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/

Need music for a project? Use my Epidemic Sound referral link: https://share.epidemicsound.com/kbva2h

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