In this bonus episode, Ashley sits down with Oliver Haimson, associate professor at the University of Michigan's School of Information and author of Trans Technologies. They explore how mainstream technology often excludes trans people—from face filter apps designed for cisgender amusement to healthcare systems that force patients to become DIY experts. Haimson reveals why trans people are simultaneously more tech-savvy and more skeptical of AI than the general population, and discusses how online communities provide lifelines for isolated trans people in rural areas. The conversation tackles the tension between scrappy, community-built solutions and the burden of maintaining them, while highlighting tools that help allies learn without putting emotional labor on trans people. It's a fascinating look at how technology both fails and serves transgender communities—and what it would take to do better.

Resources mentioned:

• Trans Technologies by Oliver Haimson: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262551861/trans-technologies/
• Trans Technologies Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/transtechnologies/
• The Trans Language Primer: https://translanguageprimer.com/
• What Do Transgender Software Professionals Say About A Career in The Software Industry? IEEE: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2303.12913

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Here's a wild statistic: nearly a quarter of trans people in the U.S. avoid going to the doctor specifically because they expect to be disrespected. And honestly? They're probably right. In this episode of Taboo Science, we're pulling back the curtain on a healthcare system that requires trans patients to prove they're "really trans," charges thousands of dollars for basic care, and somehow graduates doctors who've never learned how to treat trans bodies. You'll hear from sociologist stef shuster about the folklore of trans medicine that doctors still believe, psychologist Stephanie Budge about the critical difference between over-emphasizing and under-emphasizing gender in treatment, and comedian Max Gross about what it's like to be your own medical educator at every single appointment. This episode is not gonna make you like your insurance company, but I promise there's hope at the end.

 More from stef shuster:

• Website: http://stefshuster.com/
• Buy their book: https://nyupress.org/9781479899371/trans-medicine/

More from Max Gross:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxgotjokes/

See citations and a transcript here: https://www.tabooscience.show/trans-101-finding-healthcare-that-wont-kill-you/

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• Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
• Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
• Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/ 

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It's Thanksgiving here in the US, so we're re-running one of the most popular Taboo Science episodes of all time. We'll be back in two weeks with an episode about trans healthcare access!

In this episode, we challenge the common perceptions of attraction and explore the complexities of asexuality. Sociology PhD candidate Canton Weiner shares invaluable insights from his research while Sarah Costello, co-host of the podcast "Sounds Fake, But Okay," opens up about her personal experience being aro-ace, or aromantic asexual. We examine the split attraction model and shed light on various types of attraction, delve into the history of asexuality with pioneers like Magnus Hirschfeld and Alfred Kinsey, and discover how the rise of the internet has shaped the asexual community. This episode challenges misconceptions, explores the intersection of asexuality and other identities like race and gender, and highlights the need for increased understanding and acceptance within the LGBTQIA community.

Check out Canton Winer's University of Irvine bio and his research.
Listen to Sarah Costello's podcast Sounds Fake But Okay and pick up her new book, Sounds Fake but Okay: An Asexual and Aromantic Perspective on Love, Relationships, Sex, and Pretty Much Anything Else.

See citations and a transcript here: https://www.tabooscience.show/s3-e2-asexuality/


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• Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
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• Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/ 

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What if the government declared you don't exist? In 2025, that's exactly what happened to nonbinary people—but they're not going anywhere. This episode breaks down what nonbinary actually means (hint: it's not "between man and woman"), why they/them pronouns are harder for our brains to process, and how some nonbinary people use hormones to craft their perfect gender recipe. With help from psychologist Dr. Em Matsuno and our sensitivity reader Newt Schottelkotte, we're exploring everything from microdosing testosterone to why misgendering is the default for nonbinary folks—along with the benefits to the journey of gender discovery. Whether you're nonbinary yourself, know someone who is, or are just trying to figure out how to not mess up someone's pronouns, this episode will help you understand what it means to make your own gender from scratch.
More from Em Matsuno: 

• Empowerment Lab website: https://empowermentlab.wordpress.com/
• Empowerment Lab on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowerment_lab_asu

More from Newt Schottelkotte:

• Website: https://newtschottelkotte.com/

See citations and a transcript here: https://www.tabooscience.show/nonbinary-101-beyond-the-binary/

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• Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
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• Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/ 

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The right says doctors are mutilating children. The left says nothing permanent is happening. They're both oversimplifying, but they're not equally wrong.

Meet Maya, who started transitioning at 13 with puberty blockers, then hormones, then surgery at 16. Now 25 and thriving, she walks us through what actually happened—and why she says it saved her life. We also talk to pediatrician Dr. Michelle Forcier, who breaks down the real medical process. We're busting the "most trans kids change their minds" myth with actual research, covering what puberty blockers really do, why some trans kids hate being on them, and the question nobody wants to ask: what happens to kids who don't get care? Turns out inaction is also a decision, and it comes with permanent consequences too. This episode won't give you easy answers, but it will show you what the science actually says and why everyone who knows trans youth best says the same thing: listen to them.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of self-harm and suicidality.

