What can an obscure conspiracy theory involving Michelle Obama, Joan Rivers and the deep state tell us about the gender panicked rise of reactionary politics? Enter “transvestigation”—a brain-rot conspiracy genre trafficking in wonky eyes, bad photoshops and a gender-inclusive Illuminati. Digital researcher Lexi Webster unravels the nonsense and why it’s worth understanding, while political scholar Fran Amery connects the dots to organized transphobia and not all radical feminism.

Chapters:

(00:00) The Baby Pool Story

(01:15) Joan Rivers Conspiracy Theory

(03:33) Misogynoir and Michelle Obama

(05:07) The Rise of Transvestigation

(07:03) Joan Rivers' Bad Joke

(10:37) Transvestigation: A Deep Dive

(16:20) Historical Context of Transvestigation

(29:32) Media's Role in Transphobia

(31:30) Organized Transphobia

(32:43) TERFs, But Not All Radical Feminists

(37:04) The Absurd Contradictions in Transphobic Beliefs

(42:14) Season One Finale and Credits

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Episode 10 sources and transcript.

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Website: conspiracyshewrote.com

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Conspiracy, She Wrote is an Unladylike Media production created, hosted and written by Cristen Conger. It's produced by Lushik Lotus-Lee and engineered by Marcus Hahm.

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