brainwashed. How could they not be?
The COVID vaccine, which isn't actually a vaccine but genetic modification, results in an alarmingly high rate of sterility and reproductive problems (as well as death--the government itself predicts 68.5% of Americans will be dead by the end of 2025--unsurprisingly close to the percentage of Americans who were vaccinated at least once), as do transgender puberty blockers, hormonal therapy, and (obviously) genital surgery sterilize those who participate in such madness. I cannot help but see the relationship between these two societal storms. I think they are part of a continuum.
I had COVID before the government admitted it was in the U.S.--got it from someone who had just come from Wuhan. It was a bio-weapon intentionally unleashed on the world by American actors. Obama shut down the funding of it and Trump allowed it to continue illegally. I don't want to go down that rabbit hole. If you believe the official narrative, I really don't want to dissuade you. But my advice is that you stop agreeing to taking so-called vaccines.
It was a great big experiment to see what percentage of the population could be manipulated to do things that harmed them and the society at large. I'm in the third that could not. Call me whatever names you want. I do not care.
I'm familiar with both Jennifer Bilek and Kara Dansky and follow them both. Will check out Chris Rufo. I do not believe this comes from a few billionaires. And Dr. McCullough was mobbed by a huge parade of transwomen in Delhi. That's not because HIV/AIDS was no longer a big fundraiser for gay/lesbian rights organizations there. I did not believe the storyline of COVID when it first started because I raise livestock and have dealt with many issues involved in the official line and knew them to be false from the outset. I've lived in many cultures very different from the West and stories from India, the Middle East, and Japan do not make cultural sense to me, given my personal experiences. It's not just about money. It looks like a complex and quite sophisticated planned operation to me. There's money behind it for sure. But there are also a lot of political operatives involved. I've dealt with colonialism, imperialism, police states, intelligence services and heavy, heavy propaganda and political indoctrination since before I went to nursery school. This is a planned operation. Yes. It is a conspiracy. That's exactly what it is. And it's being effected internationally. Who has the ability to do that? Follow the money. Yes. But it's not just a few billionaires. I love Jennifer's curiosity and independent thought. But it cannot be ONLY money. If that were the case the U.S. would rule the world without dissent. Americans might like to think that they do, but they do not. (And never will.)
Assume you know but in case not, there is no better cultural history of the of the ideas underpinning the trans movement that that by Carl Trueman in his book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self
I think it would be worth talking to clinicians who are all an board to suss out politics from "diagnostic overshadowing" and to clinicians who worked or work in gender clinics who have concerns about the medical pathway. Just read an article about providing ob care to "trans men." They have actually had quite a few pregnancies, so makes me wonder if female to male transition is more heterosexual than we might think from the data on lesbian and gay kids put on the medical pathway. https://www.medscape.com/s/viewarticle/993939?icd=login_success_email_match_norm#vp_2
I think as useful analogies, it's worthwhile to talk to witnesses of the recovered memory scandal (where therapists jumped on a fad and tore families apart) and the opioid scandal.
The opioid scandal in particular is relevant because doctors treating patients with chronic pain were in a difficult position, because the most effective drugs were also the most addictive, so they could either leave their patients in pain or risk turning them into junkies. Then along came a new 'safe and reversible' miracle drug called Oxycodone, which promised all the painkiller efficacy of morphine with none of the addiction risk.
Of course, that sales pitch of 'safe and reversible' turned out to be wildly untrue, but doctors did a lot of damage before eventually seeing through the false advertising.
I want to know not just where it started, but why was it this particular thing - gender identity- and not something else that caught fire across the globe. I’m planning on rereading Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point because this feels like one of those perfect storm of things coming together “tipping point” stories. If he is willing to touch the third rail, interviewing Malcolm Gladwell and asking him to talk about this from a tipping point perspective might be really informative. Also interviewing someone who studies memes and memetics, especially internet memetics since so much of this has been internet driven.
