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TOP 5 of 2022 Countdown: #3 EP 71 — Gender: The American State of Affairs with Jesse Singal

Published on: 13th January, 2023

This episode is being rereleased as part of our Top 5 Episodes of 2022 Countdown! 

Jesse Singal was instrumental in shining a light on the defamation of Dr. Ken Zucker in 2016. Then, two years later, he became even more widely known in the gender world for his seminal, long-form piece in the Atlantic, “When a Child Says She’s Trans.” In this conversation, we discuss flaws in the science of gender dysphoria treatment and the misrepresentation of research findings in the media. We also look at the recent pronouncements from the Biden Administration, new state legislation, and Health and Human Services proposals. We discuss how all of this impacts our understanding of complex issues and shapes the American political landscape around gender today.

Links:

 

 

  • What the Media Gets Wrong on Gender Reassignment:   

https://spectatorworld.com/topic/media-wrong-gender-reassignment-transgender/ 

 

 

  • Civil rights discrimination providers - gender affirming care:  

https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/hhs-ocr-notice-and-guidance-gender-affirming-care.pdf 

 

  • The Cut 

https://www.thecut.com/2016/02/fight-over-trans-kids-got-a-researcher-fired.html  

https://www.thecut.com/2016/01/false-charge-helped-bring-down-kenneth-zucker.html  

 

  • When a Child Says She’s Trans:  

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/07/when-a-child-says-shes-trans/561749/  

Extended Notes

  • Jesse explains how he became involved in publishing transgender articles.
  • Journalism allows Jesse to follow a subject to the core of an issue.
  • Before Jesse became known for his Atlantic piece, he was already interested in psychology fads.
  • Stella enjoys self-help books.
  • In his new book, The Quick Fix, Jesse argues that Americans turn to fad psychology because the real problems are too big to be solved.
  • Researchers have been known to give credence to work that does not warrant it.
  • Bad journalism abounds and Jesse often follows up bad stories with the facts.
  • Stella states that maybe the Dutch study should be more thoroughly examined by Jesse.
  • Writing and publishing articles on gender is complicated.
  • Jesse says Republicans are taking the gender issue to the state level.
  • Politicians have no idea of what the real science around the issue is.
  • Sasha asks Jesse if he believes this to be a medical scandal.
  • In 1972, Sweden was the first country to bring in gender recognition.
  • Many studies are funded to procure a certain message.
  • Religions may tell young adults that a platonic kernel exists somewhere within them.
  • Puberty often helps resolve dysphoria. Stella shares her example.
  • Shasha wonders how accurate current psychological assessments are and if they should be used to forecast the future.
  • Jesse describes the subscription-based journalism model.


This podcast is sponsored by ReIME and Genspect. Visit Rethinkime.org and Genspect.org to learn more.


For more about our show: Linktr.ee/WiderLensPod

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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

Profile picture for Stella O'Malley
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

Profile picture for Sasha Ayad
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.