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Sasha Ayad is a conservative American psychologist and a key figure in anti-transgender extremism. Ayad and collaborator Stella O’Malley are world leaders in the gender critical movement attacking transgender people, especially children.

They promote

Do not under any circumstances go to Ayad for any counseling of any kind. If you are a minor forced to see Ayad, do everything in your power to end the sessions and find a supportive local therapist instead.

Background

Sasha Ayad was born February 1, 1982 and attended University of Houston, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology.

Anti-trans activism

Ayad is connected to a number of anti-trans organizations, most of which are just part of a web farm with reciprocal links to make Ayad’s allies and their fringe ideologies seem more numerous and influential than they are.

These fringe front groups include:

In 2023 Ayad co-authored the anti-trans book When Kids Say They’re Trans: A Guide for Parents with Stella O’Malley and Lisa Marchiano.

Gender: A Wider Lens

Ayad and O’Malley host the podcast Gender: A Wider Lens. The guests include many global leaders in modern conservative and anti-transgender activism.

The Metaphor of Gender

In 2025, Ayad started the YouTube channel The Metaphor of Gender. The early videos are solo presentations of Ayad’s views on gender.

Resources

Wider Lens Consulting (widerlens.consulting)

Inspired Teen Therapy (inspiredteentherapy.com)

Substack (substack.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Note: In 2025, this site phased out AI illustrations after artist feedback. The previous illustration is here.

Oren Amitay is a Canadian psychologist and anti-transgender activist involved in the gender critical movement. Amitay was a member of the Pediatric and Adolescent Gender Dysphoria Working Group.

Background

Oren Aaron Amitay was born in 1968. Amitay attended York University, earning a master’s degree in 1999 and a doctorate in 2006.

In 2014 Amitay founded Straight Kill Films and began promoting the work of several members of the so-called intellectual dark web, described as a gateway to the far right.

In 2017 Amitay was involved in a controversy over transgender discussions on the Ontario Psychological Association (OPA) listserv.

In 2019 Amitay was suspended from Twitter for gender critical activity and investigated for misconduct by employer Ryerson University.

 YouTube channel

References

Xavier-Carter, Breanna (December 5, 2019). Ryerson psychology instructor faces allegations of misconduct. Ryersonian https://ryersonian.ca/ryerson-psychology-instructor-faces-allegations-of-misconduct/

 Gallant, Jacques (October 15, 2019). Ontario psychologist completed assessments without children’s aids societies knowing he had been cautioned. Toronto Star https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/10/15/childrens-aid-societies-werent-told-psychologist-was-cautioned-and-ordered-to-have-mentor.html

Amitay, Oren (2018). Complete narrative of DocAmitay’s OPA listserv history [PDF] http://docamitay.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Complete_Narrative_of_DocAmitays_OPA_Listserv_History.pdf See also YouTube: 1 2 3 4 5

Amitay OA (1999) Introjected parental perceptions and choice of romantic partners in dependents and self-critics. [Master’s thesis] https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item?id=MQ56159&op=pdf&app=Library&oclc_number=1006984997

Amitay OA (2006). Supportive and undermining relational patterns in individuals vulnerable to major depression. [PhD dissertation] https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item?id=NR19829&op=pdf&app=Library&oclc_number=300580569

Resources

Dr. Oren Amitay (docamitay.com)

Twitter (twitter.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

  • DocAmitay
  • Dr. James Cantor’s Revolutionary Theory on Transgender People
  • “autogynephilia” and “mirror neuron” hypotheses
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3Ub65CwiRI
  • Apparently Not ALL (Formerly) Autogynephilic Trans People Hate Me or Science/Facts/Reality
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHLPk1JrPzQ
  • Are *you* a Blanchophobe? I dare you to watch the *truth* behind Dr. Blanchard & Trans issues
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD9H2QAg7N8
  • Dr. Dreger Discusses the Balls on that Michael Bailey, and the Ins & Outs of Trans/Gender Issues
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud6Lb8GLlMg
  • Hard Science: The Measure of All Things Natural w/Dr. J Michael Bailey
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRKmJtKjEqE

Free Bird Media Canada

  • Differences between autogynephilic and homosexual transexuals
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UXE1zpgvQg

James Caspian is a British therapist and anti-transgender activist in the “ex-transgender” movement.

Caspian was a member of the anti-trans organization Pediatric and Adolescent Gender Dysphoria Working Group.

Background

James Caspian was born in ~1959.

Caspian is listed on the National Register of Hypnotherapists and Psychotherapists and was “strongly influenced by Jung’s Analytical Psychology.”

Anti-transgender activism

In 2016, Caspian proposed studying “detransition” while in graduate school, but Bath Spa University rejected the proposal. Caspian then became a cause célèbre among anti-trans activists, who showered Caspian with money and attention. In 2019, the High Court upheld the decision made by Bath Spa University to block Caspian’s research into transgender regret.

Caspian appeared in the 2018 anti-trans propaganda piece Trans Kids: It’s Time to Talk hosted by Stella O’Malley.

Via Stephanie Davies-Arai:

Stephanie hoped to reach professionals working in the field – psychotherapists, clinical psychologists, counsellors – people who provided talking therapy to distressed patients. The first therapist to contact her didn’t give his real name. He wanted to tell her about a proposed change to the Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy (MoU), a policy document for counsellors and therapists.

The original MoU, published in 2015, was a protection against gay conversion therapy. It was signed by all the major counselling bodies and colleges along with NHS England and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Now the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), the psychotherapy regulator, was co-ordinating a review, and activists within the profession were campaigning to add ‘gender identity’ to the MoU.

He saw that it could easily lead to “affirmation by the back door,” because it prohibited any questioning of what may have led to a client’s identification with a cross-sex gender identity and so potentially outlaw exploration with patients what being trans meant to them, or why they felt that way. In effect, they’d have to affirm clients of all ages as whatever ‘gender’ they said they were.

A therapist who tried to explore why a teenage girl might think she was a boy could be in trouble for malpractice. If what they did was labelled conversion therapy, they could be sanctioned and removed from the register. This would mean that no one could help someone work out why they thought they were in the wrong body. It would have to be accepted as fact. The risk of someone, especially a young person – the group growing fastest at gender clinics – having medical treatments and surgery they may later regret, would be exponentially increased.

These proposals would tie up the whole UK therapy sector. He said that UKCP officers were talking to politicians about using the MoU as the basis of a law against conversion therapy for ‘gender identity’. To explore and question could then become a criminal offence – the police in the therapy room. He’d heard of Stephanie and her work from another therapist, Bob Withers, and he thought she could help. After a few long phone conversations, they began to trust each other and he revealed his real name, James Caspian. In time they became good friends.

Caspian gave a glowing review to Transgender Children and Young People: Born in Your Own Body edited by Heather Brunskell-Evans and Michele Moore. Caspian also did an interview with Brunskell-Evans.

References

Staff report (February 13, 2021). James Caspian Ethics Review Form Posted Online. Trans Safety Network https://transsafety.network/posts/james-caspian-ethics-review-leaked/

Baska, Maggie (February 9, 2021). Psychotherapist blocked from studying ‘trans regret’ takes case to the EU human rights court. PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2021/02/09/james-caspian-transgender-trans-bath-spa-european-court-human-rights/

Jones, Zinnia (February 28, 2019). James Caspian and “fifty trans people” who regret transitioning. Gender Analysis https://genderanalysis.net/2019/02/james-caspian-and-fifty-trans-people-who-regret-transitioning/

Patherick, Sam (February 20, 2019). Ex-Bath Spa student James Caspian fails in court fight against university. Somerset Live https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/bath-spa-university-james-caspian-2557060

Staff report (September 25, 2017). Bath Spa University ‘blocks transgender research.’ BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41384473

Petherick, Sam (September 26, 2017). Bath Spa University vetoes ‘politically incorrect’ transgender surgery reversal study. Bath Chronicle https://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/news/bath-news/bath-spa-university-vetoes-politically-533956

Coverage in anti-trans press

Shute, Joe (February 17, 2019). ‘Why are we so scared to admit many people regret changing their gender?’ The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/scared-admit-many-people-regret-changing-gender/

Swerling, Gabriella (Fenruary 5, 2021). Psychotherapist blocked from studying ‘trans regret’ takes case to the European Court. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/02/05/psychotherapist-blocked-studying-trans-regret-takes-case-european/

Booker, Christopher (March 7, 2020). The tyranny of woke: How it’s fashionable in modern Britain to believe there’s no difference between men and women. Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-8086913/How-fashionable-modern-Britain-believe-theres-no-difference-men-women.html

Christian Concern (2018). James Caspian https://christianconcern.com/cccases/james-caspian/

Weale, Sally (September 25, 2017). University ‘turned down politically incorrect transgender research.’ The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/sep/25/bath-spa-university-transgender-gender-reassignment-reversal-research

Selected anti-trans writing by Caspian

Caspian, James (February 22, 2019). My battle with the transgender thoughtpolice. Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/02/22/my-battle-with-the-transgender-thoughtpolice/

Caspian, J. (2018). Brunskell-Evans, H. & Moore, M. (Eds). Transgender Children and Young People: Born in Your Own Body. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018. Pp. 224. Hbk. £61.99.. Journal of Analytical Psychology 63:536-538 https://pep-web.org/browse/JOAP/volumes/63?preview=JOAP.063.0536A full text: http://www.heather-brunskell-evans.co.uk/body-politics/review-of-transgender-children-and-young-people-born-in-your-own-body/

‘The Hero’s Journey’ in ‘Trans in the Twenty-First Century’ edited by A. Purnell and J. Bland, published by the Beaumont Trust 2011.

Review of ‘Archetypal Gender’ by M. Anderton in Harvest 2013, published by the C.G. Jung Club, London 2013.

