Randi Ettner is an American psychologist and author known for affirming work with transgender and gender diverse people.
Background
Randi Joy (Cahan) Ettner was born in 1952 in Lincolnwood, Illinois. Ettner’s aunt was noted sexologist Leah Cahan Schaefer. Ettner earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, followed by a master’s degree from Roosevelt University.
Ettner began working with transgender people in 1977 at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Ettner received a doctorate in psychology at Northwestern University, with a dissertation on childbirth. Ettner had additional training at Moray House School of Education in Scotland.
Ettner is founder of New Health Foundation Worldwide and works with spouse Frederic M. “Fred” Ettner, a physician.
Ettner has helped pass anti-discrimination laws, provided testimony on behalf of trans people seeking workplace rights, and works to secure appropriate treatment for prisoners. Ettner has also been a critic of psychologist J. Michael Bailey‘s 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen. Bailey claims the book was initially motivated by “gross inaccuracies in Ettner’s account of transsexualism.” Ettner works to improve understanding of trans issues, and has spoken out against attitudes used to justify violence against trans people.
Below is a clip from a 2006 interview I did with Dr. Ettner on coming out.
Publications
Cahan RJ (1976). A Psychology Internship: Cook County Hospital. Roosevelt University
Ettner R (1979). Childbirth at Home: A Preliminary Attempt to Predict Dysfunctional Labor. Northwestern University
Ettner R (1996). Confessions of a Gender Defender: A Psychologist’s Reflections on Life Among the Transgendered. Chicago Spectrum Press, ISBN 9781886094512
Ettner R (1999). Gender Loving Care: A Guide to Counseling Gender-variant Clients. W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 9780393703047, W W Norton page
Ettner R (2002). Book Review: Sex, Gender & Sexuality: 21st Century Transformations. By Tracie O’Keefe. Archives of Sexual Behavior Volume 31, Number 2 / April, 2002.
Ettner R, Harima K, King D, Landen M, Nodin Ă, VP (2003). Transgender and Transsexuality. In Ember CR, Ember M (eds.). Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender: Men and Women in the World’s Cultures. Springer, ISBN 9780306477706
White T, Ettner R (2004). Disclosure, Risks and Protective Factors for Children Whose Parents Are Undergoing a Gender. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy, 8 (1/2), 129-145.
White T, Ettner R (2004). Disclosure, risks, and protective factors for children whose parents are undergoing a gender transition. In Leli U, Drescher J (eds.) Transgender Subjectivities: A Clinician’s Guide. Haworth Press ISBN 9780789025760
Ettner R, White T, Brown GR, Shah BJ (2006). Client Aggression Towards Therapists: Is It More or Less Likely with Transgendered Clients? International Journal of Transgenderism, 2006, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 1â7.
White T, Ettner R (2007). Adaptation and adjustment in children of transsexual parents. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2007, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 215â221.
Ettner R, Monstrey S, Eyler AE (2007). Principles of Transgender Medicine and Surgery. Haworth Press, ISBN 9780789032683
References
Staff report (August 28, 1977). Randi Joy Cahan is engaged to Dr. Frederic Mark Ettner. New York Times
Lieberman AB (1992). Easing Labor Pain. Harvard Common Press, ISBN 9781558320437 p. 170
Marilynn Marchione (August 14, 1995). Small Neenah hospital a leader in sex changes. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Staff (Oct 22, 2007). Experts testify in case for hormones in prison. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Rodkin, Dennis (2003). Sex and Transsexuals. Chicago Reader
Dreger AD (2008). The controversy surrounding The Man Who Would Be Queen: a case history of the politics of science, identity, and sex in the Internet age. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2008 Jun;37(3):366-421.
Deardorff, Julie (March 22, 2001). Gender conflicts are given a clear place of study. Chicago Tribune
Morning Edition (April 3, 2001). Profile: Center opens in Chicago to help promote understanding of transsexual issues. National Public Radio
Beyer earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in 1974 and a medical degree from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1978. Beyer practiced as an eye surgeon before going into activism and politics.
