‘4thWaveNow’ vs. transgender people
4thWaveNow is an anti-transgender group blog focused on attacking trans healthcare for young people. It was founded under a pseudonym in 2015 by Denise Caignon, whose child Chiara Caignon-Lewis had expressed interest in making a gender transition before becoming a prominent ex-trans activist as an adult.
4thWaveNow (also styled 4th Wave Now) is the oldest and largest anti-trans group blog of its kind. It served as a central hub for unaccepting parents and anti-trans clinicians workshopping and developing strategies for attacking trans healthcare. It was one of three blogs used by Lisa Littman to recruit respondents for a controversial study promoting the disease “rapid onset gender dysphoria.”
Background
Denise Caignon moved to California in the 1970s and got involved in second-wave feminist activism, particularly around sexual assault prevention and survival. Caignon was involved in several organizations in the Santa Cruz area and co-authored a 1987 book of first-hand reports from sexual assault survivors.
Caignon’s only child Chiara Caignon-Lewis was born in 1997. In the early 2000s, Caignon and child moved to North Carolina, where Caignon worked as a speech-language pathologist. Caignon retired in 2014.
Chiara Caignon-Lewis began identifying as transgender online in 2013, at age 16. After initially being supportive, Denise became increasingly concerned about Chiara’s interest in a possible medical transition.
On March 17, 2015, Caignon made several posts on launch day. Caignon outlined the intended audience: “women-born-women (sorry—I’m
not really interested in hearing from transwomen) of all ages who are troubled
by the trans phenomenon” and “clear thinkers who aren’t afraid to call the trans agenda what it is: a regressive cult. […] I won’t post anything from people who attack me or others with words like TERF. “Cis” is not a real thing so don’t bother using that either…”
Denise began networking with trans-exclusionary feminists, attending Michigan Women’s Music Festival in August 2015 and meeting ex-trans activists there.
Caignon’s blog was soon discovered by Lisa Marchiano, another unaccepting parent. Also in 2015, Marchiano created the blog Youth Trans Critical Professionals, and the two began collaborating on anti-trans strategies. That year, Stephanie Davies-Arai founded the group blog Transgender Trend, and the three sites became mutually supportive hubs. The developed relationships with conservative outlets like The Federalist to amplify their work.
In 2019, Chiara Caignon-Lewis launched Pique Resilience Project with three other ex-trans activists. That project became inactive in 2020.
Following its peak activity in 2015, Denise Caignon began posting on 4thWaveNow less and less frequently, effectively stopping after 2019.
- 2015: 127 posts
- 2016: 58 posts
- 2017: 47 posts
- 2018: 38 posts
- 2019: 22 posts
- 2020: 1 post
- 2021: 2 posts
- 2022: 1 post
- 2023: 2 posts
- 2024: 1 post
This site revealed the identities of Caignon and child in 2022.
Contibutors
Most 4thWaveNow posters lack the courage of their convictions and post anonymously or pseudonymously.
Unconfirmed identities
- “BornSkeptical” [unaccepting parent – post]
- “dot” [ex-trans activist – post]
- “Emily Williams” [anti-trans activist – post]
- “FightingToGetHerBack” [unaccepting parent – post | post]
- “fightingunreality” [ex-trans activist – post]
- “heteronerd” [frequent commenter – post]
- “Katisan” [unaccepting parent – post]
- “Lane Anderson” [therpist – post]
- “Lily Maynard” and child “Jessie” [unaccepting parent and ex-trans activist – post]
- “Maddy” [supportive parent – post]
- “Maxine” [ex-trans activist – post later removed]
- “missingdaughter” [unaccepting parent – post]
- “pj white” / “Penny White” [unaccepting parent – post]
- “Sarah R.” [ex-trans activist – post]
- “Snowyball” [unaccepting parent – post]
- “SunMum” [unaccepting parent – post | post | post | post]
- “Susan Nagel” [unaccepting parent – post | post]
- “thissoftspace” [ex-trans activist – post]
- “worried doc” [unaccepting parent – post]
Confirmed identities
- J. Michael Bailey [anti-trans psychologist]
- Ray Blanchard [anti-trans psychologist]
- Carrie-Anne Brownian [commenter – post]
- Denise Caignon [unaccepting parent, 4thWaveNow founder]
- Jenny Cyphers [unaccepting parent – post]
- Brie Jontry [unaccepting parent, 4thWaveNow spokesperson – post]
- Helena Kerschner [ex-trans activist – post]
- Kathleen “Kelly” Levinstein [unaccepting parent – post]