Also, when you find progressives and registered democrats who say they have concerns but aren’t speaking out, please ask them to speak at length on WHY they are not speaking out about this. The public needs to hear that this is not just a right wing concern, and we need to get out in the open just how afraid Democrats are of disagreeing with their party. We need to make it clear that silence does not equal agreement - it often means fear.
One strand that might be helpful is to trace is through NFP organizations (ACLU, Planned Parenthood, HRC, eg) that changed their mission, what caused that to happen, and what the effect has been on both health care and in schools, which are of course related. Time to Think, for example, noted how Mermaids (once with a very different approach, prizing, as I understand it, talk therapy until Susie Green took charge) had inappropriate influence with Tavistock--about which more information has come out since, including investigation of Mermaids by the charities commission. That same trajectory is playing out in the US, but is not as yet as well covered, so far as I am aware. Here’s an example of change in/distortion of mission, in Planned Parenthood: https://twitter.com/PPFA/status/1678826522868609039 Whatever one’s view on the specific message, it seems odd, at least to me, that, in the wake of Dobbs, PP considers this in any way to be a worthwhile use of its time and funds.
Hi Lisa,
You're doing a great job--thanks so much!
As you know, it is mainstream media refusing to report on social contagions, medical harms, that has gotten us to where we are today.
People outside of the GC bubble are only vaguely aware of what is happening.
And the media reports that only right-winger bigots are against "gender-affirming care".
I thought your substack piece this past April on medical organizations needs repeating, again, and again, remind people that: "But these medical associations are advocacy groups. They represent the interests of clinicians, not patients. Their job is to protect—and sometimes lobby for—doctors and psychologists."
Money--it is behind the medical care we receive in the US:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/10/upshot/private-equity-doctors-offices.html
Also, the money behind organizations such as the HRC. The HRC has been lobbying politicians on the subject of "life-affirming care" before most of us were even aware this gender thing was a thing. (I learned when daughter declared trans.)
HRC bring affirming parents and their children to meet politicians and plead their cases. These parents are zealots. It works. It really works. We need a large response of those harmed by gender medicine visiting Democratic office-holders.
Why are countries in Europe stepping back, Democrats?
Again, thank you.
Parental trauma. Parents being demonized by people on both sides of the aisle. People accusing them of abuse no matter which tracts they take. People questioning their love and commitment to their children without any background information. Parents trying to navigate this situation while their children are being fed talking points. Parents making decisions not knowing if they are right with plenty of people ready to say “I told you so!” if you make the wrong call - no matter what you choose. No matter what happens, making choices based in love and praying that you are not damaging your child.
I am a 53 year old gender non conforming lesbian tired of being called a TERF for standing up for kids and female rights. Interview
Not exactly on topic but: It pains me to see the Epoch Times garnering respect it does not deserve. This is not a trusted news source. It's a propaganda machine. I have not seen the documentary and can't comment on it but please, consider the source of your info. Let's not become pawns of the right.
Remember this: the GOP is now going all out to cleave persuadable folks from the Democratic coalition with this issue. They believe it's a winner for them. Let's not unknowingly aid them in that effort by powering our bullshit detectors down.
Just a sort-of-rhetorical question. Does anyone else dread their kid's birthdays and other milestones since the gender journey began? My MTF-identifying son turns 18 in February, and will head to college in fall 2024. Both fill me with nothing but dread and grief and anxiety.
It is strange that parallel to the stories about trans-gender kids there are stories of worsening mental health status of kids. But no one wants to draw connections and look at the overlap. To me it is obvious that trans identification is a symptom of widespread mental health crisis for kids, one that we have been unable to successfully tackle. Relative to what is needed to address these problems, pharmaceuticals and surgery is a cake walk, especially when it comes to medical costs and profits.
PARENTS! Liberal parents!