Media

Genspect (June 7, 2022). Trans Kids: It’s Time to Talk | 4: James Caspian. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXH_6CEjnRQ

Oren Amitay (January 27, 2018). Academic Cleansing: Fight for Truth & Free Speech vs Political Correctness and Trans Ideology. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQIWoDW63ak

Christian Concern (Feb 22, 2019). Psychotherapist James Caspian’s research into transgender regret blocked by Bath Spa University. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfx3nUEwoEU

The Dissenter with Ricardo Lopes and James Caspian (Feb 15, 2018). #2 James Caspian: Censoring studies on trans people | Censura de estudos em pessoas trans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_7BMRqPtWs

Resources

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

James Caspian (jamescaspian.co.uk)

Transgender Awareness (transgenderawareness.co.uk)

CrowdJustice (crowdjustice.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Miquel Missé Sánchez is a Spanish sociologist. Missé, who is transgender, has been published in anti-trans publication UnHerd.

Background

Miquel Missé Sánchez was born in 1986 in Barcelona. Missé graduated from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

Missé has written several works about the intersection of gender and medicine:

  • El género desordenado: críticas en torno al patologización de la transexualidad (Egales: 2010)
  • Políticas trans. Una antología de textos desde los estudios trans norteamericanos (Egales: 2015)
  • Transexualidades, otras miradas posibles (Egales: 2013)
  • A la conquista del cuerpo equivocado (Egales: 2018)

The Myth of the Wrong Body

In 2018 Missé published The Myth of the Wrong Body (A la conquista del cuerpo equivocado). As philosopher Talia Mae Bettcher and author Janet Mock have explained, the “wrong body” metaphor has a number of versions:

  • born in the wrong body
  • trapped in the wrong body
  • soul of a [woman] in the body of a [man] (or vice versa)

Unfortunately, many cisgender people and some trans people take these metaphors literally. Critics will retort “no one is born in the wrong body.”

Most trans people reject all forms of the “wrong body” idea. That’s why this convenient and lazy description is mainly used by cisgender people, gender-diverse children, and low-information trans adults.

As I wrote in the academic journal Gender Medicine in 2006:

Gender identity and expression take on different meanings within different systems of thought. Because medical technologies are available to assist in the somatic expression of these identities, several medicalized disease models of the phenomena have developed. 

Both Missé and I are critical of these medicalized approaches to gender identity and expression. Being transgender is a trait, neither good nor bad. Disease models are a major historical source of our oppression.

The traditional focus on the so-called “triadic therapy” of hormones, genital surgery, and living “in role” has diminished in my lifetime. Trans and gender diverse people have many more choices for how to express themselves. Unfortunately, some people believe that medical transition will make them a new person or solve problems it can’t. As my therapist once said, “There’s never a happy ending to an unhappy journey.”

The reason anti-trans publication UnHerd excerpted Missé’s book was because they had just published “You can’t be born in the wrong body” by Ellen Pasternack. They felt that Missé backs this up. UnHerd also promotes the anti-transgender conspiracy theory that transgender healthcare is a money grab by Big Pharma and greedy surgeons who are luring people into expensive medical options.

Missé does have a point that under consumer capitalism, some medical professionals are guilty of profiting off trans insecurity. Unfortunately, many trans people are gender schematic, meaning they very much believe in a rigid gender binary and traditional gender roles. These are people most likely to believe medical interventions will make them happy. In many cases, they might. Missé is right to question these assumptions and criticize the unethical, inept, and predatory healthcare providers selling a bill of goods to anxious and insecure trans people.

If UnHerd editors grasped the more radical ideas underpinning what Missé is saying, they would almost certainly not have published this excerpt. You do not need hormones or surgery to claim your identity as a man, woman, or any other identity. Trans people existed long before those technologies were available, and we are the vanguard of humanity’s future possibilities.

References

Halberstram, Jack; Missé, Miquel (March 18, 2022). Jack Halberstam: «There are many different ways of being masculine, but do we know how to bring the structure that we call ‘masculinity’ down?» Idee No. 54: Rethinking Masculinity to Transform Society. https://revistaidees.cat/en/jack-halberstam-there-are-many-different-ways-of-being-masculine-but-do-we-know-how-to-bring-the-structure-that-we-call-masculinity-down/

Missé, Miquel (June 1, 2022). The doctors profiting from trans surgery. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2022/06/the-doctors-profiting-from-trans-surgery/

Bettcher TM (2014). Trapped in the Wrong Theory: Rethinking Trans Oppression and Resistance. Signs Vol. 39, No. 2 (Winter 2014), pp. 383-406 https://doi.org/10.1086/673088

Mock, Janet (2012). Unlearning the ‘Trapped’ Narrative & Taking Ownership of Our Bodies. https://janetmock.com/2012/07/09/josie-romero-dateline-transgender-trapped-body/

Media

Critical Theory with Judith Butler and Miguel Missé (September 1, 2023). Debate: A Morning with Judith Butler – Lecture and Discussion with Miquel Missé [English]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yCrN3Ookco

Resources

Miquel Missé (miguelmisse.com)

Wikipedia (es.wikipedia.org)

CCCB (cccb.org)

Jessica Simpson, formerly known as Jessica Yaniv, is a Canadian litigant and troll known for several controversies regarding sexuality and gender identity.

Background

Jessica Serenity Simpson was born June 12, 1987. While attending Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 2008, Simpson called for a National Sex Day and promised free condoms to participants. After over 140,000 people joined the event’s Facebook group, Simpson said it was a marketing stunt.

Simpson ran a tech review website called Trusted Nerd while working at call centers and doing tech support as JY Knows It Business Consulting. Simpson ran the social media for pop music siblings Cimorelli, originally to get rid of impostors, but was apparently posting on behalf of the group from around 2010 to 2017. Louise Nussac, a fan of Cimorelli, was also involved in working with the group and alleged that Simpson engaged in inappropriate activity while managing the accounts. Nussac also alleged that Simpson was behind a string of personal attacks.

Teenager Jessica Rumpel reportedly filed an anonymous tip against Simpson to a Canadian child exploitation tipline, but no charges came from the complaint. Simpson claims the inappropriate messages were by an impersonator or were not sent to Rumpel.

Simpson was a frequent participant in Langley township council meetings, often on gender-related controversies. In 2019 Simpson unsuccessfully proposed a topless “all-bodies swim” at a Langley Township public pool for ages 12 and up, with parents and guardians prohibited.

Simpson’s antics have been widely covered in conservative media and among anti-transgender activists, most notably by Rebel News. Simpson and critics were fond of trolling each other on social media, leading to several temporary and permanent suspensions. Anti-trans extremist Meghan Murphy unsuccessfully sued Twitter to reinstate a personal account following a fight with Simpson. Murphy’s account was later reinstated by anti-transgender troll Elon Musk. Anti-trans author and activist Lindsay Shepherd was briefly banned from Twitter in 2019 after exchanging insults with Simpson.

Litigation and legal issues

Simpson has been described as a “prolific litigant” who often uses AI to write legal complaints, some of which refer to non-existent legal cases.

In 2016, Simpson sued Vancouver Playhouse for $24,000 after inhaling smoke from burned sage at an event. The case was settled for $500.

Beginning in 2018, Simpson filed human rights complaints against at least 15 businesses, alleging anti-trans discrimination. Most were waxing salons run by Asian immigrants who declined to wax Simpson’s scrotum and pubic area. At least two businesses later closed. Simpson acknowledged making racist remarks to some salon employees. In 2019, a human rights tribunal ruled against Simpson and demanded $6,000 in restitution, upheld on appeal. They found that Simpson had directed racist remarks at some salon operators and was motivated by money and revenge. Simpson’s appeal was rejected.

In 2019, Simpson was arrested after brandishing a prohibited taser during a YouTube debate with conservative troll Blaire White. RCMP seized two tasers during the arrest. Simpson was found guilty, then sentenced to probation and a firearms prohibition. Simpson sued Langley township and filed complaints against the RCMP, alleging mistreatment while in detention.

Anti-trans extremist Amy Hamm also got into a dispute with Simpson, who accused Hamm of assault. Hamm then sued for defamation.

In 2020, Simpson filed more complaints, but those were later dropped. During the media circus, Simpson attacked conservative troll Keean Bexte of Rebel News and was found guilty of the assault in 2022.

Simpson also filed a complaint against Canada Galaxy Pageant after they did not allow Simpson to compete. The case was dismissed in 2025.

In December 2020, the RCMP charged Simpson with mischief and uttering threats during a dispute with anti-transgender troll Chris Elston. Simpson also enrolled at Simon Fraser University that year.

In 2021 Simpson sued Fraser Health and the Provincial Health Services Authority for allegedly revealing personal health information.

In 2021, Simpson sued lBC Emergency Health Services for $2,100, claiming a paramedic had damaged Simpson’s stove when they put their bag on it. That year, the Langley fire department stated they would charge Simpson for any future calls for service. They said Simpson had engaged in “inappropriate and lewd conduct” during dozens of non-emergency calls for help getting out of the bathtub.

A suit Simpson brought against Rebel News was dismissed under anti-SLAPP statutes.

Simpson also lodged nine small claims cases against the Langley strata corporation where Simpson lives.

In 2022, Simpson sued a pharmacy for not allowing Simpson to enter with a “service dog.” Simpson lost the case.

In 2023, Simpson took action against BC Emergency Health Services for flagging Simpson as a “mental health concern” who “can be unpredictable and abusive to responders, may also have weapons in apt.” In dismissing the case and ordering Simpson to pay $1,620, the decision noted that Simpson made 53 calls to BC ambulance in 20 months, over 30 of which involved police backup.

In 2023 Simpson was found guilty of public mischief for falsely setting off a fire alarm and sentenced to 18 months probation. Simpson set off the alarm at the retirement home where parent Miriam Yaniv lives. Simpson’s “service dog” Rexy was not behaving at the facility, which led to a confrontation that culminated in Simpson calling 911 and setting off the fire alarm. In 2024 Simpson’s request to have probation conditions lifted was denied. Following the ruling Simpson hurled racial slurs and verbal abuse at anti-trans reporter Drea Humphrey of Rebel News.

In 2024, Simpson was added to a class action suit against Quaker Oats after the company removed products from shleves during a recall. Simpson was later removed.

