Gender: A Wider Lens 135 - Intersex, Identity, & Ideology with Aaron Kimberly
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
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
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