Beyer ran three unsuccessful campaigns for public office in Maryland: State Delegate in 2010, and State Senator in 2014 and 2018. Beyer’s bid in 2014 against gay incumbent Richard Madaleno led to criticism from some local LGBT activists.
Trans activism
Beyer was involved in protests of the transphobic 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen. Beyer was a participant in our 2004 all-transgender benefit perfomance of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, performing a piece with fellow physicians Becky Allison and Marci Bowers.
Beyers was part of the DSM-V Task Force for “gender identity disorder,” which was renamed “gender dysphoria” in 2012.
From 2012 to 2017, Beyer wrote many articles on timely trans topics on HuffPost, including an interview with activist Riki Wilchins, a profile of sexologist Milton Diamond, and an obituary for trans-supportive therapist Leah Schaefer. Beyers also criticized Alice Dreger’s attempt to rehabilitate J. Michael Bailey’s reputation in Galileo’s Middle Finger, noting the difference in Lambda Literary Foundation’s response to criticism of their nomination process in 2004 and 2015.
Philanthropic work includes Gender Rights Maryland and Equality Maryland. Beyers served on the board of A Wider Bridge, the North American organization which promotes LGBTQ inclusion in Israel and equality for Israel. Beyer also served as Regional Advocacy Chair for J Street, a national organization which advocates for diplomacy with Israel and a peaceful two-state solution.
Beyer was inducted into the Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame in 2014. Some local LGBT activists protested the selection, including Somerset Mayor Jeffrey Slavin and Equality Maryland Executive Director Carrie Evans.
Ever since the trans community grew into its activism during the 90s, and began to include more than just transsexual persons (those who transition with medical and surgical treatment), the issue of who falls under the umbrella has grown. I myself wrote about this in a column in 2013, and the controversy has waxed and waned. Now, I believe the growth in the non-binary movement is the greatest challenge to our internal cohesion.
In a 2024 conversation with Josh Szeps, the show notes say:
“Transsexual” sounds like an old-fashioned term. But it describes a real medical condition in which your brain has the opposite sex from your body. Are transsexuals threatened by newer gender-queer, non-binary theories of sex? Dr Dana Beyer says so. She’s one of the most influential and effective trans activists in history. A medical doctor and self-described transsexual, she’s been striding the hallways of power since the 1970s meeting with the likes of Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden to achieve landmark wins for LGBT rights. Today, she believes modern gender theory is harming transsexuals like herself.
Lavers, Michael K. (October 14, 2014). Honor for trans activist sparks controversy.Washington Blade https://www.washingtonblade.com/2014/10/14/beyer-induction-md-county-hall-fame-sparks-controversy/
Beyer, Dana (June 23, 2017). Are There Too Many Ribs in the Trans Umbrella?HuffPost https://www.huffpost.com/entry/are-there-too-many-ribs-in-the-trans-umbrella_b_594d6060e4b0c85b96c6590f
alt url: digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/dn39x1845
Scott Barry Kaufman is an American psychologist who frequently platforms anti-transgender activists and people associated with the intellectual dark web, a gateway to the far right. Kaufman also platforms academics who promote evolutionary psychology, an ideology frequently opposed to value-neutral scientific conceptualizations of trans and gender diverse people.
Ever since a graduate thesis on the subject, Kaufman been invested in misusing science to maintain and justify sex categories and sex segregation, in the way that race science has been misused to maintain and justify racial categories and segregation. Academic sex segregationists have staked their careers and legacies on defending the few remaining sex-segregated institutions.
Kaufman objects to being listed on this site, saying, “I try every day to do good in the world and have never done anything damaging to trans people.”
Background
Scott Barry Kaufman was born June 3, 1979 to Barbara Alpert (born ~1956), a professor of medicine, and Michael Stephen Kaufman (born ~1954), a lawyer specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Both parents went to Harvard and were from families of high social standing.
