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.