Beyond Gender

Keira Bell is best known for her landmark legal case against the UK's Tavistock clinic, challenging its treatment of gender-questioning youth. Prescribed puberty blockers at 16 and testosterone at 18, she later detransitioned and took the clinic to court, exposing its reckless approach to minors. Though her initial victory was overturned on appeal, the Tavistock clinic ultimately closed in 2024 following the Cass Review. Her case helped shape policy changes worldwide.In this episode, Keira speaks with Stella O'Malley and Bret Alderman about her journey, the impact of her case, and the broader implications for youth gender medicine.
Read the full show notes: https://stellaomalley.substack.com/p/the-dark-reality-behind-gender-affirming

Beyond Gender - Episode 1: Why Smart People Believe Stupid ThingsGurwinder Bhogal is a writer and cultural commentator known for his sharp take on misinformation, identity politics, and how narratives shape society. He's also one of our favorite Substack bloggers, best known for his article, "Why Smart People Believe Stupid Things," which was adapted into an animated story by After Skool. In this episode, we take a deep dive into why intelligence can actually make people more susceptible to self-delusion, how social media fuels tribalism, and why academia and media incentivize misinformation.

Gurwinder's Journey: From Tech Analysis to Cultural UnderstandingOriginally working at Microsoft as a behavioral analyst studying how people use the internet, Gurwinder's journey took an unexpected turn when his interest shifted from technological bugs to examining the "bugs in human psychology." As a former web developer who has studied both information systems and extremist ideologies, he brings a unique perspective to understanding how technology and psychology intersect to shape beliefs. Through his writing on his Substack ⁠The Prism,⁠ he works to unweave popular narratives into their constituent elements, revealing the delusions, biases, and agendas that drive today's most compelling stories—including the ones we tell ourselves. His work focuses particularly on how technology and psychology conspire to fool us, and how we can withstand what he calls "the covert assault on our senses" in the digital age.

In this first episode of Beyond Gender, hosts Stella O’Malley, Mia Hughes, and Bret Alderman discuss why they launched the podcast and explore how beliefs about gender have changed over time. They examine why so many young people are questioning their identity, the role of media and medicine, and the difficulty of standing up for basic truths in today’s world.

How Our Hosts Got Here

Each host of Beyond Gender describes distinct moments that drew them into these complex debates:

Stella O'Malley

As a psychotherapist who experienced extreme gender issues as a child, Stella had always kept an eye on trans issues. In 2017, reading about Cyril Doty, a non-binary parent seeking a "U" gender marker for their baby, sparked her to write for Ireland's Sunday Independent - her first article requiring legal review. This led to her presenting the documentary Trans Kids: It's Time to Talk.

Another pivotal moment came when she read Janice Turner's article about Tara Wolf, "a 27-year-old male" who punched "Maria MacLachlan in the face," which she shared with a radio producer, calling it "the most insane article I've ever read in my life."

Mia Hughes

J.K. Rowling's December 19, 2019 tweet supporting Maya Forstater marked Mia's awakening, as she saw "absolute mayhem" and people "losing their minds" when Rowling supported "basic facts about humanity."

This led to her first viral thread in 2021 about "peaking" her woke Canadian friends with evidence about autogynephilia, homophobia in trans activism, and what she calls "the greatest medical scandal in the history of modern medicine."

Bret Alderman

Bret's understanding emerged through his academic work examining postmodernism and language in his book Eternal Youth and the Myth of Deconstruction, research he was conducting before recognizing its connection to gender ideology.

His moment of realization came in 2016 with the Caitlyn Jenner Vanity Fair cover and pronouns controversy, followed by Jordan Peterson's stance on compelled speech.

Next Episode

Why Smart People Believe Stupid Things with Gurwinder Bhogal
Premieres Friday, February 21 | 6:00 AM EST

Full show notes.

Stella O’Malley, Mia Hughes, and Bret Alderman discuss how beliefs about gender have changed over time, the media’s role, and why so many young people are questioning their identity.

Gurwinder Bhogal is a writer and cultural commentator known for his sharp take on misinformation, identity politics, and how narratives shape society.He’s also one of our favorite Substack bloggers, best known for his article, Why Smart People Believe Stupid Things, which was adapted into an animated story by @AfterSkool.In this episode, we take a deep dive into why intelligence can actually make people more susceptible to self-delusion, how social media fuels tribalism, and why academia and media incentivize misinformation.