Kaufman earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Carnegie Mellon University, followed by a master’s degree from Cambridge. Kaufman’s 2007 master’s thesis was titled “Sex differences in mental rotation and spatial visualization ability: Can they be accounted for by differences in working memory capacity?” Kaufman then earned a doctorate in cognitive psychology from Yale, with a research focus on intelligence.
After personally experiencing challenges in early formal education, much of Kaufman’s work involves helping children realize their full potential. Kaufman has authored, co-authored, edited, and contributed to several books for a lay audience:
The Psychology of Creative Writing (2009)
Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined (2013)
Mating Intelligence Unleashed: The Role of the Mind in Sex, Dating, and Love (2013)
The Complexity of Greatness: Beyond Talent or Practice (2013)
The Philosophy of Creativity: New Essays (2014)
Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind (2015)
Twice Exceptional: Supporting and Educating Bright and Creative Students with Learning Difficulties (2018)
Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization (2020)
Learned Hopefulness: The Power of Positivity to Overcome Depression (2020)
Choose Growth: A Workbook for Transcending Trauma, Fear, and Self-Doubt (2022)
The Psychology Podcast
Kaufman hosts The Psychology Podcast and has consistently platformed gender-critical and anti-transgender guests, including:
In December 2022, Kaufman outlined agreement with anti-trans activist Jesse Singal about disagreements:
My friend @jessesingal convinced me that the following is probably true: “People look at someoneâs behavior, and then, based on how much it outrages them, they decide whether to attribute it to personal shortcomings (their fault) or mental illness (not their fault).”
In 2022, Kaufman expressed an interest in a “debate” on trans issues and trans rights.
Who would you like to see have a respectful, healthy debate about trans issues and trans rights? I'd love some suggestions of reputable evidence-based experts who have differing viewpoints. I will moderate this on @psychpodcast. Thanks!
Who would you like to see have a respectful, healthy debate about trans issues and trans rights? I’d love some suggestions of reputable evidence-based experts who have differing viewpoints. I will moderate this on @psychpodcast. Thanks!
When I asked Kaufman to provide more details on which rights for trans people should be debated, Kaufman said, “Iâm afraid I donât have the time to respond to your questions. I am extremely busy.”
If a podcaster consistently platformed antisemitic guests then suddenly wanted to have a “respectful healthy debate on Jewish issues and Jewish rights,” Kaufman would probably have a few questions. It’s also interesting that none of Kaufman’s gender critical guests appeared with someone who had opposing views.
Psychology is one of the key ways the state exerts social control on trans people. Academic exploitation of sex and gender minorities is well documented. People like Kaufman perpetuate these oppressive systems, probably unintentionally. It’s what biologist Julia Serano calls “trans unaware” and “trans suspicious” thinking.
In 2023, Kaufman released a series of podcast episodes on sex and gender. The episode titles reflect Kaufman’s anti-trans bias. Episodes Kaufman calls “science” are by gender critical people who have similar conservative views.
Kaufman chose not to use science to describe the episode with noted biologist/geneticist Anne Fausto-Sterling, even though Fausto-Sterling is by far the most notable and accomplished scientist Kaufman interviewed. That’s because Fausto-Sterling’s views are informed by the latest in scientific understanding of sex and gender and not Kaufman’s own biased views.
Episode list
“What we get wrong about transgender people” with Aaron Rabinowitz and Callie Wright
a decent introductory discussion about minutiae that ignores larger systemic issues
“The Science of Testosterone” with activist Carole Hooven
This one is just a bunch of conservative people agreeing with each other about evolutionary psychology
“Gender/Sex and the Body” with biologist/geneticist Anne Fausto-Sterling
This is the only one worth listening to
References
Kaufman SB (2007). Sex differences in mental rotation and spatial visualization ability: Can they be accounted for by differences in working memory capacity? Intelligencehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2006.07.009
Kaufman says this quote exemplifies the psychologist’s views on trans people:
You tweeted something this morning that caught me. You were talking about a study that was showing how hard it must be to be a transgender person because you walk through the world and the entire world has evolved to really only see two gender identities in this. So it’s like a millisecond in our evolutionary perspective. We just don’t quite have the ability to see them they way they see themselves.
