Episode 135

135 - Intersex, Identity, & Ideology with Aaron Kimberly

Published on: 6th October, 2023

Join Sasha, Stella, and Aaron Kimberly for a conversation exploring gender identity, queer theory, and intersex experiences.

In this candid conversation, Aaron shares about his journey through adolescence and the challenges of growing up in a rural farming community with early onset gender dysphoria. He touches on categorization error and its impact on identity development, as well as the discovery of his intersex condition. The discussion explores the complexities of social transitioning within the lesbian community, and the importance of access to accurate information and its influence in shaping one's identity. The conversation even digs into the world of queer theory, its aim to deconstruct traditional categories, and the impact Aaron’s study of queer theory had on his perceptions of gender non-conformity and his own personal decision to transition.

Aaron Kimberly is a female to male transsexual, born with a rare ovotesticular intersex condition which was diagnosed when he was 19. As an adolescent, he was having severe gynecological problems and began to masculinize at the onset of puberty, until the ovotestes was discovered and removed. For many years, he was confused about his identity, sexuality and biological sex, and eventually decided to continue masculinizing with HRT and legally change sex.

Aaron is also a mental health nurse with an interest in the many forms of gender dysphoria, and concerned about the many iterations of social contagions among youth, such as ticks, "multiple personalities" and trans identity. He's the executive director of the Gender Dysphoria Alliance, co-host of the Transparency Podcast, a member of the newly launched LGBT Courage Coalition and a board member of APISC Digital Research Foundation which is using AI technology to map online influences on youth identity formation.

Links:

Gender Dysphoria Alliance

https://www.genderdysphoriaalliance.com/ 

Transparency Podcast

https://www.youtube.com/@GenderDysphoriaAlliance


Selection from Aaron’s Art Collection

One Hand Clapping: Portraits and Pomes

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1epzrDb1isrVnqAVqxAown-m-OY7chrsW/view?usp=drive_link 


Order Our Book – When Kids Say They’re Trans: A Guide for Thoughtful Parents

https://whenkidssaytheyretrans.com/ 


Support Our Show & Access Exclusive Content

https://www.patreon.com/WiderLensPod


Join the conversation on YouTube

www.youtube.com/@widerlenspod



If you liked this episode, more episodes you might find interesting:

Episode 10 - Queer Theory: Subverting Life's Categories

https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/10-queer-theory 


Episode 44 - Multiple Meanings of Gender Dysphoria: A Conversation with Aaron Terrell

https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/44-multiple-meanings-of-gender-dysphoria-a-conversation-with-aaron-terrell 


Episode 52 - Gender Dysphoria & Detransition Research: A Conversation W/ Dr. Lisa Littman

https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/52-gender-dysphoria-detransition-research-a-conversation-w-dr-lisa-littman 


Episode 55 - Who Gets to Decide What's Normal: A Conversation w/ Lisa Selin Davis

https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/55-who-gets-to-decide-whats-normal-a-conversation-w-lisa-selin-davis 


Episode 105 — From Rejecting the Body to Finding Female w/ Victoria Smith

https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/105-from-rejecting-the-body-to-finding-female-w-victoria-smith



Please visit www.widerlenspod.com to explore more content, access additional resources, or to join our listener community.


For more information about Sasha’s & Stella’s parent coaching membership groups:

Sasha Ayad: https://inspiredteentherapy.com/parents-start-here 

Stella O’Malley: http://www.stellaomalley.com/parent-coaching


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About the Podcast

Gender: A Wider Lens Podcast
Two therapists explore the expanding concept of "gender" from a psychological depth perspective.
Gender dysphoria has become a minefield for public discussion, with many afraid to express their views or question the narrative. Our mission is to examine this important and complex topic from a range of perspectives, but always through a psychological lens. By openly considering and examining gender identity, transition, and the transgender umbrella, we hope to give all interested parties permission to engage these fascinating topics with less fear and more honesty. Interviews and discussions will involve clinicians, medical professionals, academics, transgender people, parents, detransitioners and other interesting individuals whose lives have been touched by the concept of gender.

Conversations between two practicing therapists give listeners an opportunity to contemplate gender from a depth perspective not currently taken up in most of today’s accessible debates. As a result of their work with gender dysphoric therapy clients as well as their personal divergent experiences with gender, Stella and Sasha hold a refreshing and informed perspective.

Is gender identity a facilitation of development and expression of creativity, or can it be a defense against painful existential realities of living in a human body? What can we discover about masculinity, femininity, identity, gender performance, and sexuality when we peer beneath the surface and dive into a deeper psychological exploration? What is the relationship between body, mind, identity, culture, and psyche?

This podcast engages listeners in an intimate and fascinating behind-the-scenes inquiry about a topic as taboo as it is salient today.

Thank you to our sponsors:
Genspect - an international organization which offers an alternative to WPATH. Providing a range of education, resources and supports to anyone impacted by gender distress, Genspect unites many different organizations globally, and gives voice to 1,000s of previously untold stories. For more info, visit genspect.org.

GETA - an association of therapists who believe that individuals experiencing gender related concerns ought to be treated using a whole person approach. GETA connects like minded clinicians, provides educational resources and trainings, and helps people with gender dysphoria find support. For more info, visit genderexploratory.com.
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About your hosts

Stella O'Malley

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Stella O’Malley is a psychotherapist and author who works in private practice in Ireland. Her work focuses on parenting, family dynamics and working with teenagers.

Much of Stella’s counselling and writing focuses on mental health and the importance of well-being and she is a regular contributor to the media. She is also the resident psychotherapist for the current TV series, Raised by the Village, a family programme that helps troubled teenagers reconnect with themselves and their families.

Stella's first book, Cotton Wool Kids, was released in 2015 while Bully-Proof Kids: Practical tools to help kids grow up confident, resilient and strong was released in 2017. Stella’s latest book Fragile, was released in 2019 and focuses on overcoming anxiety and stress.

Stella was the presenter of the documentary Trans - Kids: It’s Time To Talk broadcast on Channel 4 in November 2018 and she contributed a chapter to the 2019 book, Inventing Transgender Children and Young People.

The Jungian analyst, Lisa Marchiano, and Stella launched Secrets of the Motherworld in September 2019, offering thoughtful exploration of the most intimate aspects of motherhood in a bid to help mothers feel less alone.

Stella is a Clinical Advisor for the Society for Evidence-based Gender Medicine and a founding member of the International Association of Therapists for Desisters and Detransitioners. She is also the lead facilitator for the Gender Dysphoria Support Network.

Stella holds a B.A. in Counselling and Psychotherapy and a M.A. in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Sasha Ayad

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Sasha Ayad is a Licensed Professional Counselor who works in private practice, and has treated adolescents for over 10 years. Her work focuses on teens and young adults struggling with issues of gender dysphoria and gender identity.

She became interested in the sharp rise in teenagers who declare a trans identity for the first time during adolescence. She discovered, through working with hundreds of families, that many teens were developing gender dysphoria only after adopting a transgender identity. She questions the practice of medical transition for children and teenagers, and her clinical work focuses on developmentally appropriate, least-invasive-first talk therapy.

Sasha is also a founding member and Clinical Advisor in the Society for Evidence-based Gender Medicine and a founding member of the International Association of Therapists for Desisters and Detransitioners.

Sasha’s previous work experience includes:
- School counselor for middle and high school students at a charter school for underserved communities

- Behavioral therapy with children on the autism spectrum

- Individual and group counseling for women and children impacted by domestic abuse and sexual violence

- Developed and ran the first counseling program at a large state supported living facility for adults with intellectual disability

Sasha holds a B.S. in Psychology and an M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology.