Gender: A Wider Lens

In therapy, collusion happens when the therapist (consciously or unconsciously) participates in a client’s bid to avoid an important issue instead of helping the client to gain a deeper understanding or take a more helpful perspective. In the collective, society has colluded with the fantasy of gender identity, much to the detriment of dysphoric and transgender people themselves. Sasha and Stella discuss what factors contribute to this kind of collusion and how individuals have the power to steer us towards a more truthful and thoughtful direction.Links:JK Rowling Essay: Jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/Pluralistic Ignorance: “When no one believes, but everyone thinks that everyone believes.” Sk.sagepub.com/reference/socialpsychology/n402.xmlThe Asch Conformity Test: Simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.htmlThe Milgram Experiment: Simplypsychology.org/milgram.htmlCarl Rogers, the Core Conditions in Person-centered therapy: Simplypsychology.org/client-centred-therapy.htmlDiverse thresholds: Think.ing.com/articles/want-to-change-the-world-behavioural-science-offers-someadvice/#:~:text=The%20second%20microfoundation%20of%20social,what%20they%20say%20or%20doCalifornian policy congenital growth: Insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2020/release140-2020.cfmExtended NotesWhat does collusion mean in this context?What’s the difference between a good therapist and a bad therapist? They are able to step back when they’ve colluded with their client.There is collective collusion among therapists as well as collective collusion among languages.Stella showcases how the JK Rowling situation is the perfect example of collective collusion. She is not transphobic!A person-centric therapist might be very reluctant to give honest feedback and to challenge their client.They’re afraid that they’ll rupture the client's trust if they question whether someone with gender dysphoria is a boy or a girl.However, this approach can lead a client to feel stuck and they become a prisoner to their own narrative.It’s important the therapist doesn’t take the word of their client at face-value. Take a bird’s eye view of it instead.People are more than just a walking identity. It’s important for a client to explore all the different reasons why they might have an issue.Stella outlines how therapists fall into collusion instead of exploring the client’s feelings and emotions. It happens because they’re very empathic toward their feelings.By trying to protect your client, you end up hurting them because reality will always hit hard.Stella shares her thoughts on trans therapists and what they need to be aware of when it comes to collusion.It’s easy to be kind short-term, but to be kind long-term is preparing... This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com/subscribe

Quick Notes A whistle-stop tour through the history of psychological and medical approaches to sex and gender in the 20th century. This episode gives background and context to the formation of WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) and today’s “affirmative model of care” for gender issues. Extended NotesA little bit of history about gender transitions over the decades.The medical and psychological theories behind gender transition have always been controversial.Why would someone struggle with their gender?Which gender roles should you raise your children in? Sasha shares a case that happened with twin boys, and one transitioned into a girl in 1965.The outcome was not great. People played God on a child.In 1965, only 3% of surgeons took sex change requests seriously. However, by the 70s, these surgeries were commonplace.People pushed for experimental interventions too soon without having long-term data.Instead of saying “should we do this?” doctors said, “can we do this?”No one knows why a trans person exists. A psychologist would be asking questions to figure out this key piece.It wasn’t until the 2010s that you’d see a huge uptick in gender dysphoria.Both Stella and Sasha break down why they like Dr. Zucker and the research he’s conducted on child gender issues.There are so many variables. It’s hard to know or pinpoint what makes a child want to transition.Objectively, it may be better to have people come to terms with their biology vs. going through a very risky medical path.There is a heavy medical burden when you try to transition. It is not an easy thing to do. Even certain trans people admit that, if you can avoid it, you would be better.Sasha shares a gender study that used hormone blockers on children for two years and the reports they found.What is the psychological impact of puberty blockers?The criteria to see if you have gender dysphoria in the DSM, 5 out of 8 of them use outdated and stereotypical gender roles. Like if the boy or girl likes playing with the opposite sex toys.There is such a thing as a placebo effect.Sasha shares another study where 4.5% of males ended up dying from the gender intervention.What’s crazy is a lot of these studies are deemed to be successful. Someone dying is not a success. It’s a tragedy.From a medical and psychological perspective, there is a big difference between how you treat gay or lesbian people vs. how you treat a trans person.The treatment for a trans person is to take drugs till the day you die. The treatment for being gay is to live your life.How young is too young to get a child to transition?How do you talk to young people about their gender? It can be quite troubling the different doctors’ approaches on the matter.There doesn’t seem to be any studies showcasing why intervening early is going to be good for the long term wellbeing of a gender dysphoric child.You’re halting the development of a young person, we should take that seriously.Feeling distressed about your body? There might be something else going on and it might not just be strictly gender, to begin with.Links About John Money & David Reimer http://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/biblio/articles/1961to1999/1997-sex-reassignment.html   This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com/subscribe

Quick NotesEndocrinologist Will Malone joins Sasha and Stella to discuss the pivotal position that endocrinologists have in the new practice of childhood transition. In this conversation, Will describes attending a conference in 2017 run by the Endocrine Society where suddenly everything related to trans healthcare appeared to shift, without any discussion or analysis.Extended Notes●    A quick introduction about Dr. Will Malone.●    How did Dr. Will get involved in this field?●    Dr. Will was seeing small clusters of females declaring they were trans. What was going on?●    Primary doctors were calling Dr. Will for help. They had never seen anything like this before.●    Dr. Will explains what he’s been seeing in his practice when it comes to teens experiencing gender dysphoria.●    Stella notes that the three main professionals needed are surgeons, endocrinologists, and psychologists to help teens through this journey.●    What is the role of an endocrinologist and what kind of guidelines should they be following when helping at teen transition?●    Dr. Will doesn’t agree with the treatment protocol for hormone blockers in teens.●    Dr. Will was surprised by the study they based this new treatment protocol off of. It referenced only one study and the quality of evidence, he believes, is questionable.●    Endocrinologists prescribing puberty blockers or sex hormones to teens outside of clinical trials — they are engaged in experimental medicine.●    “Let’s see what we can do.” Is not an approach any medical professional should take. People will be harmed by this.●    Sasha recaps how medical professionals were treating gender dysphoria prior to 2010 vs. how they’re treating it now. It’s alarming.●    Where’s the data?●    What are Dr. Will’s peers and colleagues saying about the Endocrine Society’s stance on this?●    The harms can be significant. We’re talking about infertility, increase in heart disease, and irreversible effects in children.●    Dr. Will has attended conferences where counterpoints are presented when it comes to prescribing new medicine, but he did not see this occur when it came to gender dysphoria. It was difficult even to submit questions.●    What type of person/endocrinologist pursues this field of work (sex hormone blockers)?●    How did SEGM get started?●    The UK recently had a ruling about puberty blockers. Dr. Wil shares more details.●    On a chemical and medical level, what happens when you stop puberty?●    Can a simulated puberty be the same as biological puberty?●    Why halt puberty with a mental intervention? Why aren’t we getting more psychologists on board during this process to help distressed teens navigate their new bodies?●    The medical field is more than happy to provide solutions to client demand, even if it is to the detriment of the client.●    Sasha is seeing something very shocking happening with parents and their gender dysphoric children right now.●    Parents are being ignored. It seems to be culturally acceptable by medical professions to skip the due diligence and go straight to hormone blockers. Any questions parents bring up — they are deemed bigotted.●    UK medical professionals think the guidelines are rubbish and are not... This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com/subscribe

Quick Notes: Why do people seek to ​change genders​? What drives a person to ​curate​ a brand new identity? In this episode, Sasha and Stella look beyond a literal understanding of​​ transitioning and explore the​ psychological power and vulnerability of attempting transformation​​.Links:Hacsi Horvath on Erin BrewerQueer in the CribGender Dysphoria is not One ThingExtended Notes:Why do people want to transition?Let’s clear up some misconceptions today about trans people.Why do little children between the ages of three and five have gender dysphoria?Which comes first? Gender nonconformity, then sexuality, or is it the other way around?People can just tell when a child is developing gender-nonconforming traits.What makes a child become gender-nonconforming in the first place? Stella offers some of her insights.There is an instinctive grab for attention when siblings come along and this might create thoughts/feelings of, “If I were the other gender I’d get more attention like the way my brothers (or sisters) are getting.”It’s very hard to parent a strong-willed child, but they tend to do great things if you can handle the storm.It can be hard as a parent. The desire to save face when your child is rebelling can be very difficult to manage.Why would a child in their teenage years be looking to transition?Perhaps the desire to be a different gender, someone other than you, helps teens feel more in control of their developing bodies.Teens constantly being asked “What are you?” by adults adds an extra layer of pressure to their identity.How can a more sensitive and non-aggressive boy get the attention of the girls?When a guy reveals he’s trans or transitioning, all of sudden he’s getting more attention from the girls than ever before.Why don’t you hear more about transvestism anymore?Do children just need to “suck it up”?Adults really underestimate the mental toll puberty can have on children.Some children don’t even explore the option of transitioning into another gender because they didn’t even realize that they could.We tell children they can be anything they wish! Well, how stressful is that for a child who doesn’t even know who they are?What do you do when a young child is influenced by social media?There are so many options to pick an identity or gender pronoun. It’s stressful for a child to pick “who” they are.The more accepted transgender identities become, the more people will be asking masculine women when they plan to transition. That’s exhausting and insulting.What does it really mean to be a “woman” or to be a “man”?We want excitement. For some people, it’s exciting to call yourself a different pronoun. It’s new, it’s different, it makes you stand out.Even if you change your gender, you still wake up the same person on the inside.Sasha believes there should be a mandate for psychological exploration before taking a big decision like a gender change.This podcast is partially sponsored by ReIME, Rethink Identity Medicine Ethics:Rethinkime.orgLearn more about our show: Linktr.ee/WiderLensPod This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com/subscribe