Daum co-hosts the podcast A Special Place In Hell with Sarah Haider.
Daum published the essay collections My Misspent Youth and The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion. Daum’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Vogue, GQ, and Harper’s.
Daum authored the book The Problem With Everything: My Journey Through The New Culture Wars.
Comments on Leelah Alcorn’s suicide
In 2018, Daum expressed what many felt was more sympathy for Leelah Alcorn’s unsupportive parents than for the dead teen.
“There’s no question that Leelah’s death and the circumstances leading to it are worthy ofâand, in fact, demandâ public rage. But along with that rage should come compassion, not just for the Alcorns but for anyone who’s ever been slow to reach acceptance, or whose circumscribed worldview has clouded their understanding of somebody else’s experience.”
References
Daum, Meghan (August 24, 2018). Nuance: A Love Story.GEN https://gen.medium.com/nuance-a-love-story-ae6a14991059
Natalie Wynn is an American cultural critic whose YouTube channel Contrapoints won a 2022 Peabody Award in the Immersive & Interactive category.
Background
Wynn was born on October 21, 1988 in Arlington, Virginia and grew up in nearby Vienna. Wynn’s parent William is a psychology professor at Georgetown, and parent Marian is a doctor. Wynn has two siblings who also went to Georgetown.
Wynn studied piano at Berklee College of Music, earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University in 2012, and a master’s degree from Northwestern University, then decided not to pursue a doctorate. Wynn did gig work before becoming a video essayist in 2008. Wynn’s work is considered part of “BreadTube,” a loose affiliation of YouTubers who posted videos to challenge right-wing views on subjects.
In 2016, Wynn began the ContraPoints channel. In 2017, Wynn came out as trans and removed all pre-transition videos. In 2020 Wynn came out as lesbian.
Video essays
Wynn is known for criticizing a number of prominent anti-trans figures, including Ray Blanchard, Jordan Peterson, Megan Phelps-Roper, and J.K.Rowling. Wynn has also lampooned segments of the trans community, presenting humorous characters who represent various political factions.
Weiss, Max (June 2024). Who Exactly Is Natalie Wynn?Baltimore Magazine https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/natalie-wynn-viral-baltimore-youtuber-profile/
Janice Turner is a British writer and anti-transgender extremist. Turner is a key historical figure in the oppression of trans and gender diverse people.
Background
Turner was born April 8, 1964 in Wakefield and attended University of Sussex. Turner edited several publications before freelancing as a columnist focusing on media criticism.
Turner, Janice (December 2, 2022). Women who canât define a woman are sunk.The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/women-who-cant-define-a-woman-are-sunk-chq8qc68n
Turner, Janice (October 20, 2018). Suicides should never be a political weapon. The Times. https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/activist-loses-ipso-complaint-against-janice-turner-times-column-about-trans-suicides/
Turner, Janice (September 8, 2018). Trans rapists are a danger in women’s jails. The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/trans-rapists-are-a-danger-in-women-s-jails-5vhgh57pt
Turner, Janice (November 11, 2017). Children sacrificed to appease trans lobby. The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/children-sacrificed-to-appease-trans-lobby-bq0m2mm95
Turner, Janice (September 16, 2017). The battle over gender has turned bloody: Women who believe that their rights are threatened by transgender activists now find themselves at risk of assault. The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-battle-over-gender-has-turned-bloody-2wpkmnqhh
Stephen Beck is an American healthcare executive and anti-transgender activist. Beck is a member of anti-trans hate group Society for Evidence-based Gender Medicine (SEGM). Beck and spouse Sharon are unaccepting parents of a trans nonbinary child.
Background
Stephen Richard “Steve” Beck was born May 22, 1967. Beck earned a medical degree from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1992. Beck practices internal medicine in Ohio.
Beck is married to Sharon “Shari” Beck aka âMaria Polaris,â “Maria Borealis,” âMaria Veradisâ and a host of other pseudonyms, an anti-trans extremist affiliated with Cardinal Support Network and Parents of ROGD Kids.
