Gender: A Wider Lens

This is a unique episode in that it features a conversation that was originally recorded back in 2022 with Dr. James Cantor. We intentionally decided not to release the episode at that time. You’ll hear Sasha and Stella introduce the conversation by sharing more about why they chose to withhold the episode for all this time and why they have opted to release it now, over a year after recording.

Dr. Cantor is a clinical psychologist and sexual behaviour scientist. For the past 20 years, he has been studying the nature and causes of sexual interests from relatively familiar ones — such as heterosexuality and homosexuality, transsexuality, and asexuality — to rare and exotic phenomena, including vorarephilia (sexual fantasies of being swallowed) and furries (people who have sex while dressed or cross-dressed as animals). The most widely discussed of his findings has been his research using neuroimaging and other techniques to isolate the causes of pedophilia and hebephilia (the sexual preferences for prepubescent and pubescent children). His team’s results have been published in the highest-impact journals of psychology, including Psychological Bulletin, the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Dr. Cantor regularly appears in the media internationally to discuss how society can better apply science to prevent sexual abuse and provide more ethical and more effective treatment for people with atypical sexual interests. Interviews with him have appeared on CNN, NPR, The New York Times, and on Dan Savage’s Savage Love. Dr. Cantor is currently the Director of the Toronto Sexuality Centre and is the past Editor of the Sexual Abuse, the top research journal in this field and the official journal for the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers.

James Cantor is considered controversial in some circles and yet he is a well-respected researcher who sits on the editorial boards of two peer-reviewed journals (the Journal of Sexual Aggression and Archives of Sexual Behavior). Cantor’s position is similar to that of the Prevention Project Dunkelfeld in Germany: “You are not guilty because of your sexual desire, but you are responsible for your sexual behavior. There is help! Don't become an offender!”

Sasha and Stella speak with Dr. Cantor in the spirit of genuine inquiry, fierce debate, and the desire to wrap their minds around difficult and complex topics which society needs to address. As psychotherapists, the Gender: A Wider Lens hosts, believe in the importance of dialogue and bringing the issues explored in this conversation out from the shadows in an effort to understand how to encourage better outcomes.

Links:

For updates and downloads, visit his website www.jamescantor.org.

Follow him on Twitter @JamesCantorPhD

M. Beier†, Janina Neutze, Ingrid A. Mundt, Christoph J. Ahlers, David Goecker, Anna Konrad, Gerard A. Schaefer, (2009). “Encouraging self-identified pedophiles and hebephiles to seek professional help: First results of the Prevention Project Dunkelfeld (PPD)*” https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1047.5602&rep=rep1&type=pdf 

“Exploring the Implications of Child Sex Dolls”

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com

Plus, BONUS -- Thoughtful, non-radicalized pushback around books in the U.S.? Curiosity reflecting on Stephanie Davies-Arai's remarks at the recent Genspect: The Bigger Picture Conference in Killarney, Ireland.

In this episode, Stella & Sasha explore the different kinds of ways people engage in the gender debates. You will hear them touch on the various kinds of characters and/or archetypes of people who imbed themselves deeply into the “gender world.” And you may also notice that there are many varieties of voices not referenced as well. Today’s episode takes shape a little differently than a typical Gender: A Wider Lens conversation in that they cover so many categories all at once, but at a very light level, and don’t have the opportunity to go too far in-depth into any of the concepts touched on. This discussion barely begins to scratch the surface of all there is to talk about here.

Upon reflection after recording, Sasha shares her sense of apprehension in releasing the episode at all, only to come to the conclusion that in fact, these ideas require much more expansive exploration, after all. Stella acknowledges that there’s no denying the vastly compelling nature of the subject of gender and digs into the tendency for some individuals to become overly fixated on gender-related topics.

