Conversations with Peter Boghossian

Debbie Hayton is a British physics teacher, trade unionist, and transgender person who rejects the concept of "gender identity." Debbie has written extensively about transgenderism and personal experience with autogynephilia in The Spectator, UnHerd, The Times, Daily Mail, Economist, Quillette and elsewhere. Debbie’s belief that trans people can be accommodated “without compromising the rights of other vulnerable groups” has been met with accusations of transphobia. You can read Debbie’s evidence submitted to the UK Parliament regarding gender accommodations below.   Forum Press will release Debbie’s memoir, “Transsexual Apostate: My Journey Back to Reality,” in February 2024.   Debbie Hayton’s evidence submitted to Parliament  Follow Debbie Hayton on X  Watch this episode on YouTube.

Author and journalist Alexander Beiner cofounded the media platform Rebel Wisdom and serves as one of the executive directors of Breaking Convention, Europe’s largest conference on psychedelic medicine and culture. His new book, “The Bigger Picture: How Psychedelics Can Help Us Make Sense of the World,” is an exploration of the transformative possibility of psychedelics beyond Big Pharma’s aim of profitable mental health care. He also produced “The Rise of Psychedelic Capitalism,” a short documentary about the ramifications of hallucinogens hitting the mainstream marketplace. Alexander facilitates courses, retreats, and events to foster inner development and human connectedness. His writing is published on Medium, UnHerd, Psyche Magazine, and Substack. Follow Alexander on X. Watch this episode on YouTube.

British author and journalist Louise Perry rejects the notion that social change over time indicates “progress.” Instead, she says history is a series of trade-offs that does not guarantee improvements for humanity. In her book, “The Case Against the Sexual Revolution,” Louise proposes that increased sexual freedom has caused harm due to the lack of sexual restraint. Louise writes for the New Statesmen, The Daily Mail, and UnHerd. She is the press officer for “We Can’t Consent to This,” an organization addressing increasing incidents of women killed by sexual violence described as consensual. Louise hosts “Maiden Mother Matriarch,” a podcast about sexual politics. She studied anthropology and women’s studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies and the University of Oxford. Watch this episode on YouTube.

Triggernometry co-hosts Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster joined Peter Boghossian for Spectrum Street Epistemology (SSE) in London. The discussion was held in front of Middlesex Guildhall, the building housing the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Passers-by were welcome to join the discussion, and one did: Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, the co-director of March for Life UK. She participated in the analysis of claims regarding abortion rights. Konstantin Kisin is a Russian-British author, satirist, and cultural critic. He is the author of “An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West,” a bestselling book about free speech and cancel culture through the perspective of an Eastern bloc immigrant. Francis Foster is a cultural commentator, well-known comedian, and former teacher of English and drama. Before launching Triggernometry, he co-hosted the “Probably Offensive” podcast. Konstantin and Francis co-host Triggernometry, a podcast dedicated to free speech and open discussion of controversial topics. Watch this episode on YouTube.

Triggernometry co-hosts Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster joined Peter Boghossian for Spectrum Street Epistemology (SSE) in London. The discussion was held in front of Middlesex Guildhall, the building housing the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Peter offered more than a dozen claims to Konstantin and Francis, initially focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Topics include Hamas, “proportionate” military response, Israel’s right to exist, anti-Semitism, the incitement of violence, and the limits of free speech. This is part one of the conversation. Konstantin Kisin is a Russian-British author, satirist, and cultural critic. He is the author of “An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West,” a bestselling book about free speech and cancel culture through the perspective of an Eastern bloc immigrant. Francis Foster is a cultural commentator, well-known comedian, and former teacher of English and drama. Before launching Triggernometry, he co-hosted the “Probably Offensive” podcast. Konstantin and Francis co-host Triggernometry, a podcast dedicated to free speech and open discussion of controversial topics. Watch this episode on YouTube.

British women’s activist Kellie-Jay Keen (aka Posie Parker) is the founder of Standing for Women and leader of international #LetWomenSpeak events. Kellie-Jay popularized “adult human female” as the proper definition for women beginning in 2018 with billboards in the UK. She designated 2023 as the Year of the TERF and hosts weekly TERF Talk Tuesdays.   Kellie-Jay is a leading voice in the discussion of women’s rights and protection of women’s spaces. As such, her online content has been censored and she is frequently targeted by trans extremists. Peter Boghossian had his first conversation with Kellie-Jay following the extremist violence in Auckland, New Zealand that caused her to flee the country. More from Kellie-Jay: Standing for Women/Let Women Speak  TERF Talk Tuesdays  Violence in Auckland  Peter’s first conversation with Kellie-Jay  Kelly-Jay on X (formerly known as Twitter) (Also @StandingForXX) Watch this episode on YouTube.

According to author, MMA coach, and one of the first people in the United States to receive a black belt in jiu-jitsu, Matt Thornton, violence is as natural to human evolution as sex and food. In his book, “The Gift of Violence: Surviving and Thriving in a Dangerous World,” Matt provides the tools and mindset necessary to avoid—and if necessary, engage in—violent encounters. Matt has been Peter Boghossian’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach for over a decade, and they are also close friends. In this intimate conversation, they discuss the practical value of jiu-jitsu and MMA training. Matt outlines specific moves to gain control in a fight and the importance of situational awareness and weapon training. According to Matt, many people have a glamorized view of violence and do not understand the limits of their own capabilities. Worse still, ideology has blunted people’s connection to defensive evolutionary instincts, resulting in dangerous encounters that could be avoided. Matt Thornton has taught functional martial arts for more than 30 years. He holds a 5th-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is the founder of Straight Blast Gym International, training champion MMA fighters and world-class law enforcement instructors. Matt addresses policing, gang violence, and crime data in his series “Wokeness, Public Safety, BLM, & Antifa.” Watch this episode on YouTube.

In the spring of 2021, award-winning dancer and choreographer Rosie Kay performed a solo show to wide acclaim. The show included three pieces addressing women’s experiences in life and dance, with the final piece, “Adult Female Dancer,” serving as Rosie’s memoir. Just a few months later, she resigned from her own dance company following accusations of transphobia. In the fall of 2021, Rosie invited dancers from her production of “Romeo + Juliet” to her home for a dinner party. A late-night conversation about an upcoming production of Virginia Woolf’s “Orlando” revealed Rosie’s support for women-only spaces and her acknowledgment that biological sex is real. A handful of her dancers reported this “transphobia” to the Rosie Kay Dance Company board of directors, initiating investigations. The board wanted Rosie to be “re-educated.” Rosie resigned from the company she ran for nearly 20 years and launched a new company, K2CO. She only employs dancers who are committed to freedom of speech and artistic expression. Rosie Kay graduated from the London Contemporary Dance School in 1998. She performed internationally and founded The Rosie Kay Dance Company in 2004. She was the Leverhulme Artist in Residence at the University of Oxford, the choreographer for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and received Special Commendation from the Royal Society of Public Health. Awards from Stuttgart’s International Solo Dance Festival, The Queen, and Bonnie Bird are among her many accolades. Her work has been featured on stage and in film. Rosie Kay on Unherd: “My body will never be erased”  Watch this episode on YouTube.

Rikki Schlott, a journalist and political commentator, discusses cancel culture, personality disorders in positions of power, the limits of free speech, the impact of social media on society, and the damaging effects of cancel culture on authentic relationships.