Abby Walch, Caroline Davidge-Pitts, Joshua D Safer, Ximena Lopez, Vin Tangpricha, Sean J Iwamoto (2021). Proper Care of Transgender and Gender Diverse Persons in the Setting of Proposed Discrimination: A Policy Perspective. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021 Jan 23;106(2):305-308. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgaa816.
William J. Malone, Paul W. Hruz, Julia W. Mason, and Stephen Beck (2021). Letter to the Editor from William J. Malone et al: âProper Care of Transgender and Gender-diverse Persons in the Setting of Proposed Discrimination: A Policy Perspectiveâ The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 106, Issue 8, August 2021, Pages e3287âe3288, https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgab205
Abby Walch, Caroline Davidge-Pitts, Ximena Lopez, Vin Tangpricha, Sean J Iwamoto, Joshua D Safer (2021). Response to Letter to the Editor from Malone: âProper Care of Transgender and Gender Diverse Persons in the Setting of Proposed Discrimination: A Policy Perspective.â The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 106, Issue 8, August 2021, Pages e3295âe3296, https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgab206
Charlotte Allen is an American author and anti-transgender activist. A conservative Catholic, Allen has written articles critical of the transgender rights movement, including a puff piece on transphobic psychologist J. Michael Bailey for The Weekly Standard. Joseph Epstein from that publication had previously characterized Bailey as a “pimp” who arranges voyeuristic sex tours and demonstrations for people like Allen. Bailey earned Epstein’s opprobrium and Allen’s interest after arranging a live “fucksaw” demonstration for a since-cancelled human sexuality class.
Background
Charlotte Irene Low Allen was on born April 7, 1943 in Jacksonville, Florida. Allen’s parent Elmer Carlton Low (1907-2000) was born in New York City and practiced personal injury law there before moving to Pasadena in 1943. Low was president of the California Trial Lawyers Association and wrote two books and some opinion pieces for the Los Angeles Times.
Allen’s spouse Donald Fraser Allen (born May 1, 1945) graduated from University of Toronto Faculty of Law and was a member of the California Bar from 1981 through 1997.
Charlotte Allen’s education and credentials:
Stanford University (B.A. 1965) classics and English
Harvard University (M.A. 1967)
University of Southern California (J.D. 1974)
State Bar of California (1974 through 1992)
Catholic University of America (Ph.D. 2011) medieval and Byzantine studies
Allen served as Law Editor for The Los Angeles Daily Journal from 1980 to 1985, then was appointed Senior Editor, Law at conservative publication Insight on the News at its founding in 1985. That publication closed in 2008. Allen has worked as a freelance writer for publications including:
Allen’s 2011 dissertation is titled Thirteenth-Century English Religious Lyrics, Religious Women, And the Cistercian Imagination. Allen is author of the 1998 book The Human Christ: The Search for the Historical Jesus.
My 2015 letter to Allen’s editors
Dear Weekly Standard editorial team:
Charlotte Allen contacted me for a story profiling J. Michael Bailey, a controversial psychologist with whom she was recently socializing in Chicago. You may recall a 2011 piece about Bailey in your publication which characterizes him as a “pimp” who arranges voyeuristic sex tours and demonstrations for interested parties like Ms. Allen. http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/lower-education_554092.html?page=1
For your records, I told Ms. Allen that understanding and reporting her story hinges on speaking directly with Danny Ryan, a child whose case report Bailey published in his 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism.
My condition for participating was that Ms. Allen speak with Danny Ryan directly. I fear that is not going to happen. I’m concerned she’s going to mischaracterize both the controversy and my involvement in it, given that her attached questions to me contain inaccurate interpretations of events.
I provided her the attached article explaining why both Bailey and his book have been widely condemned. Bailey had published an earlier version of his book without incident, and the 2003 response happened because:
1) it was fraudulently marketed as science by the National Academy of Sciences.
2) it became a cure narrative about gender-nonconforming children.