This episode emphasizes that while engaging in gender debates can be important, it’s essential to assess one’s level of involvement with its alignment to service to oneself, one’s community, and one’s family in productive and healthy ways. Excessive preoccupation with gender can be distressing for some individuals who never intended to be consumed by it, so it’s important to seek balance, remain mindful, and sustain intellectual curiosity without neglecting emotional well-being.

In this episode, you will hear Sasha & Stella speak about “Killarney,” in reference to Genspect’s: The Bigger Picture conference. Please note this episode was recorded before the conference and was released after the events referenced in the episode took place. Please visit https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmsMIEB9bK5xhD6nXaseiC2qe-bm7go0q to view recordings from the conference.

Links:

Episode mentioned about the affirming parent:

Episode 109 — What If We Are All Wrong: A Mother’s Regret with Rose

https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/109-what-if-we-are-all-wrong-a-mothers-regret-with-rose 

A Catholic Response to Gender Identity Theory

https://files.ecatholic.com/12494/documents/2023/1/EN_A%20Catholic%20Response%20to%20Gender%20Identity%20Theory_FINAL2023.pdf?t=1674605305000 

If you liked this episode, more episodes you might find interesting:

Episode 9 — The Politicization of Gender

https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/9-the-politicization-of-gender 

Episode 10 — Queer Theory: Subverting Life's Categories

https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/10-queer-theory 

Episode 31 — Silencing Thought: A Conversation with Heather Brunskell-Evans

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com

In this bonus conversation, Zhenya sheds some new light on the Christine Jorgensen story along with some eye-opening research and data from a man named Hamburger.

Hamburger's paper can be accessed here: https://academic.oup.com/ejendo/artic...

In this episode, Sasha and Stella sit down with Zhenya Abbruzzese, a healthcare researcher, analyst, and the author of several widely read peer-reviewed publications about pediatric gender medicine. Zhenya Abbruzzese papers include “The Myth of Reliable Research in Pediatric Gender Medicine,” “Reconsidering Informed Consent for Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults,” and most recently, “Current Concerns About Gender-Affirming Therapy in Adolescents.” She works with several healthcare organizations, including the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM), an international non-profit organization that aims to raise the bar of the quality of evidence in gender medicine, with a specific focus on children and young people. 

Previously, Zhenya led analytics efforts for a major insurer to identify low-value care and overuse of invasive and non-beneficial interventions. She also developed and led a venture-backed healthcare startup to help patients with medically-unexplained symptoms and health anxiety. 

A lifelong Democrat and supporter of progressive causes, Zhenya became alarmed when she saw the civil rights argument misused to justify the rapid proliferation and administration of highly invasive “gender-affirming” interventions to children and adolescents despite quality evidence supporting their use. 

During their conversation, Zhenya, Stella, and Sasha explore the origins of the Dutch Protocol and dive deep into Zhenya’s insights into pediatric gender medicine, as well as her experience working with insurance companies. Zhenya takes great care to point out that in addition to considering the cultural components impacting the current gender discourse, it’s necessary to explore the psychological piece as well. But in addition to that, the involvement of medical organizations like the APA and the American healthcare establishment as a whole all play key roles not only in what is happening in gender medicine but how it’s happening to such extremes.

SEGM:

https://segm.org/ 

Papers by Zhenya Abbruzzese

The Myth of Reliable Research in Pediatric Gender Medicine

Reconsidering Informed Consent for Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults

Current Concerns About Gender-Affirming Therapy in Adolescents

Methodological Bias (funny meme):

https://www.reddit.com/r/mathmemes/comments/uoc3zq/interesting_survey/ 

The Dutch Studies Playlist

We have done a number of episodes about the "Dutch Protocol" which precipitated the surge in youth gender transition. There are many things about the Dutch research that have been misinterpreted and misapplied in various medical settings. Here are all the episodes we've done so far where we dig deeper into the studies that started it all.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com

This episode is the first of several episodes dedicated to exploring what is happening with gender in schools and education systems. Schools are becoming more and more of a focus for parents and citizens who pay close attention to identity politics.

