Maintenance Phase podcast on "Social Contagion" and "ROGD"

One of my favorite podcasts, Maintenance Phase, just released an episode entitled "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria" (available on all major podcast platforms). In it, they draw upon my Origins of "Social Contagion" and "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria" timeline, originally posted here in February 2019.

While a lot of work went into constructing the timeline, what I did was basically simple: I searched for the earliest instances of "transgender social contagion" and "ROGD" on the internet. I discovered that these ideas originated in 2016 on three websites run by, and catering to, reluctant parents of trans youth who were looking for justifications to deny them gender-affirming care (this has since grown into a full-fledged anti-trans parent movement). My timeline also shows how these ideas were quickly taken up by conservative outlets, gender-disaffirming doctors, and other groups who now form the backbone of the current anti-trans moral panic.

Any journalist could have easily carried out the same investigation and uncovered what I had, but none did. Whether this was due to a lack of curiosity or intentional bias on their parts, I cannot say. While other people have cited this work, Maintenance Phase is the first to share the full narrative with the general public, so I'm excited that it will finally reach a larger audience!

Since Michael and Aubrey were kind enough to link to my "Origins" post and my Patreon in their show notes, some of you may be new here – welcome! I mostly write about gender, sexuality, science, and social justice, with an emphasis on trans, LGBTQIA+, and feminist issues. Lately, much of this work has been focused on countering anti-trans science-denial and disinformation (since there's so much of it lately). If you enjoyed this Maintenance Phase episode, here are a few recent related essays you may also appreciate:

• Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth Is Neither New nor Experimental: A Timeline and Compilation of Studies
• All the Evidence Against Transgender Social Contagion (Plus Thoughts on Why People Continue to Embrace This Zombie Theory)
• Spotting Anti-Trans Media Bias on Detransition
• Why Are “Gender Critical” Activists So Fond of Gametes? (plus my new video “Trans People and Biological Sex: What the Science Says”)

No-paywall links to many many more essays can be found on my writings webpage. If you like what you read, please consider supporting me on Patreon for as little as $1 per month!