Bailey’s attacks on my children in his book were just part of his concurrent attacks on gender-nonconforming children, which also included “academic” presentations where he displayed videos and images of young children without their knowledge or consent in a manner that generated laughter from his audiences. Bailey also boasts that he can categorize these children sexually and can tell the kinds of sexual partners they will like. Ms. Allen seems focused on a long-deleted satire in which I showed how Bailey’s leering depictions and two-type sexualized categorization of my children would seem inexcusable if done to his own.
Bailey’s colleagues believe that gender-nonconforming children require “curing” in order to prevent what they consider a “bad outcome,” a gender transition. Most children who display gender-non-conforming behavior do not seek a gender transition later, and this outcome occurs without any intervention. Bailey’s colleagues make money by selling anxious parents on services they claim will cure many children. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health has stated such services are “no longer considered ethical.” Others are more pointed, condemning such services as “disturbingly close to reparative therapy for homosexuals” and “simply child abuse.”
Hundreds of children have been through these aversion programs championed by Bailey’s friend Kenneth Zucker, and not one has later come forward to talk about how it helped them. Danny Ryan is the most famous report of a cured child, yet no one has ever followed up directly with him to confirm Bailey’s published claims independently.
Danny Ryan has remarkable parallels to David Reimer, a case report by Bailey’s ideological nemesis John Money. The David Reimer case proved to be false when independently investigated. Some reporters continue to repeat Bailey’s claims about Danny Ryan uncritically, with no independent confirmation. Science and journalism proceed from evidence and facts, and there is no independent evidence that Bailey’s published facts about Danny Ryan are true.
Given that other case reports in Bailey’s book turned out to be inaccurate upon independent follow-up, the Weekly Standard has a unique opportunity to report this story accurately instead of taking Bailey at his word. Similar hard-hitting reporting on David Reimer brought John Money’s work into disrepute and made the career of the journalist who broke the story. A generation of children suffered because no one bothered to confirm Money’s claims, and I can’t sit by as another reporter is poised to miss the point of why Bailey has been criticized by people of every political persuasion.
Thanks for your time, and I would very much appreciate confirmation that you have received this note.
Sincerely, Andrea James [email protected] cc: Charlotte Allen Attachments (2):
2. Fair Comment, Foul Play: Populist Responses to J. Michael Bailey’s Exploitative “Controversies” (PDF)
Allen’s puff piece about Bailey ran with no mention of his exploitation of our children and a lawyerly defense of his “fucksaw” demonstration.
The Man Who Would Be Queen was deemed âsalacious bigotryâ by Andrea James, a 48-year-old Hollywood consultant who is the most persistently aggressive of the transgender activists. James spearheaded campaigns to have Northwestern censure and perhaps fire Bailey (unsuccessful), and to discredit Bailey as a credible academic expert on transgender subjects (extremely successful).
Allen claims I declined to be interviewed “in a prolific series of Bailey-dissing emails.” Allen notes my criticism of Anne Lawrence, Ray Blanchard, and Kenneth Zucker. Zucker was fired later that year, and the clinic where Zucker and Blanchard were employed was closed following an investigation spurred by legislation that made anti-transgender reparative therapy illegal.
Allen, Charlotte (March 2, 2015). The Transgender Triumph.Weekly Standard. https://www.weeklystandard.com/charlotte-allen/the-transgender-triumph
Allen, Charlotte (March 4, 2019). Trans men erase women.First Thingshttps://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/03/trans-men-erase-women
Hawkins, JA (January 1951). Elmer Low Family of Pasadena.Pasadena Museum of History https://calisphere.org/item/8de4632c37e661ae4ba402f4006bf984/
Hess, Amanda (March 12, 2008). Charlotte Allen Interview.Washington City Paper https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/city-desk/blog/13054285/charlotte-allen-interview
Note: In 2025, this site phased out AI illustrations after artist feedback. The previous illustration is here.
Jennifer Bilek is an American writer and anti-transgender extremist. Bilek hosts The 11th Hour podcast and site.
