On July 9th, the Department of Justice issued subpoenas to clinics, doctors, and even drug manufacturers connected to gender-affirming care. These subpoenas appear to include private patient information.

In this episode of Gender Matters: Insights from a Physician, I explain why this affects far more than transgender patients. From patient trust to access to standard treatments like puberty blockers or hormones for non-trans conditions, this action has ripple effects across healthcare.

What happens when fear replaces trust in medicine?

Enjoyed this episode? Share it on social media or send the link to a colleague or a friend who’s curious about learning more about gender. For more insights, visit engenderlove.com and join our mailing list. Don’t forget to rate or review the podcast—your support helps more people discover and learn with us.

Special thanks to Indy M W for the music. Like and follow him on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your music.

What happens when legal decisions about healthcare don’t align with medical reasoning?

In this episode, A Physician’s Response to U.S. v. Skrmetti, I invite you to consider the recent court ruling through a medical lens. I walk through why some of the legal distinctions made in the case do not reflect how medicine works and how the decision departs from the way we provide care in similar situations.

If you believe these laws are about protecting kids, I hope you’ll listen with curiosity. At the end, I offer a simple way to reflect on whether your concerns are truly about the care itself or whether something else may be at play.

Listen now and share with someone who is open to hearing the medical perspective on gender-affirming care.

Enjoyed this episode? Share it on social media or send the link to a colleague or a friend who’s curious about learning more about gender. For more insights, visit engenderlove.com and join our mailing list. Don’t forget to rate or review the podcast—your support helps more people discover and learn with us.

Special thanks to Indy M W for the music. Like and follow him on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your music.

In this episode of Gender Matters: Insights from a Physician, Dr. Shannon and Bandit kick off a new series in response to "The Protocol," The New York Times' limited podcast on gender-affirming care.

This first conversation centers on Episode 1, which explores the origin of youth medical transition. As a physician and longtime gender educator, Dr. Shannon dissects subtle moments of bias that might go unnoticed to most, but matter deeply in how the public understands transgender healthcare. Bandit brings a thoughtful outside perspective, asking the questions many listeners may be wondering themselves.

Whether you’ve already listened to The Protocol or you’re just curious what all the discussion is about, join us as we explore what’s said, what’s implied, and what’s missing.

Enjoyed this episode? Share it on social media or send the link to a colleague or a friend who’s curious about learning more about gender. For more insights, visit engenderlove.com and join our mailing list. Don’t forget to rate or review the podcast—your support helps more people discover and learn with us.

Special thanks to Indy M W for the music. Like and follow him on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your music.

If you’ve ever wondered, “What if they change their mind?”—you’re not alone. This episode breaks down the newest data on how often trans youth stop hormone therapy and retransition to a cisgender identity.

We walk through a 2025 study of over 1,000 adolescents and explore what it really tells us—about numbers, nuance, and how we think about gender-affirming care.

📚 Citation:
 Boskey ER, Scheffey KL, Pilcher S, et al. A Retrospective Cohort Study of Transgender Adolescents' Gender-Affirming Hormone Discontinuation. J Adolesc Health. 2025;76(4):584–591. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.11.002

Olson KR, Durwood L, Horton R, Gallagher NM, Devor A. Gender Identity 5 Years After Social Transition. Pediatrics. 2022;150(2):e2021056082. doi:10.1542/peds.2021-056082

van der Loos MATC, Hannema SE, Klink DT, den Heijer M, Wiepjes CM. Continuation of gender-affirming hormones in transgender people starting puberty suppression in adolescence: a cohort study in the Netherlands. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2022;6(12):869-875. doi:10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00254-1

Roberts CM, Klein DA, Adirim TA, Schvey NA, Hisle-Gorman E. Continuation of Gender-affirming Hormones Among Transgender Adolescents and Adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2022;107(9):e3937-e3943. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgac251

Gupta P, Patterson BC, Chu L, et al. Adherence to Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy in Transgender Adolescents and Adults: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2023;108(11):e1236-e1244. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgad306

Enjoyed this episode? Share it on social media or send the link to a colleague or a friend who’s curious about learning more about gender. For more insights, visit engenderlove.com and join our mailing list. Don’t forget to rate or review the podcast—your support helps more people discover and learn with us.

Special thanks to Indy M W for the music. Like and follow him on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your music.

Bandit is back!

This time to talk through Utah’s newly released findings on gender-affirming care for youth. In this episode, we break down what the report actually says, why it matters, and why it’s being ignored.

