Agree to Disagree About Gender

In our 12th episode, Laura and Yvette bring on Dr. Melanie Crites Bachert (prounounced BUCK-ert), a pelvic reconstructive surgical specialist whose practice has been primarily centered on women's pelvic health, and on repairing congenital abnormalities of the kidneys and the bladder. However, in recent years, she has become more vocal about what she sees as the unacceptable high incidence of urinary and vaginal complications experienced by trans men (natal women) on testosterone, who find their way into her Oregon practice. She expressed concern about hormone prescribers not appropriately counselling their patients about the consequences of hormone therapy, and on what she believes is an abdication of responsibility in managing adverse effects associated with therapy Dr. Laura and Dr. Crites Bachert engage in some vigourous but respectful argument about the benefits of gender care, how we engage with medical uncertainty, and on the the amount of weight we put onto the pain and the consequences of living with dysphoria

In our 11th episode, Laura and Yvette are joined by pediatric bioethicist Dr. Ian Wolfe, of the University of Minnesota. Dr. Wolfe believes that young people with gender dysphoria should be able to access care to medically facilitate a gender transition, and that there is a well-established ethical framework to support it. Dr. Wolfe shares his rebuttal to common concerns raised by gender critical advocates, while also acknowledging some of the limitations and missteps in pediatric medical transition. Dr. Wolfe also discusses his critique of the HHS report and the restrictive legislation that has been justified by the conclusion of the report, and the challenges with learning clarifying information where even research into the subject is considered unethical

In their second episode, Laura and Yvette have a heartfelt conversation about their concerns about pediatric medical transition. Laura is a trans woman who believes that access to medical transition can rescue some children from the horrors of dysphoria. Yvette has grave concerns about transition being a false promise of salvation from difficult and complicated childhoods. We have created this podcast because we believe it is important for well-meaning and empathic people who have arrived at different positions on contentious issues regarding gender to be able to have open and honest dialogue, and even more important for curious and caring people to hear

In their third episode, Laura and Yvette dig deep on Little vs Hecox, and West Virginia vs BPJ, two cases that will be argued in front of the Supreme Court today. Laura is a trans woman who believes that trans women should be allowed to play on teams with their female peers under certain conditions whereas Yvette believes women's team are the domain of biologic women. We also discuss the broader implications of these cases beyond the playing field, both in terms of how sex and gender are defined under the law, and the potential that this decision could be a gateway to broader restrictions on the trans community We have created this podcast because we believe it is important for well-meaning and empathic people who have arrived at different positions on contentious issues regarding gender to be able to have open and honest dialogue, and even more important for curious and caring people to hear

In this week's episode, Laura and Yvette sit down with Dr. Alex Byrne, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Philosophy at MIT. His most recent book is Trouble with Gender: Sex Facts, Gender Fictions. In that book, he provides a philosophical underpinning on a narrow definition of "man" and "woman", as well as justification for discarding the concept of gender. He is also one of the 9 authors of the controversial HHS Report "Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices", which supports the complete banning of access to medical and surgical therapies for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria, and even more contentiously recommends against any further research evaluating the potential efficacy of medical interventions. In this conversation, we discuss the challenges with applying a narrow definition of male/female and man/woman in the real world, whether this precludes treating trans people with respect, and what responsibilitis academics have when their positions are likely to be weaponized. In the second half, we shift our focus to the HHS report, talking about his hesitations with getting involved with the Trump and Kennedy-led HHS, on the secrecy surrounding the authorship, and on why he believes that further research in this area is unethical to pursue

Laura wants more data about the effectiveness of puberty blockers. Yvette has seen enough They disagree about most things, but they've agreed to talk about it In this episode, they do a comprehensive review of the recently launched UK Pathways Trial, which seeks to determine if puberty blockers have a role to play in the management of young people with gender incongruence. However, many question have been raised about its design, whether it is ethical, or whether it is even necessary. Plus stay tuned to the end for a special Easter Egg!

In Episode 6. Laura and Yvette sit down with investigative reporter Ben Ryan to hear his perspectives on pediatric gender medicine, his coverage of the 1st medical malpractice trial where a regretful detransitioner prevailed against her care team, and his sympathies towards the trans community.