Bilek was a scheduled participant in a 2017 panel that claimed transgender people are âa homophobic element introduced by the 1% to control homosexuality, reinstate male supremacy, and utilize gay children as fodder for scientific experimentation.â
Background
Jennifer Bilek was born on October 22, 1958 and grew up in New York City. Bilek trained at Woodstock School of Art. Bilek has worked as a hairstylist for children and young people as the businesses Get Coiffed and My Little Sunshine.
Bilek also paints portraits.
Anti-trans activism
In 2017, left-wing conference Left Forum announced that Jane Wheeler (under the name Jane Chotard) would chair a June 4th panel titled âMisery for Profit: Who is Funding the Transgender Movement and the Impact on LGB.â The synopsis stated:
We will be showing that the immense funding funneled to the transgender movement is coming from giant pharmaceutical and biotechnology Industries and what their aim is. We will also be showing how the corporately controlled media is interfaced with these same Industries and are blocking any alternative to the pro-trans propaganda now being disseminated. We will be showing that the transgender movement is not in fact a civil rights issue, but a business arrangement and an advertising arm of these industries. We will cover the implications of this on the LGB community and show how transgender is a political coup, positioned as an ally alongside the LGB, but are actually a homophobic element introduced by the 1% to control homosexuality, reinstate male supremacy, and utilize gay children as fodder for scientific experimentation.
âJane Chotard is an out lesbian for over 30 years, mother of two teenage boys, past healthcare attorney, currently works to provide better care services to patients and residents facing serious illnesses and end-of-life issues.â
Jennifer Bilek: Panel organizer and speaker
âJennifer Bilek is a bisexual artist/activist/writer living in NYC for a lot longer than is probably healthy.â
Bilek, Jennifer (April 5, 2021). CNN Versus Biological Reality.The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/cnn-versus-biological-reality/
Riedel, Sam (July 7, 2017). Why Trans Activists Canât Trust The Left. The Establishment https://medium.com/the-establishment/why-trans-activists-cant-trust-the-left-3bfa22928ddd
David Frum is a conservative Canadian-American political commentator and anti-transgender activist. Frum was a major figure in anti-LGBT activism in the 1990s, though Frum has since acknowledged some of those views were wrong.
Background
David Jeffrey Frum was born June 30, 1960 in Toronto. Frum is a nepo baby whose family was also involved in writing and publishing. Frum earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Yale University in 1982 and a law degree from Harvard in 1987.
A major figure in the neoconservative movement that led America into the Iraq War, Frum wrote for the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Manhattan Institute, the Weekly Standard, and the National Post.
Frum was tapped to write speeches for George W. Bush, leaving in 2002. Frum joined neocon think tank American Enterprise Institute and continued litigating support for the Iraq invasion. Frum became a US citizen in 2007. Frum was a blogger for National Review and worked on Rudy Giuliani’s presidential run. Frum was asked to leave American Enterprise Institute in 2010.
Frum married “mommy blogger” and anti-transgender activist Danielle Crittenden Frum in 1988. They have three children, Miranda Ann Frum (1991â2024), Nathaniel Saul Frum (born 1993) and Beatrice Sarah Worthy Frum (born 2001).
Anti-LGBT activism
Frum was a strong opponent of same-sex marriage. Frum later acknowledged this was wrong.
Frum joined The Atlantic as a senior editor in March 2014. During that time, under editor and anti-trans activist Jeffrey Goldberg, the magazine ramped up its attacks on the transgender rights movement.
In 2020, Frum analyzed the transgender political positions of Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren, name dropping Joe Rogan’s views on transgender athletes: “After the transgender mixed martial arts fighter Fallon Fox beganâliterallyâsmashing opponentsâ heads…”
Frum, David (2020). Bernie Can’t Win.The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/bernie-sanderss-biggest-challenges/605500/
Frum, David (March 21, 2024) Miranda’s Last Gift.The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/05/david-frum-miranda-daughter-grief/677815/
Obituary (February 21, 2024). Miranda Frum.The Globe and Mail https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/theglobeandmail/name/miranda-frum-obituary?id=54427346