I’m curious to know the origins of this in the political sphere. When did political contributions get tied to trans issues? Did it start with Obama or earlier? There seems a lot of digging could be done around the Pritzkers. Also Arcus Foundation is a huge source of funding that I believe used to be mostly focused on Gay and Lesbian stuff and then switched to a trans focus. Why?
Several key communities to trace: 1) the medical system. Boston Children’s GEMs clinic was the first in the US. They published an article in Pediatrics in, I think, 2014? Spack et al. Because Boston Children’s is so well respected, I think it paved the way for others to open gender clinics without a solid evidence base. I have seen the medical literature moving toward blatant advocacy on this issue, to the point where the summary and conclusions don’t reflect the data in an article. It would be interesting to trace that phenomena 2) media. I remember years of pieces in publications like the New Yorker with human interest pieces profiling people who transitioned. The tone I remember was respectful, but curious. My gestalt is that many reporters of integrity, like others in the general public, now believe that medicine has established a solid evidence base about transgender children and transition. Levine’s chain of evidence. It might be interesting to look at news coverage over time to see how they quote medical professionals. Who do they quote? Are they referencing the medical literature? When they do, do they accurately reflect the limitations of what we know? 3) advocacy: it’s not surprising that WPATH advocates for medical transition, though it is interesting to see their position evolve over time. Looking at an older version of trans Bodies/Trans selves is interesting also. But how/when did organizations like GLAD, Trevor Project, ACLU, planned parenthood, PFLAG etc buy into and start promoting pediatric transition?
While it is the "progressive thing" to always mention "some people are happy" keep in mind that Dr. Paul McHugh did a study following up those who did the surgeries years later, and as a result of the fact that post-surgery vs no surgeries = no difference in reported happiness, so McHugh closed down the original Johns Hopkins clinic. No one reports on this.
1. Desistors' process of letting go of cross-sex ideation is not explored. We need to know many aspects of their experiences; did they spend more time out in nature, did they start volunteering or doing some other good works that benefit others and become less obsessed, did exercise, body work or meditation play a role, did they become attracted to an opposite sex friend and find a straight identity appealing, did he/she realize that "passing" as the opposite sex is impossible, did the words of a friend or relative on the topic of biological realities start to make sense, did a detransitioner's story hit them in a way to cause reconsideration. (also how old at onset, how long, how old when desisted, any loss of friend groups, have they embraced a religion, do they still experience pressure from the cult, did they make a move geographically?)
2. Detransitioners, same as above, except also include how many appointments led to pills/injections and which surgeries, which permanent, irreversible results they are left with. Start keeping it as data.
Also of note, because I always bring up the fact that trans widows getting PTSD and living in poverty is under reported: Of 40 trans widows in my survey, 20 Questions to Ask a Trans Widow, 15 were coerced/cajoled/forced into unwanted sex with husband wearing female lingerie, 12 of us became aware that he had secret spending habits or credit cards involving profligate spending of money from the family budget. 1 of the crossdressers blew through the toddler's college account for his wardrobe/prostitution habit.
Ask questions about pornography. Both boys and girls are exposed to it at shockingly young ages. It is an industry co-opting the word, "care." Will Dr. Martha Peabody Levine (Rachel's ex-wife) please come forward with the truth about his habits. Also, I have hit on good authority that Dr. Renee Richards, "famous tennis transsexual" regrets all the surgeries, as he told my friend, who was simply in his office for an eye exam. The truth will out. Good luck.
Talk to the funding agents - why do they fund orgs that promote youth transition? How did they decide this was now within their purpose and mission to fund. Did their Board have any real discussions about this pivot. Did their grassroots members demand it.
How did the money start to flow in this direction??
What needs to also be addressed is why gender ideology is being introduced in elementary schools and parents that are beyond pissed off about it. Some of the books being read by teachers is insane. Do all teachers think this is a good idea? Not sure how anyone can deny that grooming is happening.
