Classroom Psychology

Do transgender women retain an athletic advantage over their cisgender counterparts following transition and, maybe, does it matter? If the competetive line we draw is always arbitrary, maybe the question here is about the level of arbitrariness we're willing to accept. So... where do we draw the line?

References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x4m8fTy9t4yTVDr9zjumGcb4L8R3gGhmLhLxJ0Cf9TY/edit?usp=sharing

Why do we not 'treat' gender dysphoria as a 'mental health condition' and support people to change their gender identities to alleviate their suffering? We take a look at gender change efforts and the often severe consequences they yield for those subject to them.

References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x4m8fTy9t4yTVDr9zjumGcb4L8R3gGhmLhLxJ0Cf9TY/edit?usp=sharing

It is often claimed that gender is only male and female, that this is a Universal truth. But that is a particular view of gender we have advanced around the world through colonialism; if it appears to be the truth that is only because we have oppressed alternative understandings so heavily. We take a look at pre-colonial cultural practices around the world to understand what gender diverse folk might share in their experience, and then we wonder how colonialism has marginalised and oppressed these identities and cultural practices, often directly through specific colonial law making.

References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x4m8fTy9t4yTVDr9zjumGcb4L8R3gGhmLhLxJ0Cf9TY/edit?usp=sharing

Is there a link between neurodiversity and gender diversity and if there is, what might explain that link? We take a look at this intersection and ponder whether neurodiverse communities might show some resistance to the gender norms to which we are all often pressured to conform.

References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x4m8fTy9t4yTVDr9zjumGcb4L8R3gGhmLhLxJ0Cf9TY/edit?usp=sharing

Should schools automatically tell parents whenever a child or young person starts to question their gender? We take a look at how young people understand and communicate their experiences to loved ones.

References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x4m8fTy9t4yTVDr9zjumGcb4L8R3gGhmLhLxJ0Cf9TY/edit?usp=sharing

'A grown man - a trans woman - entering a grown woman's space... is obviously wrong' This week we take a look at the question of whether transgender women put people at risk either by being a risk directly or by inclusive policies weakening the protection of single sex spaces. There's a content warning today: we talk about violent crime and sexual assault a lot this episode.

References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x4m8fTy9t4yTVDr9zjumGcb4L8R3gGhmLhLxJ0Cf9TY/edit?usp=sharing

This week our question is about whether children and young people experiencing gender dysphoria might experience that dysphoria to spontaneously resolve if they were left to grow without transition related support and services. We take a look at the early studies in the 80s, another wave in the early 2000s, and finally we take a look to the modern literature to find an answer together.

References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x4m8fTy9t4yTVDr9zjumGcb4L8R3gGhmLhLxJ0Cf9TY/edit?usp=sharing

Some commentators highlight the complete lack of evidence of the outcomes of gender affirmative care, particularly long-term, so we take to the literature to find out what the science knows about the long-term outcomes from the various aspects of gender affirmative care. Turns out there is lots of evidence...who knew?

References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x4m8fTy9t4yTVDr9zjumGcb4L8R3gGhmLhLxJ0Cf9TY/edit?usp=sharing

This week our question is about social transition in childhood and whether transition is the result of stronger cross-gender identification or whether it might contribute to stronger cross-gender identification. We take a look together at the work of amazing scientists like Selin Gülgöz and Kristina Olson and Cora turns her fangirling up to maximum.

References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x4m8fTy9t4yTVDr9zjumGcb4L8R3gGhmLhLxJ0Cf9TY/edit?usp=sharing

This week we try to understand the apparent rise in adolescent non-binary and trans masc folks assigned female at birth referred to gender identity develpopment services across the western world. We look to the frequently proferred explanation of Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria and see what the science has to say. As always, we describe all of our question askers with the greatest of generosity and aim to answer their questions fully, but I wouldn't recomment Abigail Shrier's book; if you're looking to read an engaging tome on the subject I can recommend Shon Faye's The Trans-gender Issue, I read it from cover to cover.

References: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x4m8fTy9t4yTVDr9zjumGcb4L8R3gGhmLhLxJ0Cf9TY/edit?usp=sharing