One of us is a physician. The other? A thoughtful outsider with no personal stake in the issue—just honest questions shaped by headlines and algorithms.

Together, we explore what gender-affirming care really includes, how misinformation spreads, and what it means when good science is excluded from political decisions.

Real conversation still matters, and this one doesn’t shy away.

Enjoyed this episode? Share it on social media or send the link to a colleague or a friend who’s curious about learning more about gender. For more insights, visit engenderlove.com and join our mailing list. Don’t forget to rate or review the podcast—your support helps more people discover and learn with us.

Special thanks to Indy M W for the music. Like and follow him on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your music.

What if the thing you’ve been told is a fact… is actually just an assumption?

In this episode of Gender Matters: Insights from a Physician, we take a closer look at fertility and gender-affirming care for youth. From social and medical transition to puberty blockers and hormones, we break down what we know, what we don’t, and what we’re still trying to learn.

If fertility concerns are shaping your views on gender-affirming care, this episode offers a clear, data-informed foundation—free from hype, fear, or assumption.

Enjoyed this episode? Share it on social media or send the link to a colleague or a friend who’s curious about learning more about gender. For more insights, visit engenderlove.com and join our mailing list. Don’t forget to rate or review the podcast—your support helps more people discover and learn with us.

Special thanks to Indy M W for the music. Like and follow him on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your music.

In this follow-up episode, I answer honest gender questions from a friend in a space grounded in curiosity, not debate. We talk about student names, parental rights, and how to handle pronoun mistakes with care. A practical, thoughtful conversation for anyone still learning and wanting to understand more.

Enjoyed this episode? Share it on social media or send the link to a colleague or a friend who’s curious about learning more about gender. For more insights, visit engenderlove.com and join our mailing list. Don’t forget to rate or review the podcast—your support helps more people discover and learn with us.

Special thanks to Indy M W for the music. Like and follow him on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your music.

"Rapid onset gender dysphoria" sounds urgent, but is it even real? In this episode of Gender Matters: Insights from a Physician, I trace the origins of the term, explore why it resonates with some parents, and explain why the science does not support it.

We look at how the idea caught on, what is missing from the research, and what is actually happening when teens come out. Spoiler: it is not rapid, and it is definitely not simple.

Whether you are a provider, a parent, or just curious, this episode will help you move beyond headlines and toward understanding.

Enjoyed this episode? Share it on social media or send the link to a colleague or a friend who’s curious about learning more about gender. For more insights, visit engenderlove.com and join our mailing list. Don’t forget to rate or review the podcast—your support helps more people discover and learn with us.

Special thanks to Indy M W for the music. Like and follow him on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your music.

This week’s episode is a little different.

I invited a friend I’ve known since high school onto the podcast to ask me anything about gender. He describes himself as curious but unfamiliar with the topic, and while he’s never felt personally connected to the conversation, he’s been wondering why so many others care deeply.

He didn’t tell me his questions ahead of time. This is an unscripted, honest exchange between two friends. One is trying to understand what all the noise is about, and the other is trying to make it less noisy.

If you’ve ever felt unsure how to start learning about gender or how to talk to someone who is, this episode might give you a way in.

Enjoyed this episode? Share it on social media or send the link to a colleague or a friend who’s curious about learning more about gender. For more insights, visit engenderlove.com and join our mailing list. Don’t forget to rate or review the podcast—your support helps more people discover and learn with us.

Special thanks to Indy M W for the music. Like and follow him on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your music.

Transgender rights are often mislabeled as a "far-left" issue, but that framing erases the humanity at the center of the conversation. In this episode, I call out the confusion between political strategies and basic human rights, and why it's crucial to remember we're talking about people, not politics.

I also share a list of memoirs and stories to deepen your understanding, including:

• Sissy by Jacob Tobia
• Pageboy by Elliot Page
• Redefining Realness by Janet Mock
• Tomorrow Will Be Different by Sarah McBride
• All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
• Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt
• Love Wins Out by Dr. Rizi N.B. Timane
• Letters for My Brothers by Megan Rohrer and Zander Keig

Correction: In the episode, I mistakenly said Love Wins Out was written by Dr. Rizi N.B. Nutt. The correct author is Dr. Rizi N.B. Timane.

Enjoyed this episode? Share it on social media or send the link to a colleague or a friend who’s curious about learning more about gender. For more insights, visit engenderlove.com and join our mailing list. Don’t forget to rate or review the podcast—your support helps more people discover and learn with us.

Special thanks to Indy M W for the music. Like and follow him on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your music.