In 2025, Simpson’s mortgage company began foreclosure procedures. Court documents alleged Simpson was avoiding being served legal papers.

In 2025, Simpson filed a human rights complaint against gas station owners Hung Long Enterprises for refusing entry to Simpson and dog Rexy. Simppson claimed Rexy was a service dog. The case was dismissed.

References

Oldcorn, Christopher (July 29, 2025). Ontario Human Rights Tribunal dismissed Jessica Yaniv’s complaint against Canada Galaxy Pageants. Western Journal https://www.westernstandard.news/ontario/ontario-human-rights-tribunal-dismissed-jessica-yanivs-complaint-against-canada-galaxy-pageants/66467

Levant, Ezra (October 8, 2024). CAUGHT ON TAPE: Human rights tribunal threatens to censor Rebel News. Rebel News https://www.rebelnews.com/caught_on_tape_human_rights_tribunal_threatens_to_censor_rebel_news

Staff report (September 26, 2024). We’re being sued! Stop Yaniv! Rebel News https://www.rebelnews.com/stop_yaniv

Humphrey, Drea (August 7, 2024). BREAKING: Rebel News successfully lifts publication bans on Jonathan Yaniv court hearings. Rebel News https://www.rebelnews.com/rebel_news_successfully_lifts_publication_bans_on_jonathan_yaniv_court_hearings

Humphrey, Drea (September 13, 2024). Judge dismisses request to lift conditions on trans predator’s criminal conviction. Rebel News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3nlW38sRFI protectdrea.com [redirects to Rebel News as of October 2024]

Small, Reid (May 26, 2022). Transgender activist Yaniv found guilty of assaulting journalist. Western Standard https://www.westernstandard.news/bc/watch-transgender-activist-yaniv-found-guilty-of-assaulting-journalist/article_f6c746be-dd34-11ec-932e-4bf58217e946.html

Wood, Graeme (March 28, 2024). Tribunal dismisses B.C. trans activist’s fire alarm claim. Vancouver Is Awesome https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/highlights/tribunal-dismisses-bc-trans-activists-fire-alarm-claim-8520125

Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (March 26, 2022). Transgender person with male genitals sues female beauty pageant for refusing service. https://www.jccf.ca/court_cases/transgender-person-with-male-genitals-sues-female-beauty-pageant-for-refusing-service/

Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (October 30, 2020). If Yaniv is permitted to compete in beauty pageant it would violate the Charter rights of women and girls. https://www.jccf.ca/the-post-millennial-if-yaniv-is-permitted-to-compete-in-beauty-pageant-it-would-violate-the-charter-rights-of-women-and-girls/

Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (October 26, 2020). Yaniv targets beauty pageant in new discrimination complaint. https://www.jccf.ca/yaniv-targets-beauty-pageant-in-new-discrimination-complaint/

Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (February 2, 2020). New human rights complaints on hold over Yaniv’s failure to pay $6,000 in costs to women. https://www.jccf.ca/new-human-rights-complaints-on-hold-over-yanivs-failure-to-pay-6000-in-costs-to-women/

Wood, Graeme (July 25, 2019). Genital waxing complainant’s topless-OK youth LGBTQ2S+ swim proposal delayed by Township of Langley. North Shore News / Glacier Media https://www.nsnews.com/genital-waxing-complainant-s-topless-ok-youth-lgbtq2s-swim-proposal-delayed-by-township-of-langley-1.23895812  [archive]

Claxton, Mathew (August 23, 2019). Controversial Langley transgender activist arrested over stun gun. Aldergrove Star https://www.aldergrovestar.com/news/controversial-langley-transgender-activist-arrested-over-stun-gun [archive]

Stone, Gemma (August 12, 2019). Jessica Yaniv is bad. Medium https://medium.com/@notCursedE/jessica-yaniv-is-bad-869eeaa31afc

Brean, Joseph (August 6, 2019). Trans activist Jessica Yaniv’s human rights complaints brought her prominence; now she’s accused of harassment and predatory behaviour. National Post https://nationalpost.com/news/jessica-yaniv

The Canadian Press (August 10, 2008). Unzip and unwind, says National Sex Day organizer. CTV News https://www.ctvnews.ca/unzip-and-unwind-says-national-sex-day-organizer-1.315017 [archive]

Media

Rebel News (January 20, 2025). Trans activist suing Rebel News after attacking journalists—causes $10k bill! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX1VKpdkcLk

Rebel News (December 20, 2023). Rabid ‘trans activist’ Jessica Simpson threatens to harm female Rebel News reporter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToD7Z8tbWxk

Blaire White (February 15, 2021). Jessica Yaniv Is Back and Worse Than Ever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcqpyOqbAuE

Blaire White (April 17, 2020). Trying To Follow Jessica Yaniv’s Makeup Tutorial ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6tUA5fHb5Y

CBC News (Janury 8, 2020). Activists say transgender woman’s waxing complaints are bad for their cause. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu4hR3UpT6Y

Blaire White (December 10, 2019). Jessica Yaniv Is Back. And It’s Bad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCCbs_imjAw

READY TO GLARE (December 6, 2019). #161: Jessica Yaniv is still an issue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6LK523Slbw

Rebel News (October 22, 2019). “Jessica” Yaniv LOSES lawsuits against female estheticians who refused to wax his genitals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTLUG3cHtz0

Repxion (October 1, 2019). The Jonathan Yaniv Files https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu_3x2BTBB0

Cecil McFly (September 11, 2019). The Creepy Career of Yaniv. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMwKgNkVJGM

Blaire White (August 19, 2019). I Got Jessica Yaniv To Confess On Tape. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbINkdXvQfs

Rebel News (August 16, 2019). Blaire White: Jessica Yaniv has my address & says he’s buying a gun | Keean Bexte. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfXcg9EQxJw

Rebel News (August 15, 2019). EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE: Jessica Yaniv ASSAULTS Rebel reporter with CANE! | David Menzies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcEnBHAYYVM

Rebel News (August 9, 2019). EXCLUSIVE: “Mama Yaniv” ASSAULTS Rebel reporter, Jessica BLOCKS car and calls cops! | Keean Bexte. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv5Ym21cqN0

Rebel News (August 8, 2019). Who is Jessica Yaniv? An exclusive Rebel exposé. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzZJGlJ9lSA

Miss London (August 6, 2019). Blaire White vs Jessica Yaniv (highlights). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWOhwxWGr8M

Rebel News (August 6, 2019). Jessica Yaniv brandishes illegal “taser,” threatens reporter with pepper spray | Sheila Gunn Reid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvxLBWS6ycA

Blaire White (August 5, 2019). Heated Debate w/ Jessica Yaniv: Trans Predator. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnhnShhxfhQ

Calmversations with Benjamin Boyce (July 28, 2019). Yaniv’s Predatory History (Interview). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWWyR96BZOU

Hunter Avallone (July 27, 2019). Jessica Yaniv Just got Worse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ysZxw_vqZ8

READY TO GLARE (July 26, 2019). The skeletons in Jessica Yaniv’s closet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0ffM9caVrQ

Blaire White (July 23, 2019). Exposing Jessica Yaniv: Trans Predator. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI_lXO7zrAQ

dumpbox (July 23, 2019). Alex Jones interviews Jessica Yaniv. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndWEwrxeHYk

Resources

JY Knows It (jyknowsit.com) [archive]

Trusted Nerd (trustednerd.com) [archive]

Stop Yaniv (stopyaniv.com) [redirects to RebelNews.com]

Protect Drea (protectdrea.com) [redirects to Rebel News as of October 2024]

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

  • JessicaSimpsonLaw
  • National Sex Day 2008 event
  • facebook.com/events/6920059261 [deleted]

YouTube (youtube.com)

ResearchGate (researchgate.net)

OCRID (orcid.org)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

Isabella Malbin is an American anti-transgender activist and former birth worker.

Malbin is also an artist, hypnotist, podcaster, and snake charmer.

Background

Isabella A. Malbin was born on August 14, 1991 and graduated from LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. While attending Rhode Island School of Design, Malbin claims to have been “groomed into transgender ideology.”

The Isabella A. Malbin Trust fund was a shareholder in the Texas-based Simon C. Cornelius Partnership Ltd.

Malbin reportedly became concerned about value-neutral language after hearing a Caesarean section referred to as a belly birth. In March of 2020, a fertility education program dismissed Malbin for refusing to use gender-inclusive language such as people who menstruate or people with uteruses. Malbin claims the dismissal was for using the terms mother and woman. 

Malbin frequently collaborates with other gender critical activists and maintains lists of “TERF approved” resources. Malbin and Mary Lou Singleton sell a $149.00 membership that includes a program called “Inoculating Our Children Against Transgender Ideology.”

Podcast

Malbin began the Whose Body Is It podcast in 2020. It contains “interviews with radical women raising consciousness on the harms of transgender ideology, pornography, prostitution, the medical industrial complex.”