- Lisa Marchiano [unaccepting parent, posted as “skepticaltherapist,” founder of Youth Trans Critical Professionals]
- Eva Penner [ex-trans activist, as “Benji” and “gnc_centric” – post]
- Max Robinson [ex-trans activist – post]
Resource index
4thWaveNow maintains an extensive Resource index divided by these topics:
- Resources for studies and reports relevant to gender-variant children
- Reflections from gay and lesbian people
- Reflections from parents of transgender or GNC children and teens (not explicitly pro-transgender unless specified)
- Reflections from transgender and de-transitioned people
- Reflections from other gender-critical adults (see also General Opinion)
- General opinion not listed above; relating to gender/transgender
- Transgender regret/unforeseen consequences/impact on GL community
- Gender theory (some overlap with above-cited links)
- Funding for transgender movement
- Jennifer Pritzker
- Trans United Fund
- Other transgender political advocacy
- Brain Science
- Child and teen psychological and brain development (not specifically trans)
- Relevant psychological theories and concepts (not specifically trans)
- Therapy resources
- Autism/ASD
- Internet/social media contagion/peer group pressure
- Children questioning gender (not explicitly pro-transition)
- Transgender public figures (individuals)
- Alexis Arquette
- Jennifer Boylan
- [Brandon Teena]
- Alex Drummond
- Caitlyn Jenner
- Jazz Jennings
- Christine Jorgenson [sic]
- Shannon Minter
- Danielle Muscato
- Willa Naylor
- Renee Richards
- “Stefonknee”
- Suicide
- Increased referrals to gender clinics; lowering age of consent
- WPATH / EPATH
- General medical resources (not specifically transgender)
- Medical issues related to transition (see also specific issues)
- Breast binding
- Mastectomy
- Phalloplasty
- Vaginoplasty and other MTF surgeries and procedures not discussed above
- Sterilization/fertility preservation
- Lupron
- Estrogen used outside the transgender context
- Steroids for women within the transgender context
- Steroids outside the transgender context
- Testosterone generally (outside transgender context)
- Femininity training
- Uterine transplants for men
- Informed consent
- Hospital-affiliated clinics
- GEMS Clinic (Boston Children’s Hospital) (Norman Spack)
- GenderCare (U.K.) (Stuart Lorimer)
- GENECIS (Dallas Children’s Hospital Gender Clinic)
- Hasbro Children’s Hospital (Rhode Island) (Michelle Forcier)
- Johns Hopkins clinic
- Los Angeles Children’s Hospital (Johanna Olson-Kennedy)
- Lurie Children’s Hospital (Chicago, Illinois)
- Mt. Sinai Hospital (New York, New York)
- Online Gender Clinic (U.K. – Helen Webberley)
- Rebirth OB/GYN (Salt Lake City) (Rixt Luikenaar)
- San Francisco Center for Excellence in Transgender Health
- Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Stanford University Children’s Health Care transgender clinic
- Tavistock & Portman Gender Identity Development Service (U.K.)
- UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital – Child and Adolescent Gender Center Clinic
- Sex education for kids (including but not limited to transgenderism)/school issues
- Articles pro/con teaching transgenderism in schools; location specified if available
- Handbooks and curriculum guides for teaching transgender; school policies
- Child sexual abuse prevention
- Packers/tucking
- Clothing
- Gendered toys
- Contrasting treatment of other conditions/age-based rules
- Medical treatments of the past, includes analogous discredited procedures and theories
- Marrow transplants for breast cancer
- Lobotomy
- Historical surgical
- Psychological panics of the past
- Transspeciesism ( includes otherkin)
- Transableism/BIID
- Transracialism
- Medicare/Medicaid and other insurance coverage for transgender procedures/non-discrimination laws – medical insurance
- Conversion therapy legislation/discrimination legislation
- Discrimination, other legal (not conversion therapy)
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Governmental initiatives to promote transgenderism (outside of conversion/discrimination)
- Legal rights and actions (analogous situations)
- Transgender crime
- Julianna Fialkowski
- Other
- Children of transgender parents/”pregnant man”/female erasure
- Homosexual/transsexual history
- Posthumous transgender & “transing the dead”
- Transgender in Iran
- Transgender counseling and youth and family support groups (not limited to medical transition); activist groups
- Dimensions (San Francisco)
- Juniper Center (Chicago)
- Gender Infinity (Houston, TX) (Colt Keo-Meier)
- Gendered Intelligence (U.K.)