I wish I had more time to elaborate here, but I would strongly encourage you to enlist the aid of Braver Angels volunteers for this project! Involvement with this organization has helped me tremendously in figuring out how to stay afloat without falling into the same bad behaviors and ungenerous states of mind that I regularly rail against when exhibited by those pushing policies and propaganda that has harmed my child and my family.
I wonder if you could find politicians to talk off the record who are against this stuff but feel they can't speak up. May be hard to get anyone to do. Would also be potentially interesting to hear from whistleblower politicians' staff or Democratic strategists or consultants what the conversations they are having amongst themselves. Also would be good to understand how and why clergy from various religions are adopting gender ideology.
Parents
Would somebody please FOLLOW THE MONEY?!? The Holy Grail of Big Pharma is an expensive medication that people have to take for the rest of their lives. I am certain their wealth is behind this. Oh wait! No! That is impossible because they have always been so completely ethical in the past -- NOT!
I think it’s important to cover Tumblr as the delivery mechanism for the indoctrination of many of these kids (full disclosure - my kid included). It’s certainly not the only factor, but it seems to me that some activists found a corner of the internet where vulnerable teens who didn’t fit in liked to hang out, and set out to indoctrinate as many of them as possible with transgender ideology and other extremist views (there’s a lot of Marxist theory, anti-capitalism, and critical race theory thrown in there for good measure). It appears to me to be very deliberate. It’s a small platform, but every single ROGD teen I know of picked it up on Tumblr. Laura Becker wrote an article about it and I’ve read a few others as well.
The other thing I’d like to see explored is how the media came to be so uniform in its messages about this issue, with no questions or critical exploration of the issues around it. It looks like a coordinated effort to use propaganda to influence public opinion, but how did it originally happen? Who funded it, or threatened to cut funding to media sources unless they went along? One of the most influential articles I remember seeing early on was the Time Magazine article about transgender children. It would be interesting to know how that article came to be.
Some of you might remember the movie Spotlight, about the Boston Globe journalists who uncovered the abuse going on in the Catholic church in their area. Not sure if these journalists are retired now, but is it worth reaching out to them to see if they have the fortitude to take on this issue.
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/globe-reporters-spotlight
"Though I also want to talk to people who feel they benefitted from these cultural and medical changes!"
my suggestion regarding people who feel they benefited from this "care" or cultural changes is their comments be provided in the context of both sides. on the one hand many people claim this "care" (meds) helped them. on the other hand theres no actual "evidence" this "care" (meds) helps anyone. medical group BMJ feb 2023 report Gender dysphoria in young people is rising explains that these self reports are the lowest form of evidence and in the scheme of things these self reports are actually meaningless because their reports arent backed by what the medical community defines as "evidence". to the extent that placeebo effect is a main gender affirmation component, these self reports are often within the first 18 months, omitting the period when many become miserable with their choice.
similarly, regarding the cultural differences, there are many downsides to gender ideology cultural influence. gay and gnc ppl are forced to conform to rigid gender stereotypes which exclude them more than include them in anything. unqualified school employees are performing the severe medical intervention of social transformation of gay kids without parents knowledge or consent and based on implicit homophobia, extreme arrogance and an addiction to the feel good vanity many democrats just cant get enough of.
I'd like to hear some stories from fairly run-of-the-mill cases, as opposed to the most extreme examples. I'd also like to read stories from the non-binary world, as that seems to have some unique challenges for families.
Ah, this is great! There's so much info that has to be synthesized on this topic, from the origins to the differences in how boys and girls fall into the gender ideology trap. It's going to be very interesting to see what you come up with.
What I'm curious about is how and why fictional media (i.e., movies, cartoons, books, toys, etc.) started to quietly erase women of different personalities in favor of sexualized, hyperfeminine ones. I'm pretty sure the answer is 'marketing' but maybe there's a better answer out there.