2023

  • 85. Escaping Sex Trafficking in the Age of “Sex Work is Work” │ Olivia Ballard
  • 84. Children Can’t Consent │ Charlie’s Story
  • 83. A Holistic & Spiritual Approach to Infertility │ Kristin Hauser
  • 82. False Promises & Exploitation: The Truth about IVF & Surrogacy │ Marche’s Story
  • 81. Standing for Women’s Sex Based Rights at NYC Pride 2023 │ K. Yang
  • 80. What has porn done to us? │ Serendipiti Day
  • 79. Navigating Betrayal & Belonging Post Mastectomy & Breast Implant Illness │ Dr. Amanda Savage Brown
  • 78. Detransition and Grow with Leigh Janet Marshall
  • 77. ‘The Second Colonization’: The Impact of Gender Identity on Māori People with Michelle Uriarau
  • 76. (Preview) What You Need to Know about the Medicated Shooters Headed to Our Schools with Robbie Rose
  • 75. A New Look at Reproductive Sovereignty, Raising Boys and Recovering Our Instincts with Amy Ebert
  • 74. The Ethics of Assisted Reproductive Technology with Jennifer Lahl
  • 73. ‘Indigenous Feminism Redefined’ with Cherry Smiley
  • 72.  Sexual Politics for Women with Julia Beck
  • 71. Gender Critical Comedy & Speaking Out in The Age of Trans with A Swags
  • 70. Will the NYTimes finally admit they know what a woman is? Debrief with Amanda Stulman
  • 69. From Bio Queen to Jewish Convert: Deborah’s Story
  • 68. Radical Feminist Collectives and Direct Action Strategies with Jesika Gonzalez
  • 67. Learning the Language of Your Body with Kelly Love
  • 66. Healing After Transgender Indoctrination & Medicalization with Emma Eden

2022

  • 65. Time to Awaken with Ora Nadrich (Preview)
  • 64. Feminism & The First Amendment with Marissa Darlingh
  • 63. Fighting Female Genital Mutilation with Hibo Wardere
  • (Preview) Seeking Justice For A Generation Betrayed with Kim Mack Rosenberg
  • 62. Unpacking Common Myths & Misconceptions About Indigenous Two-Spirit & Third Genders (Inside Look!)
  • 61. The Challenges of Organizing Women-Only Events with Samantha Berg
  • 60. What the hell happened in NYC? Full debrief of Speaker’s Corner Event w/ Amy Sousa & K. Yang
  • 59. How to Protect a Gender Non-Conforming Daughter with Charlotte Reedy
  • 58. Kellie-Jay Keen (aka Posie Parker) in Austin! Recap of the Speakers Corner & VIP Terf Cocktail Hour
  • 57. From Chronic Illness and Trans Ideology to Embodiment: Rae’s Story
  • 56. ‘Being & Being Bought’: Prostitution & Surrogacy through a Socialist Feminist Lens w/ Kajsa Ekman
  • 55. Disease is not a Punishment: A Dive into German New Medicine with Dr. Melissa Sell
  • 54  Why Pelvic Health is a Feminist Issue with Adelaide Meadow
  • 53. Sex Dolls, Robots & Woman Hating with Australian Writer and Activist Caitlin Roper
  • 52. Defamation, DARVO, and What Happens When Men Are Welcomed into Women’s Spaces with Kate Rose
  • 51. The Status of a Mother with Israeli Artist, Activist and Twin Mom, Shira Richter
  • 50. Radical Feminism, Women’s Festivals & Unpacking BDSM with Serendipiti Day
  • (Preview) What’s the deal with Two-Spirit and Third Gender
  • 49. The UN Is Pushing Female Erasure on a Global Scale w/ Former Trans Rights Activist, K. Yang
  • 48. The Dark History of “Transgender Medicine”, WPATH & Child Castration w/ Genevieve Gluck
  • (Panel) Women Leaving The Left: A Panel Discussion for the Politically Homeless
  • 47. The Devastating Psychological Effects of Gender Ideology in Child Development & Society w/ Amy Sousa
  • 46. What Will Happen to Women if Medical Abortion is Criminalized? w/ Mary Lou Singleton
  • 45. Losing Custody: A Frontline Story with Mother Jeannette Cooper
  • 44. Confronting My Pediatrician For Injecting Me With Experimental “Medicine”
  • 43. Getting Your Daughter Out of The Trans Cult: Jennifer’s Success Story
  • 42. My Zoom Ambush: A Tale to Remember (audio only)
  • 41. Transgender Ideology in Schools, Loss of Parental Rights and Taking Action with Michelle Evans
  • 40. Full Body Nourishment & Healing After Hysterectomy with Suuzi Hazen
  • 39. [missing]
  • 38. The Dangers of They/Them-ing Children with Belle Cardinal
  • 37. Trans Identities, Dissociative Identity Disorder & The Fragmented Self with Annika Mongan
  • 36. Roxie, a Dominatrix Turned Radical Feminist Tells All
  • 35. The Racist Origins of ‘Gender Neutral’ Language & Women’s Bodies as Currency w/ Dr. Suzanne Vierling
  • 34. The Abolition of Sex with Kara Dansky
  • 33. Emelie’s De-transition & Path to Self-Acceptance
  • 32. Ultra-Sex or De-Sex with Alix Aharon
  • 31. The Brutal Reality of Porn & Prostitution with Elly Arrow

2021

  • 30. How It All Began with Meghan Murphy
  • 29. The Reality of Men in Women’s Prisons with Amie Ichikawa
  • 28. The Attack on Our Sexed Bodies with Jennifer Bilek
    • (Clip) “Nobody can be ‘transphobic’ because ‘trans’ is an ad campaign.” -Jennifer Bilek
  • 27. The MRC-5 – Transgender Connection with Robbie Rose Part 2
  • 26. Gaslighting Mothers, Transgenderism and Vaxxine Injury with Robbie Rose Part 1
  • 25. Resisting Groupthink: Gender Identity & The New Normal w/ TheDeprogrammerXX -PART 3
  • 24. Revealing the LGBT-PEDO Connection w/ TheDeprogrammerXX – PART 2
  • 23. Exposing The Trans Agenda w/ TheDeprogrammerXX – PART 1
  • 22. From Transgender to Transhuman with Athena of @WildWilingWisdom
  • 21. Why is Transgender Porn Immune from Public Scrutiny? with Genevieve Gluck
  • 20. Documenting the Harms of Transgenderism with Jennifer Lahl
  • 19. Audrie’s Detransition: A Redemption Story
  • 18. The Truth About Castration Fetishes & Puberty Blockers with Genevieve Gluck
  • 17. Driving Smart Women Mad | Cancelled for Saying WOMAN | Part 1
  • 16. Sexuality Erasure with Joey Brite and MrMenno
  • 15. Getting Cancelled & Gender Dysphoria with Stella Perrett
  • 14. The TRUTH about Sissy Hypno Porn with Genevieve Gluck
  • 13. Transgenderism, Feminism, and Covid with Yolande Norris-Clark
  • 12. ‘This is a time to act’ with Courtney Piper CatEarth
  • 11. “This is An Emergency”: Protecting Women and Girls with Kara Dansky

2020

  • 10. Transhumanism & Autogynephilia with Jennifer Bilek:
  • 9. Fired for Standing For Women with Sasha White
  • 8. The Value of Women-Only Spaces with Emilee Saldaya
  • 7. The Truth about Planned Parenthood & Transgenderism with Alix Aharon
  • 6. Willow’s Transition and De-transition
  • 5. Sissy Hypno Porn & Transgenderism: Angela Shares Her Story
  • 4. Radical Feminism & Gender Ideology Extremism with Rhea M. Riley
  • 3. You’re not a hateful bitch: A message to women who oppose trans ideology.
  • 2. My Indoctrination into Trans Ideology
  • 1. Transgender Ideology, The Birth World & Holding the Line for Women & Girls ∣ Courtney Piper CatEarth

References

Macdonald, Jocelyn (July 22, 2022). Why Are Trans Activists Appropriating Two-Spirit Identities? AfterEllen https://afterellen.com/why-are-trans-activists-appropriating-two-spirit-and-identities/

Sweeney, Chris (January 14, 2022). ‘My job is to help women give birth, but I was banned from using the word “mother.”’ RT https://www.rt.com/uk/542475-gender-inclusive-language-perinatal-services/

Appearances

With Benjamin Boyce

  • PreggerU: Tales of a Birthing Coach | with Isabella Malbin (February 25, 2022)
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8N4T9S3MBI
  • All The Birthing People | with Isabella Malbin (January 11, 2021)
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfbTDtzEv_s

With Meghan Murphy

  • Live! Is challenging gender identity racist? Feat. Isabella Malbin and K. Yang-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWeKqlVMugw
  • The Same Drugs live stream: Isabella Malbin on bodily autonomy and expanding the abortion debate
  • -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS5LZ_vRQZc

With Chris Sweeney

  • Is it wrong to use the term mother? Trans debate in birth world. #trans #birthing
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7ibgQUAd0k
  • https://rumble.com/vsnhir-i-was-banned-from-using-the-word-mother-isabella-malbin.html

With Women’s Declaration International

  • Living the Declaration, Article 2: Motherhood Is an Exclusively Female Status. 5/26/22
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fiaVTczjb0

With Sasha White and M. K. Fain

  • Radical Truths with Isabella Malbin (August 9, 2021)
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQSQ8-ET3zc

Resources

Whose Body Is It (whosebodyisit.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

Doula Match (doulamatch.net)

  • Isabella Malbin [inactive]
  • http://doulamatch.net/profile/14617

Romio (romio.com)

  • Isabella Malbin [inactive]
  • https://romio.com/l/new-york-city/user-profile/isabella-malbin/

The Same Drugs is an anti-transgender show by gender critical activist Meghan Murphy. Many guests are also anti-transgender activists.