- Gender Spectrum clinic (San Francisco) (Diane Ehrensaft)
- GIRES clinic (U.K.) (Gender Identity Research and Education Society)
- Mermaids (U.K.)
- Southern California Transgender Counseling Center (Christine Milrod)
- Trans Youth Equality Foundation (Portland, ME)
- Trans Youth Family Allies (Kelley Winters) (Holland, MI)
- Trans Youth Project/Gender Odyssey/Gender Diversity (Kristina Olson, Aidan Key) (Washington State)
- TransActive/Jenn Burleton (see also Sex education for kids)
- TransFamily Support Services (San Diego, CA)
- Transgender Europe
- Miscellaneous institutions facilitating transition
- Camps for “trans kids”
- Counseling centers
- College/university
- PFLAG
- CAMH/GIS/Ken Zucker
- American College of Pediatricians (removed November 2019)
- Feminist critiques
- Cults
- Cultural appropriation/intersex/two-spirit
- Birth certificates
- “Autogynephilia”
- [Sex segregation]
- Men in women’s spaces (boys in girls’ spaces) generally
- Title IX
- Locker room access
- Men playing women’s sports
- Bathroom access
- Trans kid narratives (in order by age). Celebrities, media cheerleading
- More cheerleading
- Truly miscellaneous but still interesting
References
Cravens, R.G. et al (December 12, 2023). Foundations of the Contemporary Anti-LGBTQ+ Pseudoscience Network. In CAPTAIN, Southern Poverty Law Center https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/foundations/
Lazine, Mira (December 7, 2023). The New Lisa Littman Study on ROGD and Detransition is a Total Mess. Assigned Media https://assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/the-new-lisa-littman-study-on-rogd-and-detransition-is-a-total-mess/
Staff report (June 1, 2023). ‘Seduction of Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria’: Animated Short. TransLash Media https://translash.org/articles/seduction-of-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria-animated-short/
Serano, Julia (May 31, 2023). Understanding the Anti-Trans Parent Movement. Medium https://juliaserano.medium.com/understanding-the-anti-trans-parent-movement-90d126de1fc9
McLamore, Quinnehtukqut (January 23, 2023). Disarming transphobia: ‘Rapid-onset gender dysphoria’ is a popular weapon in the anti-trans arsenal. It is nothing but unscientific bunk. Aeon https://aeon.co/essays/the-real-reason-why-theres-a-global-rise-in-trans-youth
Serano, Julia (March 24, 2023). Did Lisa Marchiano Invent “Transgender Social Contagion” and “No Transition Before Age 25”? Medium https://juliaserano.medium.com/did-lisa-marchiano-invent-transgender-social-contagion-and-no-transition-before-age-25-c74f26e2f0f9
Jones, Zinnia (July 1, 2017 ). Fresh trans myths of 2017: “rapid onset gender dysphoria.” Gender Analysis https://genderanalysis.net/2017/07/fresh-trans-myths-of-2017-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria/
Anti-trans coverage
Kennedy, Dana (May 11, 2022). Anguished parents of trans kids fight back against ‘gender cult’ trying to silence them. New York Post https://nypost.com/2022/05/11/meet-the-parents-of-trans-kids-fighting-gender-cult/
Dreher, Rod (March 14, 2019). Yes, They’re Coming For Kids. Trans activists, aided by doctors, legal system, and YouTube, are devastating families. The American Conservative https://www.theamericanconservative.com/yes-they-are-coming-for-kids-transgender/
Kay, Barbara (December 13, 2017). Barbara Kay: Parents face scorn for worrying about letting their children change genders. National Post https://nationalpost.com/opinion/barbara-kay-parents-victimized-in-the-identity-vs-mental-health-battle-over-transgendered-children
Selected posts on 4thWaveNow
Caignon, Denise (September 20, 2018). Toward a more nuanced exploration: An interview with Sasha Ayad. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2018/09/20/toward-a-more-nuanced-exploration-an-interview-with-sasha-ayad/
“Grace Williams” (February 27, 2019). A grand conspiracy to tell the truth: An interview with 4thWaveNow founder & her daughter. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2019/02/27/a-grand-conspiracy-to-tell-the-truth-an-interview-with-4thwavenow-founder-her-daughter-chiara-of-the-pique-resilience-project/
“Brie J” (July 8, 2018). Does prepubertal medical transition impact adult sexual function? 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2018/07/08/does-prepubertal-medical-transition-impact-adult-sexual-function/
