23. James Esses: Gender Updates Across the Pond

Half of our listeners are in the US and more than a quarter are in the UK, while the news on gender matters is rapidly evolving in both countries. So the time is ripe for a check-in with a gender critical therapist friend “across the pond,” James Esses. 

Last year, James was on track to become a therapist when his masters’ program expelled him for expressing concerns about the impact of gender ideology and medicalization on youth. He is now taking the issue to court, and spends his free time further advocating for caution and common sense in the treatment of gender confused youth.

In this collegial conversation, James and I touch on recent events in the UK — the Tavistock GIDS, Stonewall, Mermaids, Cass Report, Maya Forstater, Allison Bailey, and the Gender Recognition Act — as well as US news including the Biden Administration’s destruction of Title IX. We discuss the myth of the “trans toddler,” affirmative vs. exploratory therapy, how therapists’ worldviews impact treatment, self care for gender wars burnout, and what I call the Narrative of Pathology versus the Narrative of Depathology. We answer tickling as well as thought-provoking listener questions. Finally, we explore the questions: how do we heal from this as a society, and where do we go from here?

James qualified and practiced as a Criminal Defense Barrister before holding a number of senior roles in the UK Civil Service, including Head of Policy at the Crown Prosecution Service and Head of Strategic Legislation at the Home Office. He is a trainee psychotherapist and co-founder of Thoughtful Therapists, a group of clinicians and trainee clinicians with concerns about the impact of gender ideology on counseling and therapy. James engages in advocacy, both written and oral, on the topics of sex, gender and free speech – particularly in relation to the medicalization of children and the wider cultural, health, legal and political implications. He has been featured in articles within mainstream newspapers, including the Telegraph and the Mail. He has appeared on TalkRadio, GB News and numerous podcasts, including Triggernometry and the New Culture Forum. He also writes for the online publication, Spiked. 

James is currently involved in high-profile litigation, following expulsion from his Masters’ degree in psychotherapy, after speaking out about the medicalization of children. He is suing his university course provider and therapeutic regulatory body for discrimination based on his beliefs and has crowdfunded over £100,000 towards his case from public donations. Please consider donating to his crowdfund.

Follow James on Twitter @JamesEsses & Thoughtful Therapists @ThoughtfulTs.

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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.

Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.

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