2018

  • I’m starting a YouTube channel! Please support my work!
  • Update on my upcoming talk on gender identity ideology and women’s rights

2019

  • Graham Linehan on Twitter, trans activism, and why he won’t just shut up
  • Desperately Seeking Nuance: Meghan Daum on identity politics and the elusive nuanced conversation
  • Lisa Marchiano on emotional fragility and the medicalization of feelings
  • Taking the white pill: Katie Herzog refuses to be put into a box
  • I’m suing Twitter — here’s why
  • Debate: Does trans activism negatively impact women’s rights?
  • Jesse Singal on YA fiction fueds, identitarianism, gender dysphoria, and bad journalists on Twitter
  • Lionel Shriver on the cultishness of the left and having unpopular opinions
  • Can women legally be compelled to handle male genitals?
  • Gender Identity: What Does It Mean for Society, the Law, and Women — A talk by Meghan Murphy
  • Melissa Derby on the victim/oppressor narrative and intergenerational trauma
  • Heather Mason on the transferring of males to women’s prisons in Canada

2020

  • The Same Drugs Interview — Buck Angel
  • The Same Drugs Interview: Meghan Murphy and Karen Tumajz cancel themselves
  • The Same Drugs Interview: The Benjamin Boyce Story
  • The Same Drugs Interview: Arielle Scarcella isn’t afraid of being cancelled
  • The Same Drugs: Episode 12 — Tiger Queens
  • The Same Drugs Interview: Brendan O’Neill on the COVID lockdowns
  • The Same Drugs Interview: Mike Nayna on grievance studies & the trouble with social justice activism
  • dating apps
  • The Same Drugs Interview: Nancy Jo Sales on the false promises of
  • NOW PLAYING
  • The Same Drugs Interview: Toby Young on Free Speech, No Platforming, and Social Media Censorship
  • The Same Drugs Interview: Jon Kay on COVID, the lockdowns, and how to get the perfect frosted tips
  • The Same Drugs: Coleman Hughes on race, racism, police violence, and Black Lives Matter
  • The Same Drugs: Zaid Jilani on racism, riots, defunding the police, privilege theory, and Amy Cooper
  • The Same Drugs: Jon Kay on Tom Cotton, Wendy Mesley, the CBC, and the disintegration of media
  • The Same Drugs: MK Fain on trashing and infighting in feminism
  • The Same Drugs: Lisa Marchiano on new religions and activism
  • The Same Drugs: Jen Gerson holds the line
  • The Same Drugs: James Lindsay still thinks 2+2=4
  • The Same Drugs: Stuart Parker on identitarianism and the current state of the left
  • The Same Drugs: Bret Weinstein explains everything
  • The Same Drugs: Abigail Shrier on girls and the trans trend
  • The Same Drugs: Brendan O’Neill on Covid lockdowns, Trump, Big Tech, and Samuel Paty
  • The Same Drugs: Mark Crispin Miller on propaganda, masks, and academic freedom
  • The Same Drugs: Brittany Talissa King on BLM, polarization, and the power of conversation
  • The Same Drugs: Weird bodies, bad women, and flawed feminism
  • The Same Drugs: Vincent Emanuele is on the left, despite the left
  • The Same Drugs: Peter Hitchens wishes you an angry Christmas, not a merry one

2021

  • It’s not a good thing that Trump was banned from Twitter
  • The Same Drugs: Tom Slater on free speech, Big Tech, and Trump
  • The Same Drugs: Matt Taibbi wants a better media channel for a less polarized America
  • The Same Drugs: Helen Pluckrose on postmodernism, feminism, and Cynical Theories
  • The Same Drugs: Do Trudeau’s new travel restrictions violate the Charter?
  • The Same Drugs: Ani O’Brien on the problem with modern feminism
  • The Same Drugs: Heather Heying on gender identity, Twitter, and the lab leak theory
  • Why I was banned from Twitter
  • The Same Drugs: The thought police are here for Harry Miller
  • The Same Drugs: Ian Leslie on how to disagree (except about The Beatles)
  • The Same Drugs: Debunking myths about gender identity with Colin Wright
  • The Same Drugs: Jodi Shaw is fighting a ‘racially hostile’ environment at Smith College
  • The Same Drugs: Lindsay Shepherd on diversity, exclusion, and the free speech crisis on campus
  • The Same Drugs: Jonathan Kay on rape, due process, and the Steven Galloway case
  • Cancellation can be a blessing
  • The Same Drugs: CJ Hopkins on The New Normal
  • The Same Drugs: Ayaan Hirsi Ali on modern feminism and her new book, Prey
  • The Same Drugs: Jay Cameron on Bill C-10—the Liberal’s attempt to regulate Canadians’ online speech
  • The Same Drugs: Nancy Jo Sales on her life in the dating app inferno
  • The Same Drugs: Danielle Crittenden Frum on feminism, marriage, and gender roles in the modern world
  • The Same Drugs: Trans activists want to force BC courts to adopt “preferred pronouns”
  • The Same Drugs: Bill Ottman on the problems with social media and how we can fix them
  • The Same Drugs: Richie Hardcore on porn, masculinity, Muay Thai, and becoming a better person
  • It’s harder to have critical conversations about porn because of third wave feminism
  • Richie Hardcore on how to talk to kids about porn
  • The Same Drugs: Carole Hooven on testosterone and the male body
  • The Same Drugs: Jeanna Hoch is a stripper who found radical feminism
  • Are men able to compartmentalize more easily than women?
  • The Same Drugs: Helen Joyce takes on gender identity in her new book, ‘Trans’
  • There are different reasons people transition
  • The Same Drugs: Karin Litzcke on why the PPC could be the alternative Canadians are looking for
  • The Same Drugs: Jake Shields tells us what he really thinks
  • A hunter gatherer’s guide to love, sex, and dating, with Bret Weinstein & Heather Heying
  • Porn creates a kind of sexual autism
  • The Same Drugs: Bonnie Snyder on the politicization of education
  • The Same Drugs: Are incels the dangerous misogynists we thought?
  • What’s wrong with hormonal birth control
  • The Same Drugs: Pete Zaborszky on creating alternative social media platforms

2022

  • Is Australia turning into a dictatorship?
  • Alexandra Marshall on politics in Australia and encroaching totalitarianism in her country
  • Garrett Jonsson of Fight the New Drug on why you should stop using porn
  • Why are we trying so hard to normalize porn?
  • BJ Dichter on the Canadian truckers’ #FreedomConvoy
  • Frances Widdowson was fired as a professor at Mount Royal University for questioning ‘woke’ ideas
  • Justin Trudeau invokes the Emergency Act in an attempt to curtail democracy — what does this mean?
  • This is a class war: Trish Wood on the Covid response, the media, and disdain for the working class
  • Everything wrong in Western democracy today is as a result of a failed news media
  • Haunted by phantom honking’: Jon Kay on the Freedom Convoy and Trudeau’s Canada
  • What is the reality of life under communism?
  • Francis Foster: “I think we all went insane”
  • Francis Foster on communism, fear-mongering, and what it means to be a good man
  • Jake Shields on Jiu-Jitsu, masculinity, and Will Smith
  • Katie Herzog on the botched case of Florian Jaeger, #MeToo’d despite being cleared of all ‘charges’
  • Michelle Evans is standing up for parents (and kids!) in Texas
  • Daryl Davis on why you should make friends with your enemies
  • Mike Solana on political censorship, social media, and thought crime
  • “If the underlying sin of the capitalist is greed, the underlying sin of the socialist is envy”
  • Drunk on power? Sarah Hepola on blackouts, binge drinking, alcoholism, and women
  • Keri Smith on Leaving the Social Justice Cult
  • Taylor Silverman on being a female skateboarder and standing up for fair competition in her sport
  • Colin Wright was banned from PayPal and Etsy for standing for reality
  • Isn’t that the ultimate privilege? To just sit around and be offended?
  • Women Leaving the Left
  • Yannis Pappas on wokeness, YouTube, and why people become comics
  • Journalism used to be about questioning authority
  • Batya Ungar-Sargon on how journalism went woke
  • The truth behind Canada’s “mass graves” story
  • Terry Glavin on fake mass graves and Trudeau’s woke lies
  • Kevin Bardosh on the consequences of Covid policy in Canada
  • Is Trudeau following the tyrant’s manual?
  • Canada’s road to Beijing — John Carpay on the Trudeau government’s move towards a digital ID
  • Do feminists have good reason to criticize Matt Walsh?
  • West is Best: Konstantin Kisin reminds us not to take the West for granted, despite elite cynicism
  • The way to overcome arguments for censorship is with curiosity
  • Greg Lukianoff is making free speech great again
  • It might be the first time I ever vote Conservative
  • I’ve never experienced this level of division in Canada before’ — Tara Henley on leaving the CBC
  • Erin Friday on why we need to stop transitioning kids now
  • Socially transitioning your child is abusive — it’s a lie’
  • Americans are being misled about meat — finding ethical meat is hard, but Ben Spell wants to help
  • Ben Spell: If you control the food, you control the people
  • Vancouver is Dying’ — Aaron Gunn on Vancouver’s growing drug and crime problem
  • David “El Necio” Diaz on bare knuckle boxing and changing your life
  • David “El Necio” Diaz fought his demons and won
  • Pamela Garfield-Jaegar is bringing truth to therapy
  • “They’re weaponizing a half truth”
  • Genevieve Gluck on the truth behind the trans trend [Reduxx]
  • How to outrage everyone: Jimbob’s Savage Memes refuse to pick sides
  • Jennifer Sey left a corporate career she loved to tell the truth
  • “From the beginning, none of it made sense”: Jennifer Sey on why she spoke out against the lockdowns
  • Tristan Hopper on everything wrong with Canada in 2022

2023

  • Shannon Thrace was married to a man who decided he wanted to be a woman
  • Peter Boghossian on how to have tough conversations and change minds in a world that avoids Benjamin Dichter on how truckers ended the pandemic
  • What’s the connection between porn and sexual predators?
  • Jared Klickstein on our misguided approach to homelessness and addiction
  • Jared Klickstein on the “cosmic consequences” that helped him overcome addiction
  • Is the homelessness problem really about a lack of housing?
  • Is Landmark Forum a cult?
  • Are kids that aren’t allowed to medically transition really at higher risk for suicide?
  • Lots of girls don’t feel ‘feminine’ — it doesn’t mean you’re a boy
  • Michael Shellenberger on how the left got climate change, addiction, and prostitution wrong
  • Do leftist activists just hate civilization?
  • The left claims to care about victims—why don’t they care about victims of the sex trade?
  • Mary Harrington thinks feminism needs to go backwards, not forward
  • The pill has not been good for women
  • Matt Thornton on martial arts, self-defense, and building a healthier relationship to violence
  • How can you tell who is a threat and how can you protect yourself?
  • How can you recognize people with character disorders and avoid them?
  • What kind of man can’t handle Jiu Jitsu?
  • Why is the Canadian government trying to regulate what you see online?
  • The PDGA banned transwomen from competing as women after an anonymous survey of members
  • Why I moved away from the ‘feminist’ label and ‘feminism,’ the ideology
  • Jon Kay on trans players in disc golf, Dylan Mulvaney’s girlhood, misgendering, feminism, and more!
  • LIVE: Batya Ungar-Sargon on what the hell is going on in media these LIVE with Amy Sousa and K. Yang: Women’s spaces, realities, and sports
  • Robin Dunbar on friends—the cure for all that ails us
  • Karin Litzcke is an ex-NDP supporter now running for the Conservative Party of BC
  • Women fight back! Live with K. Yang and Isabella Malbin
  • Can mental health issues be cured with a pill?
  • Shannon Hayes on choosing happiness over ‘success’
  • An ex-john opens up about buying sex and why he became an advocate against the sex trade
  • Mike Nayna on bullshit PhDs, viral racism, and The Reformers
  • Blindsight is 2020: Gabrielle Bauer on the Covid dissenters
  • Siddharth Kara on sex trafficking and the horrors of modern slavery in cobalt mines
  • April Hutchinson is a Canadian powerlifter who refuses to lose her sport to men
  • Live from Canada! With Canada’s preeminent lesbian, Eva Kurilova
  • ‘These are not morally equivalent things’ — Batya Ungar-Sargon on Hamas’ attack on Israel
  • FULL INTERVIEW: Don’t turn your humanity over to the machine
  • ‘This is punishment for dissent’ — C.J. Hopkins: tried for satire in Germany
  • Philip Slayton on free speech in Canada, antisemitism, and what it means to be a Jew
  • Climate change isn’t everything