“Susan Nagel” (December 13, 2017). Wanting to protect my daughter’s health does not make me a bigot. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2017/12/13/wanting-to-protect-my-daughters-health-does-not-make-me-a-bigot/
Bailey, J. Michael; Blanchard, Ray (December 7, 2017). Gender dysphoria is not one thing. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2017/12/07/gender-dysphoria-is-not-one-thing/
Caignon, Denise with “Brie J” (October 25, 2017). Born in the right body: Introducing 4thWaveNow’s new spokesperson, mom of a teen desister. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2017/10/25/born-in-the-right-body-introducing-4thwavenows-new-spokesperson-mom-of-a-teen-desister/
Marchiano, Lisa [originally as “skepticaltherapist”] (September 25, 2016). Layers of meaning: A Jungian analyst questions the identity model for trans-identified youth. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2016/09/25/layers-of-meaning-a-jungian-analyst-questions-the-identity-model-for-trans-identified-youth/
Bailey, J. Michael; Blanchard, Ray (September 8, 2017). Suicide or transition: The only options for gender dysphoric kids? 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2017/09/08/suicide-or-transition-the-only-options-for-gender-dysphoric-kids/
Caignon, Denise (October 15, 2015). “We should all be very angry”: An interview with UK writer, activist, and critic of pediatric transition, Stephanie Davies-Arai. 4thWaveNowhttps://4thwavenow.com/2015/10/15/an-interview-with-uk-writer-activist-and-critic-of-pediatric-transition-stephanie-davies-arai/
“Lane Anderson” (August 22, 2015). Exiles in their own flesh: A psychotherapist speaks. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2015/08/22/exiles-in-their-own-flesh-a-psychotherapist-speaks/
Caignon, Denise (July 30, 2015). One psychologist who gets it: “Trans” kids and their parents deserve better. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2015/07/30/one-psychologist-who-gets-it-trans-kids-and-their-parents-deserve-something-different/
Caignon, Denise (March 17, 2015). Yoo Hoo. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2015/03/17/yoo-hoo/
Caignon, Denise (March 17, 2015). It ain’t a liberation movement. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2015/03/17/it-aint-a-liberation-movement/
Caignon, Denise (March 17, 2015). [first post: passage from “Diving into the Wreck” by Adrienne Rich]. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2015/03/17/the-thing-i-came-for-the-wreck-and-not-the-story/
Media
TranLash Media (June 1, 2023). ‘Seduction of Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria’: The Anti-Trans Hate Machine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuA6U-LQ1xM
Anti-trans media
Calmversations with Benjamin Boyce, Stephanie Davies-Arai and Denise Caignon (November 10, 2023). Teen Transition First Responders: Denise Caignon & Stephanie Davies-Arai. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT0UvOnOOa4
Calmversations with Benjamin Boyce and Denise Caignon (April 9, 2022). Biden Admin Goes All-In on Transitioning Children | with Denise from 4thWaveNow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88Dk5U0uiqY
Genspect (December 14, 2023). The Hidden Dangers of Gender Medicine for Minors with Denise Caignon, 4thWaveNow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MonEkU7rLgk
Calmversations with Benjamin Boyce, Corinna Cohn, and Denise Caignon (October 18, 2022). The Politics of “Trans-Kids” | with Corinna Cohn & Denise Caignon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sL5g8tQLpA
Gender: A Wider Lens with Stella O’Malley, Sasha Ayad, and Denise Caignon (August 26, 2022). EPISODE 84 – Denise Caignon from 4thWaveNow: The View from Behind the Scenes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmphx7taSpY
Resources
Trans Data Library (transdatalibrary.org)
- 4thWaveNow
- transdatalibrary.org/organization/4thwavenow
4thWaveNow (4thwavenow.com)
- Resource index
- 4thwavenow.com/resource-index
- Research
- 4thwavenow.com/research
X/Twitter (x.com)
Tumblr (tumblr.com)
- 4thWaveNow
- 4thwavenow.tumblr.com
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