More from Michelle Forcier:

• Brown University
• LinkedIn

See citations and a transcript here: https://www.tabooscience.show/trans-101-trans-kids-the-reality-of-youth-transition/

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• Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
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• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
• Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/ 

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Another podcast Taboo Science listeners may enjoy: Sing For Science!

Sing for Science is a science-and-music podcast where musicians sit down with scientists to explore the scientific ideas hidden in their most iconic songs. Listen to JD from Korn talk about “Dead Bodies Everywhere” with a mortuary-science expert, Sia explore one of her breakup ballads with an attachment-theory psychologist, and many, many more. Created and hosted by New York musician Matt Whyte, the show seeks to uncover connections wherever they may exist and build bridges between seemingly disparate voices, styles, and walks of life. Sing For Science is made possible in part by a grant from the Simons Foundation. New episodes release every two weeks—subscribe now. Want to catch a live Sing For Science taping in your city? Sign up for our newsletter at SingForScience.org to be the first to know.

WARNING: This episode contains content related to mortuary science that some listeners may find disturbing.

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis delves into his past as a mortician with popular science bestselling author, Mary Roach. Mary wrote the hit book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and the two have no shortage of gory details to discuss. We talk about the biology of human corpse decomposition and preservation, embalming techniques (including but not limited to anal suturing), Elvis’s autopsy, and more!

Learn more at https://www.singforscience.org/

Connect with the show:

• Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
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• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
• Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/ 

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For decades, doctors tried to psychoanalyze trans people out of being trans. Spoiler: it didn't work. This episode dives into the medical reality of gender transition—from how hormones actually work at the cellular level to the emotional rollercoaster of a second puberty. You'll learn what estrogen and testosterone really do to the body, what bottom growth actually means, and how modern surgery can create everything from boobs to fully functional penises with hydraulic erections. We cover the psychological shifts, the physical changes, the hilarious terminology trans people have coined, and why medical transition isn't about "fixing" anyone—it's about letting people finally be themselves.

More from Michelle Forcier:

• Brown University
• LinkedIn

More from Riley Black:

• Website
• Order her latest book, The Last Days of the Dinosaurs
• Bluesky

More from Hibby Thach:

• Website
• Twitch
• Bluesky

More from Charlie James:

• Website
• Order his book, I’m Just a Little Guy: How to Escape the Horrors and Get Back to Dillydallying
• TikTok
  
  

Citations and transcript: https://www.tabooscience.show/trans-101-how-transgender-hormone-therapy-changes-body-and-brain/



Connect with the show:

• Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
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• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
• Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/ 

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Got a rainbow sticker? Follow trans creators? Have trans friends? Cool. But if you're like most people—even the well-meaning ones—you probably know just enough about trans people to be dangerous. In this episode, we're dismantling the "born in the wrong body" narrative and exploring what being trans actually means. With help from University of Victoria transgender studies chair Dr. Aaron Devor, paleontologist Riley Black, PhD student Hibby Thach, and comedian Charlie James, we're breaking down sex vs. gender vs. gender expression, debunking the "social contagion" myth, and explaining why asking "but have you had The Surgery?" is never okay. Trans people are rarer than redheads, but somehow they're at the center of a political firestorm—so let's actually understand what we're talking about.


More from Aaron Devor:

• Website
• Podcast for Inquiry appearance

More from Riley Black:

• Website
• Order her latest book, The Last Days of the Dinosaurs
• Bluesky

More from Hibby Thach:

• Website
• Twitch
• Bluesky

More from Charlie James:

• Website
• Order his book, I’m Just a Little Guy: How to Escape the Horrors and Get Back to Dillydallying
• TikTok

See citations and a transcript here: https://www.tabooscience.show/trans-101-everything-you-think-you-know-but-probably-dont/

Connect with the show:

• Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
• Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
• Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/ 

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When it comes to transgender issues, most of us are working with incomplete information—and that's a problem when real people's rights hang in the balance. This season, we're exploring what it actually means to be trans in America today, from the science of gender identity to the daily realities of healthcare, relationships, and family. With the help of researchers crunching the numbers and trans people sharing their stories, we'll tackle the questions you might be curious about but wouldn't know how to ask, without the political noise—just honest conversations about human experience. 

The first episode of Trans 101 drops October 2nd. Subscribe/follow so you don't miss it.

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• Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/ 

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Still working on Season 5 (Trans Science!). In the meantime, go to https://patreon.com/tabooscience to support the show—and get updates and behind-the-scenes tidbits as I work.

Connect with the show:

• Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
• Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
• Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/ 

Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473