Jennifer Finney Boylan is an American author, professor, and activist. Boylan has written several memoirs and novels and has frequently appeared in the media to discuss trans issues.

Notable work involving gender and media includes:

  • The memoir She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders (2003)
  • Writing a New York Times opinion column (2007–2022)
  • The memoir Stuck in the Middle with You: A Memoir of Parenting in Three Genders (2013)
  • Serving on the GLAAD Board (2013)
  • Collaborating with transbians Parker Molloy and Christina Kahrl on pushing GLAAD to adopt their prescriptivist views on slang and slurs (2014)
  • Unsuccessfully lobbying behind the scenes to boycott/cancel RuPaul’s Drag Race (2014)
  • Mentoring and promoting writer Parker Molloy during and after abuse allegations against Molloy
  • Being a consultant for Jeffrey Tambor on the dramedy Transparent (2014) during and after abuse allegations against Tambor
  • Appearing as Caitlyn Jenner’s friend on I Am Cait (2015)
  • Giving the thumbs up to an anti-trans article by Lisa Selin Davis (2017)
  • Signing the Harper’s letter with J.K. Rowling and dozens of other anti-trans activists, later withdrawn (2020)
  • Writing opinion pieces for the Washington Post

Background

Jennifer Finney “Jenny” Boylan was born June 22, 1958 in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Boylan earned a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University in 1980, then earned a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1986. Boylan was a professor at Colby College from 1988 to 2014, then took an appointment at Barnard College. Several of Boylan’s early books were published prior to beginning transition in 2000. Boylan wrote an opinion column for the New York Times from 2007 to 2022 among other writing. Boylan has published opinion pieces in the Washington Post since 2014, increasing the frequency after leaving the New York Times.

In 1988 Boylan married Deirdre Finney Boylan (born 1960). They have two children, Sean (born 1996), and Zaira (born 1994), who is also trans.

Boylan served on the board of GLAAD and has held other roles at organizations benefiting sex and gender minorities. Boylan has appeared on Oprah and the Caitlyn Jenner reality show I Am Cait.

In 2023, Boylan was named President of PEN America.

Anti-drag factionalism

Boylan was a key figure with Christina Kahrl in the 2014 transbian attacks led by Parker Molloy that were critical of drag artists and the offensive language some of them use. This strain of respectability politics reached a boiling point when the three of them combined their ongoing anti-drag and anti-slur crusades to extract an apology from RuPaul and RuPaul’s Drag Race for a transphobic segment that was ultimately pulled. They bragged about taking over GLAAD, an organization built by the entire community that had previously helped settle intra-community disputes out of the public eye. In a mutually beneficial piece of logrolling, Boylan told Molloy:

“This is, to coin a phrase, not your father’s GLAAD, and this is not the work that was being done a decade ago. One reason why I think we’ve been able to make a little progress is that GLAAD is now largely run by trans people. We occupy positions from staff to volunteers to the board of directors, including its national co-chair, which is me. These are our lives we are talking about; the people demeaned by incidents like this one are the men and women who work here. And other cis staff members have been working for trans rights for years and years now. I am proud of the board and staff for their passion.”

Even after being presented with extensive evidence of Parker Molloy’s abuse and slurs toward other trans people, Boylan remained one of Molloy’s staunchest supporters. In exchange, Molloy would write publicity pieces for Boylan and launder them through Advocate.com until being suspended and ultimately resigning.

2020 Harper’s Letter

Boylan was a signatory on the 2020 “A Letter on Justice and Open Debate” in Harper’s Magazine. That open letter was criticized for the high percentage of “gender critical” people in the media, most notably anti-trans extremist J.K. Rowling. Boylan had been in awe of Rowling to the point that in 2010 Boylan created a children’s fantasy series called Falcon Quinn that shared remarkable similarities with Rowling’s Harry Potter franchise.

Boylan asked to be taken off the Harper’s Letter, claiming ignorance of the other signatories, while trans economist Deirdre McCloskey remained a signatory.

Books

  • Remind Me to Murder You Later (1988)
  • The Planets (1991)
  • The Constellations: A Novel (1994)
  • Getting In (1998)
  • She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders (2003)
  • I’m Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted: A Memoir (2008)
  • Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror (2010)
  • Falcon Quinn and the Crimson Vapor (2011)
  • Stuck in the Middle with You: A Memoir of Parenting in Three Genders (2013)
  • Foreword fo Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community (2014)
  • You Are You (2015)
  • Falcon Quinn and the Bullies of Greenblud (2016)
  • Long Black Veil (2017)
  • Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs (2020)
  • Mad Honey: A Novel (2022) [with Jodi Picoult]
  • Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us (2025)

References

Tagen-Dye, Carly (February 5, 2025). Jennifer Finney Boylan Doesn’t Speak for All Trans People. And with Cleavage, She’s Ready to Cede the Floor to New Voices. People https://people.com/jennifer-finney-boylan-new-book-cleavage-trans-experience-8786585

Harris, Elizabeth A. (December 11, 2023). Jennifer Finney Boylan to Lead PEN America. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/books/jennifer-finney-boylan-pen-america.html

Bull, Chris (July 11, 2020). These queer media stars are helping save America from itself. Queerty https://www.queerty.com/queer-media-stars-helping-save-america-20200711/4/

Nolan, Emma (July 8, 2020). Trans Author Jennifer Finney Boylan Recants ‘Cancel Culture’ Letter Signed by J.K. Rowling. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/author-jennifer-finney-boylan-recants-cancel-cultureletter-jk-rowling-1516235

Crane, Emily (July 8, 2020). Trans writer Jennifer Finney Boylan distances herself from free speech letter she signed calling out cancel culture after realizing JK Rowling had also endorsed it – but is immediately called out by the Harry Potter author. Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8503571/Trans-writer-Jennifer-Finney-Boylan-distances-free-speech-letter.html

Masters, Jeffrey (March 20, 2019). Jennifer Finney Boylan Looks Back on Her Infamous Interview With Oprah. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/transgender/2019/3/20/jennifer-finney-boylan-looks-back-infamous-interview-oprah

Molloy, Parker Marie (May 2, 2014). Trans Bodies, Trans Selves Aims to Educate the Trans Masses. Advocate.com https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/05/02/trans-bodies-trans-selves-aims-educate-trans-masses

Molloy, Parker Marie (May 1, 2014). GLAAD Cochair Jennifer Finney Boylan Joins Barnard College. Advocate.com https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/05/01/glaad-cochair-jennifer-finney-boylan-joins-barnard-college

James, Andrea (July 24, 2014). The GLAAD Board’s “Tranny” Trouble: How Its Trans Takeover Is Reshaping LGBT Politics. Queerty https://www.queerty.com/the-glaad-boards-tranny-trouble-how-its-trans-takeover-is-reshaping-lgbt-politics-20140724 [archive]

Molloy, Parker Marie (March 29, 2014). Logo, RuPaul’s Drag Race Respond to Antitrans Slurs. Advocate.com https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/03/29/logo-rupauls-drag-race-respond-antitrans-slurs

Davis, Brendan (November 8, 2013). Meet GLAAD’s new board co-chairs! https://glaad.org/blog/meet-glaads-new-board-co-chairs [archive]

Leung, Rebecca (February 23, 2004 ). Trapped: Jenny Boylan. CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trapped-jenny-boylan/

Selected writing by Boylan

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (July 13, 2025). Superman’s father taught me how to write. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/07/13/superman-fd-christopher-reeve-father-jor-el/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (May 8, 2025). What two packs of weed gummies taught me about America. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/05/08/weed-trans-lgbtq-illegal-moral/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (March 19, 2025). What is a trans woman, really? The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/03/19/misgendering-sarah-mcbride/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (February 5, 2025). On cleavage: Mind the gap. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/05/cleavage-men-women-transgender-marriage-love/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (October 30, 2024). Donald Trump wants you to be afraid of me. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/30/trump-trans-ads-strategy-fear/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (September 25, 2024). Will Ferrell’s new film showcases a richer, riskier kind of humor. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/09/25/will-harper-netflix-movie-humor-transgender-road-trip/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (October 30, 2023). After the Maine shooting, trying to say no to fear. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/30/maine-fear-before-halloween/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (May 1, 2023). To understand biological sex, look at the brain, not the body. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/01/transgender-biology-brain-science-freedom/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (July 29, 2022). Trans people shouldn’t have to hide to help Democrats win. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/trans-people-shouldnt-have-hide-help-democrats-win/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (June 1, 2021). A Scottish political party treated trans people like the Loch Ness monster. It won’t be the last time. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/01/scottish-political-party-treated-trans-people-like-loch-ness-monster-it-wont-be-last-time/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (July 2, 2021). Remember the Bicentennial? Celebrating might be even harder for America’s 250th birthday. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/02/remember-bicentennial-celebrating-might-be-even-harder-americas-250th-birthday/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (August 22, 2013). Longing for the day when Chelsea Manning and I both seem boring. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/longing-for-the-day-when-chelsea-manning-and-i-both-seem-boring/2013/08/22/7bf52c42-0b5d-11e3-b87c-476db8ac34cd_story.html

