The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan Wesley Yang On Gender Madness
14 snips
Sep 26, 2025 Wesley Yang, an essayist and podcaster known for his insights on culture and identity, delves into the complexities of contemporary gender ideology. He discusses the troubling rise in young females seeking transition, attributing it to social contagion and online influence. Yang highlights the shift to self-attestation in gender clinics and critiques the abandonment of psychological gatekeeping. The conversation also explores the impact of gender identity politics on lesbian and gay communities, stressing the implications for public safety and social spaces.
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Gatekeeping's Role And Consequences
- Yang says early clinics used gatekeeping to distinguish genuine transsexuals from fetishists and other cases.
- He argues removing gatekeeping expanded treatment to people with serious comorbidities and risky outcomes.
From Clinics To Informed-Consent Expansion
- Yang documents how clinics like Tavistock relaxed screening under activist pressure and became overwhelmed by demand.
- He highlights Planned Parenthood's 'informed consent' model as effectively removing psychological assessment before hormone prescriptions.
Contagious Rise Among Adolescent Girls
- Yang describes a dramatic, socially contagious surge of adolescent girls identifying as trans starting around 2012–2014.
- He links this rise to online influencers and the typical vulnerability of 11–14-year-old girls to social contagions.