Quick Notes: Arty Morty* found it very difficult to grow up as a feminine boy amongst his peers. In this episode he explains how difficulties in his social and family life shaped his identity development. Ultimately, he came to accept himself as a gay man and he touches upon the new concept of gender identity and how it might have impacted his identity had he been a teen today.*Arty Morty is a pseudonym Links: Arty Morty on TwitterArty Morty on YouTubeRupert Everett on Childhood Dysphoria The Man Who Would Be Queen by Michael BaileyExtended NotesWho is Arty and how has gender touched his life?Arty has always been a feminine boy growing up. He grew up with his mother and his sister.Arty remembers one of his very first memories (at the age of 2) was him wanting to be one of Charlie's Angels.Arty’s father was in the army and he died. This made his mother very opposed to weapons and violence.When Arty went to school, his feminine nature became a huge problem. The children thought he had AIDS.When Arty’s family moved to a smaller town, the bullying got much worse. Not only was he a sissy boy, but he was a city nerd.Male figures frighten Arty. They were too rough and always wanted to fight. Arty had a lot more fun by having female friendships.Arty would have a fun time playing one-on-one with boys, but the moment another one showed up, they had to reject him and take on a more masculine role.Were there any other boys in Arty’s group that are now gay?Because Canada is such a hockey country, which is very violent in itself, a lot of the men Arty grew up with thought this behavior was normal.It’s the Canadian identity to watch people beat each other up.Arty was getting teased, bullied, and beat up regularly at school. He had enough. He ran away from home at 15.You see in the media how men act a certain way. Arty knew he would never be one of those guys. He knew that the world had no place for him.No matter how much gay acceptance there is in the world, it will always be hard for a teenage boy trying to find his way.People say being gay is an identity. It’s not. It’s a physiological reaction.There still isn’t proper representation in the media. Yes, there might be gay characters, but they’re a trope and not a real representation of gay people.Are gay men attracted to masculine traits?Some gay men have a total rejection of gay culture. Arty explains a little bit about the gay ghettos you’d find in cities back in the ’90s.There’s a lot of ambivalence when you discover there’s something different about you.When did Arty come to terms with his sexuality?If Arty was 15 today, how would he feel about coming out today?In today’s climate, Arty would identify as trans if he could at that age. He would have wanted to undergo a sex change, but he’s glad he has the body he has today.Not all feminine boys become attracted to the same sex.Although being gay has been decriminalized, it still feels like we’re living in the early days.How should parents react or best approach their child’s gender nonconformity?Finding yourself is hard. It’s part of being human.This podcast is... This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com/subscribe

A debate is raging between two schools of thought: are trans people suffering with gender dysphoria, mental health condition? Or do transgender individuals simply have a gender identity, like a gendered soul, that needs to be recognised? In this first episode Sasha and Stella discuss these two perspectives and the difficult consequences of taking a position on this polarised issue.Links: Criteria for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria in the DSM V: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria/what-is-gender-dysphoria About WPATH: https://www.wpath.org/ About Harry Benjamin: https://zagria.blogspot.com/2012/10/harry-benjamin-part-2-rejuvenation_5.html#.X9OrKdj7RPY About the anti-gender movement: https://www.boell.de/en/2015/04/21/anti-gender-movements-rise and Graff, Agnieszka (2016). "'Gender Ideology': Weak Concepts, Powerful Politics". Religion and Gender. 6 (2): 268–272. doi:10.18352/rg.10177. Snapchat Dysmorphia: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322706 Ehrensaft Pre-Verbal Gender Communications https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7KBZeRC1RI&t=96s This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com/subscribe

Activists claim that ROGD is not a real thing yet some parents insist that ROGD perfectly describes something that they’re seeing in their teenagers. We explore this new phenomenon of adolescent-onset gender questioning, how it arises and how it impacts families. We also discuss our experience working with these adolescents and some of the common patterns of behaviour and other challenges they face. Socially mediated mental health phenomena from different generations and other parts of the world shed light on this controversial issue.Links: Lisa Marchiano: On Transgender Teens and Psychic Epidemics https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00332925.2017.1350804 Lisa Littman: Parent reports of adolescents and young adults perceived to show signs of a rapid onset of gender dysphoria https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0202330  The impact of social contagion – “Fijian girls succumb to Western dysmorphia”https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/03/fijian-girls-succumb-to-western-dysmorphia/Symptom pool Edward shorter: https://medium.com/invisible-illness/psychiatry-and-its-discontents-7ee5f263eb4c Japanese study PCOS: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17166864/ Erikson's Psychosocial Development https://courses.lumenlearning.com/teachereducationx92x1/chapter/eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com/subscribe

Two therapists discuss the concepts of gender, identity, and transition from a psychological depth perspective. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com/subscribe