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (February 7, 2014). The Beatles. JFK. Even Julia Child. Help! I need a break from 50th anniversaries. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-beatles-jfk-even-julia-child-help-i-need-a-break-from-50th-anniversaries/2014/02/07/c1eb6666-8e76-11e3-84e1-27626c5ef5fb_story.html

Media

NPR Podcasts with Robin Young and Jenny Boylan (March 13, 2025). Jennifer Finney Boylan’s latest memoir ‘Cleavage’ is a reflection on transgender life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruhO55D3CB4

NEWS CENTER Maine (February 24, 2025). America’s best-known trans writer, Jennifer Finney Boylan, has a few things to get off her chest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUNzYbRbOF4

Politics and Prose (February 18, 2025). Jennifer Finney Boylan — Cleavage – with Congresswoman Sarah McBride. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUI0J2ClDd0

PEN America (May 20, 2025). Jennifer Finney Boylan’s Opening Remarks at the 2025 PEN America Literary Gala. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQZKflMzVNA

sia_thebestsinger (April 21, 2020). Sia live with Jennifer Finney Boylan on Zoom (04.21.2020). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqRBmur30lA

The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss and Jenny Boylan (December 2, 2019). Jenny Boylan – The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss – FULL VIDEO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycn6NqZiUAE

E! Entertainment (March 11, 2016). I Am Cait | Kate Bornstein & Jennifer Finney Boylan Discuss “Tranny” | E! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i9k-V51QfY

TEDx Talks (September 30, 2015). A transgender path home | Jennifer Finney Boylan | TEDxMet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0h7LFvlVwk

JennyBoylan (January 10, 2013). We Happy Trans, with Jennifer Finney Boylan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pulsg9QTyNc

GLAAD (November 14, 2012). I AM: Trans People Speak – Jennifer Finney Boylan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMxPdZt7Tso

Chicago Humanities (November 30, 2010). Jennifer Finney Boylan: A Life in Two Genders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tqQbhDhiVo

nodumbquestions (October 7, 2008). Jennifer Boylan: No Dumb Questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIbDz7lyGyc

Resources

Jennifer Finney Boylan (jenniferboylan.net)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Muck Rack (muckrack.com)

Harvard University, Hollis Archives (hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Bluesky (bsky.app)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Substack (substack.com)

New York Times (nytimes.com)

Colby College (colby.edu)

Barnard College (barnard.edu)

  • Jennifer Boylan
  • english.barnard.edu/profiles/jennifer-boylan
  • barnard.edu/profiles/jennifer-boylan

GLAAD (glaad.org)

  • Professor Jennifer Finney Boylan (Maine) May 2011–Present
  • glaad.org/about/board/jenniferboylan [archive]

PEN America (pen.org/)

Gender Rights Maryland (genderrightsmaryland.org)

  • Policy Advisory Board
  • genderrightsmaryland.org/joomla/about-us/policy-advisory-board [archive]

Andrew Sullivan is a conservative gay cultural critic and anti-transgender extremist. The Advocate noted that Sullivan “represents everything wrong with the gay rights movement.”

Sullivan is an LGB separatist who subscribes to the “gay erasure” conspiracy theory that healthcare for trans and gender diverse youth is a plan to eliminate gay, lesbian, and bisexual people.

Sullivan says Catholic upbringing and values inform this conservatism. Sullivan’s gender critical views include:

  • Criticizing legal protections based on gender identity
  • Criticizing affirmative care for gender diverse youth
  • Promoting the ex-transgender movement
  • Stating that trans youth should wait until 16 for health services
  • Citing anti-trans research like Lisa Littman’s “rapid onset gender dysphoria“

Sullivan believes that “Stonewall was the downfall of the gay movement” and that “the gay movement was hijacked in the seventies” by activists.

Background

In 1986, Sullivan took a role at The New Republic, rising to editor in 1991 before leaving in 1996.

Sullivan wrote for The New York Times Magazine from 1998 until getting fired in 2002. During that time Sullivan started a blog called The Dish that ran until 2015. From 2016 to 2020 Sullivan wrote for New York magazine, then moved to Substack.

Anti-trans activism

Sullivan frequently appears in the media to attack trans people, especially gender diverse children.

Sullivan has collaborated with anti-trans activists, including Katie Herzog, Megyn Kelly, Bill Maher, Konstantin Kisin, and Francis Foster.

Podcast

In October 2020, Sullivan began the Dishcast, which has hosted many anti-trans activists, including David Frum, Michelle Goldberg, Rod Dreher, Eric Kaufmann, Lionel Shriver, Nellie Bowles, Bill Maher, Richard Dawkins, Abigail Shrier, Carole Hooven, Pamela Paul, Leor Sapir, Vivek Ramaswamy, Hannah Barnes, Nicholas Wade, Ben Appel, Matt Taibbi, Glen Loury, Louise Perry, David French, Douglas Murray, Bari Weiss, Jonathan Haidt, Kathleen Stock, Christopher Rufo, Michael Shellenberger, Ann Coulter, Steven Pinker, Ross Douthat, Wesley Yang, Katie Herzog, Charles Murray, Niall Ferguson, Julie Bindel, Emily Yoffe, Sally Satel, Glenn Greenwald, Kmele Foster, Caitlin Flanagan, Meghan Daum, Matt Yglesias, and Coleman Hughes.

Sullivan has also hosted conservative trans activist Buck Angel, ex-trans activist Helena Kerschner, and centrist trans activists Mara Keisling and Dana Beyer.

References

Reis, Elizabeth (July 16, 2025). Our Bodies, Our Decisions: A Response to Andrew Sullivan’s NYT Essay. Nursing Clio https://nursingclio.org/2025/07/16/our-bodies-our-decisions-a-response-to-andrew-sullivans-nyt-essay/

Urquhart, Evan (June 26, 2025). NYT Publishes Andrew Sullivan’s Incoherent Mishmash of Anti-Trans Politics. Assigned Media https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/new-york-times-andrew-sullivan-incoherant-anti-trans-politics

Coyne, Jerry (June 26, 2025). An important article by Andrew Sullivan. Why Evolution Is True https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2025/06/26/an-important-article-by-andrew-sullivan/

Hays, Gabriel (June 26, 2025). Gay journalist says LGBTQ movement has gone from civil rights success to ‘madness.’ Fox News https://nypost.com/2025/06/26/us-news/gay-journalist-says-lgbtq-movement-has-gone-from-civil-rights-success-to-madness/

Brantley, Will [editor] (2024). Conversations with Sarah Schulman. University Press of Mississippi, ISBN 978-1-4968-4836-9 https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.10782311.10

Finke, Leigh (April 28, 2021). From Andrew Sullivan to Terry Schilling: Framing Transition as Evil. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2021/4/28/andrew-sullivan-terry-schilling-framing-transition-evil

Marr, Rhuaridh (December 30, 2020). Gay conservative Andrew Sullivan complains about lesbians ‘becoming men’ in anti-trans column. Sullivan’s complaints about lesbian women not tending to him while sick led to confusion on Twitter. Metro Weekly https://www.metroweekly.com/2020/12/gay-conservative-andrew-sullivan-complains-about-lesbians-becoming-men-in-anti-trans-column/

Schindler, Paul (February 1, 2018). The Trouble With Andrew Sullivan. Gay City News https://gaycitynews.com/the-trouble-with-andrew-sullivan/

Belonsky, Andrew (October 12, 2007). Andrew Sullivan Supports Barney Frank. Queerty http://www.queerty.com/andrew-sullivan-supports-barney-frank-20071012/

Selected anti-trans writing by Sullivan

Sullivan, Andrew (June 26, 2025). How the Gay Rights Movement Radicalized, and Lost Its Way. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/opinion/gay-lesbian-trans-rights.html alt headline: Gay People Won. So Why Does It Feel As if We’re Losing?

Sullivan, Andrew (October 18, 2024). Rachel Levine Must Resign. Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/rachel-levine-must-resign

Sullivan, Andrew (April 12, 2024). Will Big Trans Be Held To Account? The Cass Report has definitively destroyed their case for child sex-changes. Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/will-big-trans-be-held-to-account-3ad

Sullivan, Andrew (March 15, 2024). The Transqueers Take The Mask Off: Judith Butler and Andrea Long Chu explain their gender revolution. It’s wild! Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-transqueers-take-the-mask-off-f7c

Sullivan, Andrew (February 2, 2024). The Meaningless Incoherence Of “LGBTQ+.” Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-meaningless-incoherence-of-lgbtq-d47

Sullivan, Andrew (June 23, 2023). Gay Rights And The Limits Of Liberalism. Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/gay-rights-and-the-limits-of-liberalism-be4

Sullivan, Andrew (May 19, 2023). The Queers Versus The Homosexuals. Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-queers-versus-the-homosexuals-cfd

Sullivan, Andrew (March 24, 2023). Culture War Politics And The English Language. Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/culture-war-politics-and-the-english-706

Sullivan, Andrew (April 8, 2022). Who Is Looking Out For Gay Kids? Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/who-is-looking-out-for-gay-kids-a19

Sullivan, Andrew (February 18, 2022). The Backlash Against Trans Extremism. Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-backlash-against-trans-extremism

Sullivan, Andrew (February 18, 2022). The Trans Movement Is Not About Rights Anymore. Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-trans-movement-is-not-about-rights-67e

Sullivan, Andrew (October 8, 2021). Dave Chappelle Is Right, Isn’t He? The comedian defends reality. Which is currently under siege. Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/dave-chappelle-is-right-isnt-he-b23