Lisa this is a great idea for an investigation. There are a number of voices that I think could give you a great, much broader overview of how we got here. 1) Dr. Zucker who had gender dysphoria added to the DSM. I wonder if it was thought through as much as it should have been at the time. 2) Dr. Roger McFillin at the Radically Genuine podcast who could give you a great background on how studies are manipulated and the pharma money behind this. 3. James Esses, he was thrown out of his therapy course for not towing the party line in the UK, he’s had a lot to add about what is happening in the background in professional circles. Jamie Reed, whistleblower. Dr. Jon Uhler who works in prisons with sex offenders, will give an horrific window into the incredibly manipulative minds of groomers. Good
Luck, look forward to reading.
I don't know how useful or credible Jennifer Bilek's reporting is, but she has written follow-the-money articles on how we got here, e.g.: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/billionaire-family-pushing-synthetic-sex-identities-ssi-pritzkers
I want to know where this started. I want to know if the CIA or military psyops are behind this. It is not realistic to believe it's just social contagion on social media. It's worldwide. It's not just "forever chemicals"--they've been around since the 30's-50's at least and awareness has existed (and been squelched) since the 70's-80's. That indicates the same sort of planned, organized series of events as the COVID "Pandemic". This is a social contagion that was planned and manipulated from behind the scenes. I want to hear from people who have been involved in US psyops. Or at least who are watching it.
I think you should talk to Leor Sapir about this topic if you haven't already. He has a lot of ideas around why this happened in the US in particular, de Tocqueville etc. And how the Obama era policies led to this outcome.
I was born with a rare condition known as hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Lupron, a medication, interacts with the GnRH receptors in the pituitary gland and can induce a state in the body that closely resembles hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, which reflects the condition I was born with. This concept was expounded upon by Dr. Michael Laidlaw during his testimony to Florida's committee on gender affirming care.
I've had personal experience with having my puberty completely blocked until the age of 16, at which point I began hormone replacement therapy (HRT). I've been on this therapy for 40 years and can speak to its significant effect on a young person. Before the rise of queer theory, I received treatment from Stanford Clinics and the University of California San Francisco's Clinics( home of gender affirmation therapy). and their stories were very different from today.
I'm more than open to sharing my story if you're interested. My life has been riddled with health challenges. Each year, my insurance company has to handle $33,000 in claims. Despite these challenges, I've been fortunate enough to receive outstanding care because of my pituitary gland condition. The thought of what lies ahead for adolescents taking Lupron deeply saddens me, as I have a clear understanding of the potential Serious health complications.
So... the folks at Boston Children’s GEMs: Laura Edwards Leeper, Norman (?) Spack, an NP with a last name beginning with the letter M who did all the GEMs presentations at the Boston Children’s annual Adolescent Health conferences for years. Also Miles McKenna, trans influencer with over a million followers, who is still posting, but much less frequently.
You're quite welcome.
I'd love someone to unpick exactly how and why this ideology originally started. Are postmodernism, queer theory and Foucault really to blame?!
Social media has spread it obviously. But is Stonewall really to the culprit.... Or is it individuals... Who and why?
Who actually gains by pushing gender theory as the only acceptable stance?
Not just big pharma for sure?
Am I missing something the young and apparently 'kind' can only comprehend?
Was it all engineered or has it just happened unstoppably?
Good luck with the work.
I'd like to understand how the gender curricula really got into public schools. Is it parent bodies (or parents of GNC/trans kids) driving it? Principals who want to be ahead of the curve? Local nonprofits supported by big charities offering free trainings that sound too good to pass up? It crept in here in my NYC suburb, and the administration has really dug in, pretending like we've always had this and there's no possible objection.
rex landy please. she has the substack reality bites. sometimes this issue seems to be drowning in white middle class american and english voices. don't get me wrong. i love those. but this is a global issue and we need to listen to people from all countries and all walks of life. so we get a more rounded view. rex landy is a formidable maori woman from new zealand. her depth of understanding, intelligence and brave activism is second to no one. she needs to be heard.