In this episode, Stella and Sasha chat with Kate Parker, a high school educator and library director at a private school with over 16 years of service as an elected trustee to K-12 and community college boards of education. Kate recently stepped down from her position as the President of the Santa Barbara City College Board of Education in California and is the parent of an adult trans-identified child.

In their conversation, you’ll hear Stella, Sasha, and Kate discuss how and when Kate noticed things changing and her observations of gender coming into the school system. They explore the triangulation that happens in families when schools keep secrets from parents and how destructive that can be. Kate offers advice to parents feeling too afraid or too confused to speak out. She also shares how school systems and school boards operate, insights into the responsibilities of schools and how that impacts their response to curriculum changes and reactions to it, and about how there is a chain of trust in the perceived “experts” advising on curriculum themes and trends.

Links:

Kohlberg Demonstrations:

https://youtu.be/luqSuuPSEOM

Genspect Resources for Schools:

• Brief Guidance For Schools

https://genspect.org/guidance-for-schools 

• Brief Guidance For Colleges And Universities

https://genspect.org/guidance-for-colleges-and-universities 

• Brief Guidance On Social Transition

https://genspect.org/guidance-on-social-transition 

• School Policy: Gender Identity (USA)

https://genspect.org/comprehensive-gender-identity-school-policy-usa 

• School Policy: Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity (Ireland)

https://genspect.org/school-policy-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-ireland  

If you liked this episode, more episodes you might find interesting:

• Gender & Schools | GWL Episode Playlist

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLngVCeAoK6vs-KvDiVE7QjpBphOg1Ckoi 

This episode is the first episode being added to this playlist, so if you’re tuning in soon after the release of this episode, this playlist will seem sparse - we encourage you to bookmark the playlist for future reference as more episodes are added throughout the remainder of Season 3.

• Episode 93 - A Takedown of Gender Politics: Wesley Yang

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com

In this episode, Sasha and Stella welcome guest, Dr. Mike Bailey, who recently published a paper with co-author, Suzanna Diaz about reports of ROGD kids. Their paper is important because it essentially corroborates Dr. Lisa Littman’s study from 2018. During the conversation, Dr. Bailey shares about the possibility that the paper could be retracted due to activist backlash. He also explores the findings of the paper with Sasha and Stella, as well as the complaints brought against it. They even dissect the context of why a paper would even be retracted in the first place.

Michael Bailey is an American psychologist, behavioral geneticist, and professor at Northwestern University best known for his work on the etiology, or origins, of sexual orientation. He maintains that sexual orientation is heavily influenced by biology and male homosexuality is most likely inborn. Dr. Bailey’s 2003 book, The Man Who Would Be Queen, gave an accessible, intimate, and compassionate account of male sexuality, with a focus on gender nonconforming boys, gay men, and male-to-female transsexuals.

The discussion also touches on the controversial topic of autogynephilia, a very heated issue within the gender debates.

http://www.parentsofrogdkids.com 

How porn has changed: 

https://fightthenewdrug.org/how-has-porn-changed-in-the-last-10-years/ 

Mike’s Tweet

https://twitter.com/profjmb/status/1661022522446610434?s=20

Dr. David Ley

https://www.davidleyphd.com/

Louise Perry’s Book:

https://www.amazon.com/Case-Against-Sexual-Revolution/dp/1509549994 

Review of Louise Perry’s Book:

https://betonit.substack.com/p/marry-the-market-reflections-on-the

Download The Man Who Would Be Queen: 

Researchgate.net/publication/281747420_The_Man_Who_Would_Be_Queen

Alice Dreger (June 2008). “The controversy surrounding The Man Who Would Be Queen: a case history of the politics of science, identity, and sex in the Internet age”. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 37 (3): 366–421. doi:10.1007/s10508-007-9301-1.

If you liked this episode, more episodes you might find interesting:

“Episode 2 - Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria”

https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria 

“Episode 20 - Gender Dysphoria in Boys: Part 1”

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com