Sullivan, Andrew (April 9, 2021). A Truce Proposal in the Trans Wars. Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/a-truce-proposal-in-the-trans-wars-c49

Sullivan, Andrew (November 1, 2019). The Hard Questions About Young People and Gender Transitions. Intelligencer http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/11/andrew-sullivan-hard-questions-gender-transitions-for-young.html

Sullivan, Andrew (September 20, 2019). When the Ideologues Come for the Kids. Intelligencer https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/09/andrew-sullivan-when-the-ideologues-come-for-the-kids.html

Sullivan, Andrew (February 1, 2019). The Nature of Sex. Intelligencer https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/02/andrew-sullivan-the-nature-of-sex.html

Sullivan, Andrew (June 2, 2014). Engaging The T. The Dish https://dish.andrewsullivan.com/threads/engaging-the-t/

Media

The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan and Brianna Wu (December 27, 2024). Brianna Wu On Trans Life. https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/brianna-wu-on-trans-life

Club Random with Bill Maher and Andrew Sullivan (March 2, 2023). Why Being Gay is now considered Bigoted w/ Andrew Sullivan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-Gf3RRGDM0

Megyn Kelly and Andre Sullivan (October 10, 2022). The Lies of “Gender Affirming Care” Grow More Extreme, with Andrew Sullivan. The Megyn Kelly Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c87CuvD5j24

TRIGGERnometry with Konstantin Kisin, Francis Foster , and Andrew Sullivan (June 29, 2022) Andrew Sullivan: “Leave Kids the F*ck Alone!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8f_f-lhuUw

Real Time with Bill Maher, Katie Herzog, Andrew Sullivan, and Christine Emba (June 24, 2022). Overtime: Andrew Sullivan, Katie Herzog, Christine Emba | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7QITC__mV4

Andrew Sullivan with Mara Kiesling (February 26, 2021). Mara Keisling On The Trans Debate. https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/mara-keisling-on-the-trans-debate

Andrew Sullivan with Dana Beyer (November 27, 2020). Dana Beyer On Her Trans Victories, The Science Of Sex, And The Tensions Within “LGBTQ.” Substack https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/dana-beyer-on-her-trans-victories

Resources

Andrew Sullivan (andrewsullivan.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Substack (substack.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Note: In 2025, this site phased out AI illustrations after artist feedback. The previous illustration is here.

Michael Shermer is an American writer and anti-transgender activist. Shermer has devoted considerable space for anti-trans views in the publication Skeptic and on the podcast The Michael Shermer Show.

Background

Michael Brant Shermer was born September 8, 1954 in Los Angeles, California. Shermer earned a bachelor’s degree form Pepperdine in 1976 and a master’s degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton in 1978. Shermer got involved in competitive cycling during this time.

Shermer earned a doctorate from Claremont Graduate University in 1991. Shermer helped found the Skeptics Society in 1991. Shermer has taught at Glendale Community College, Occidental College, and Chapman University.

For 18 years Shermer was a monthly columnist for Scientific American. Shermer has been dogged by accusations of sexual misconduct since 2013. Shermer has produced and appeared in a number of television shows about science and pseudoscience.

Anti-transgender activism

Shermer is especially angry about transgender athletes, trans and gender diverse youth, WPATH, and how Scientific American has gone “woke” due to their coverage of trans issues.

Shermer has also promoted and published anti-trans writings of other “gender critical” activists:

References

Tavris, Carol (April 17, 2023). Behind the Rhetoric: The Untold Story of “Gender-Affirming” Clinics. Skeptic Volume 27 Number 1 https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/behind-rhetoric-untold-story-of-gender-affirming-clinics/

McCaffree K, Saide A (March 7, 2023). Trans, Identity and Institutional Controversies. Research Report: PADS-002 https://www.skeptic.com/research-center/reports/Research-Report-PADS-002.pdf

Hall, Harriett (June 9, 2022). A transgender controversy. Skeptic Volume 27 Number 1 https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/transgender-controversy/

Davis, Lisa Selin (May 25, 2022). Trans Matters: An Overview of the Debate, Research, and Policies. Skeptic Volume 27 Number 1 https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/trans-matters-overview-debate-research-policies/

Tavris, Carol (January 25, 2022). Trans Reality: “I Didn’t Know There Was Another Side.” Skeptic https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/transgender-reality-i-didnt-know-there-was-another-side/

Selected anti-trans writing by Shermer

Shermer, Michael (November 14, 2024). Postmortem 2024. Skeptic https://michaelshermer.substack.com/p/postmortem-2024

Shermer, Michael (March 14, 2024). Death by Theory. Skeptic https://michaelshermer.substack.com/p/death-by-theory

Shermer, Michael (June 11, 2024). What’s It Like to Be Trans? [letter from a conservative transmedicalist] Skeptic https://michaelshermer.substack.com/p/whats-it-like-to-be-trans

Shermer, Michael (July 8, 2022). What is a Woman, Anyway? Skeptic https://michaelshermer.substack.com/p/what-is-a-woman-anyway

Shermer, Michael (March 7, 2024). Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, Redux—WPATH Edition. Skeptic https://michaelshermer.substack.com/p/extraordinary-popular-delusions-and

Shermer, Michael (December 9, 2021). Trans Athletes and Conflicting Rights. Skeptic https://michaelshermer.substack.com/p/trans-athletes-and-conflicting-rights

Media

Michael Shermer (). EPISODE # 160 Abigail Shrier — Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters. The Michael Shermer Show https://www.skeptic.com/michael-shermer-show/abigail-shrier-irreversible-damage-transgender-craze-seducing-our-daughters/

Michael Shermer (August 27, 2024). Are We Confused About Social Justice? (Helen Pluckrose). The Michael Shermer Show

Michael Shermer (May 14). Nellie Bowles — Reporting From the Frontlines of the Culture Wars The Michael Shermer Show

Michael Shermer (September 21). Colin Wright – Biology vs. Gender Ideology: The Science Behind the Debate. The Michael Shermer Show

Michael Shermer (September 15). Matt Ridley, Steven Pinker, and Michael Shermer Challenge Conventional Narratives. The Michael Shermer Show

Michael Shermer (August 17). Bones, Bias, and Backlash: Elizabeth Weiss on the Politicization of Anthropology. The Michael Shermer Show https://www.skeptic.com/michael-shermer-show/elizabeth-weiss-politicization-of-anthropology/

Michael Shermer (August 6). Richard Dawkins on Genetic Insights Into the History of Life. The Michael Shermer Show

Michael Shermer (). 461: Helen Pluckrose — Principled Strategies for Surviving and Defeating Critical Social Justice. https://www.skeptic.com/michael-shermer-show/helen-pluckrose-principled-strategies-for-surviving-defeating-critical-social-justice/

Michael Shermer (). Aella — From a Christian Upbringing to Sex Work

Michael Shermer (). Bradley Campbell — How to Think About Social Justice

Katherine Brodsky — How to Find and Free Your Voice in the Age of Outrage

Michael Shellenberger Explains Government Censorship of Social Media

Ayaan Hirsi Ali Converted to Christianity

Yascha Mounk — Identity Politics and its Discontents

Greg Lukianoff & Rikki Schlott — Cancel Culture and What to Do About It

Gad Saad — The Saad Truth About Happiness

Christopher Rufo Decodes Cultural Shifts in America

Umut Özkirimli — How the Left Can Make Its Way Back From Woke

Jean Twenge — Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents, and What They Mean for America’s Future

Bethany Mandel — How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence & Indoctrinating a Generation

Valerie Fridland — Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English

Gerald & Patricia Posner on Evil

Louise Perry — The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century

Meghan Daum — The Problem With Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars

Marty Klein — Sex Matters

Andrew Doyle — How the Religion of Social Justice Captured the Western World

Sabine Hossenfelder — Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions

Konstantin Kisin — An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the West

Helen Joyce — Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality

Frans De Waal on Sex and Gender Across the Primate Spectrum

Douglas Murray on The War on the West: Race, Politics, and Culture

Cathy Young — The Russian Riddle Wrapped in a Ukrainian Mystery Inside an American Enigma

Jesse Singal on Why Fad Psychology Can’t Cure Our Social Ills 

Dave Rubin — Left, Right, and Woke, based on his book Don’t Burn This Country: Surviving and Thriving in Our Woke Dystopia

Elizabeth Weiss on Woke Archaeology and Erasing the Past

Batya Ungar-Sargon — Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy

Sally Satel on Addiction, the Opioid Crisis, Deaths of Despair, and How Psychiatry Has Gone Woke

Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein on evolution and the challenges of modern life, based on their new book A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century

Steven Pinker on Rationality: What it is, Why it Seems Scarce, Why it Matters

Richard Dawkins on evangelizing for evolution, science, skepticism, philosophy, reason, and rationality, based on his new book Books Do Furnish a Life: Reading and Writing Science

Carole Hooven on T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us

Bari Weiss & Bion Bartning on Their New Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism

David Buss — When Men Behave Badly: The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment, and Assault

Jordan Peterson & Michael Shermer on Science, Myth, Truth, and the Architecture of Archetypes

Niall Ferguson — Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe

John McWhorter — The Elect: Neoracists Posing as Antiracists and their Threat to a Progressive America

John McWhorter — The Elect: Neoracists Posing as Antiracists and their Threat to a Progressive America

Abigail Shrier — Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters

Greg Lukianoff — How Free is Free Speech?

Debra Soh — The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society

Gad Saad — The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense

Scott Barry Kaufman — Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization

Dave Rubin — Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

Douglas Murray — The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race, and Identity

Geoffrey Miller — Virtue Signaling: Essays on Darwinian Politics and Free Speech

Peter Boghossian — How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide

Ben Shapiro — The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great

Dr. Gad Saad — Doing Gad’s Work

Dr. Jonathan Haidt — The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure

Amy Alkon — Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence

Dr. Jonathan Haidt — Coming Apart

Resources

Michael Shermer (michaelshermer.com)

Substack (https://substack.com/)

X/Twitter (x.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)