The origins of the youth gender culture war. That is a very perplexing question. In my mind, it is all tied up in the deconstruction of everything in society that is currently occuring, and is inextricably intertwined with social justice theory and advocacy (as you pointed out in your amazing piece on this topic). The voices needing lifiting up, in my opinion, include the scientists, doctors, mental health providers, teachers, administrators and government officials who are being silenced, whether via gender affirming policies in the workplace, having articles retracted as a result of politically motivated lobbying, or otherwise. The voices of parents need to be heard as well. Our lived experiences do not match up with what is being said about gender affirming care: there are no safeguards in place; medical procedures are being performed on minors; "informed consent" is a joke and children are not actually capable of providing it, as they really don't understand the full implications (I can provide a list of examples of how my 17 year old has demonstrated this lack of understanding). In my mind, what is occuring in American society is frightening. As a result of gender and social justice theories permeating every institution and mainstream media outlet, my children are completely brainwashed. How could they not be?
The COVID vaccine, which isn't actually a vaccine but genetic modification, results in an alarmingly high rate of sterility and reproductive problems (as well as death--the government itself predicts 68.5% of Americans will be dead by the end of 2025--unsurprisingly close to the percentage of Americans who were vaccinated at least once), as do transgender puberty blockers, hormonal therapy, and (obviously) genital surgery sterilize those who participate in such madness. I cannot help but see the relationship between these two societal storms. I think they are part of a continuum.
I had COVID before the government admitted it was in the U.S.--got it from someone who had just come from Wuhan. It was a bio-weapon intentionally unleashed on the world by American actors. Obama shut down the funding of it and Trump allowed it to continue illegally. I don't want to go down that rabbit hole. If you believe the official narrative, I really don't want to dissuade you. But my advice is that you stop agreeing to taking so-called vaccines.
It was a great big experiment to see what percentage of the population could be manipulated to do things that harmed them and the society at large. I'm in the third that could not. Call me whatever names you want. I do not care.
I'm familiar with both Jennifer Bilek and Kara Dansky and follow them both. Will check out Chris Rufo. I do not believe this comes from a few billionaires. And Dr. McCullough was mobbed by a huge parade of transwomen in Delhi. That's not because HIV/AIDS was no longer a big fundraiser for gay/lesbian rights organizations there. I did not believe the storyline of COVID when it first started because I raise livestock and have dealt with many issues involved in the official line and knew them to be false from the outset. I've lived in many cultures very different from the West and stories from India, the Middle East, and Japan do not make cultural sense to me, given my personal experiences. It's not just about money. It looks like a complex and quite sophisticated planned operation to me. There's money behind it for sure. But there are also a lot of political operatives involved. I've dealt with colonialism, imperialism, police states, intelligence services and heavy, heavy propaganda and political indoctrination since before I went to nursery school. This is a planned operation. Yes. It is a conspiracy. That's exactly what it is. And it's being effected internationally. Who has the ability to do that? Follow the money. Yes. But it's not just a few billionaires. I love Jennifer's curiosity and independent thought. But it cannot be ONLY money. If that were the case the U.S. would rule the world without dissent. Americans might like to think that they do, but they do not. (And never will.)
Assume you know but in case not, there is no better cultural history of the of the ideas underpinning the trans movement that that by Carl Trueman in his book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self
I think it would be worth talking to clinicians who are all an board to suss out politics from "diagnostic overshadowing" and to clinicians who worked or work in gender clinics who have concerns about the medical pathway. Just read an article about providing ob care to "trans men." They have actually had quite a few pregnancies, so makes me wonder if female to male transition is more heterosexual than we might think from the data on lesbian and gay kids put on the medical pathway. https://www.medscape.com/s/viewarticle/993939?icd=login_success_email_match_norm#vp_2
Or maybe the Department of Homeland Security and CISA. Here's a pretty creepy post from another substack.
https://kitklarenberg.substack.com/p/how-us-department-of-homeland-security?publication_id=552010&post_id=134573269&isFreemail=true
Check out the link from the Comment section too.