The New York Times describes Helen Joyce’s book, Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality, as “an intelligent, thorough rejoinder to an idea that has swept across much of the liberal world seemingly overnight.” Joyce reminds us that her book is not about trans people, but rather, it is about the idea “that people should count as men or women according to how they feel and what they declare, instead of their biology.” Helen explains the ways it’s more acceptable for men to “give up some privilege” and strategies women in other cultures have used to opt out of unfavorable circumstances. Perhaps denying sex leads to a perfectly clear demonstration of just how different men and women can be. We also reflect on the differences between American’s tendency to double-down on bad policy and the hopefulness Helen feels with the unfolding UK reckoning with gender self-ID. In this episode, we discuss the many ramifications of “you are exactly who you say you are.”

Links:

Helen Joyce’s Website:

Thehelenjoyce.com

Helen on Twitter: Twitter.com/HJoyceGender

Book Review by Jesse Singal

Nytimes.com/2021/09/07/books/review/trans-helen-joyce.html

Helen’s interview with Andrew Doyle:

Youtube.com/watch?v=KAYR8GUJsqo

Stella’s Book Review in The Evening Standard:

Standard.co.uk/culture/books/trans-when-ideology-meets-reality-helen-joyce-review-b944183.html

Becoming Julia (Gender Transition Documentary):

YouTube.com/watch?v=kNjV37vp5qk

The End of the World is Flat by Simon Edge:

Eye-books.com/books/the-end-of-the-world-is-flat

Survivorship Bias:

En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett:

Terrypratchettbooks.com/books/small-gods

Extended Notes:

• NY Times reviewed Helen’s new book, Trans, and Sasha is even in the book!
• Helen didn’t even think her book would get published because of its taboo topic.
• Are people fascinated with gender or with sex?
• Non-binary people are trying to redefine everybody and trying to change a “fundamental truth.” Of course, it gets people upset.
• What is the difference between transsexualism and gender self-ID?
• This book is not about trans people, it’s a book about ideology.
• If being trans was an ideology, a belief system, that’d be okay. However, this movement is trying to change gender facts, and that’s a harder thing to get behind.
• Right now it’s very difficult to determine what stance is going to be on “the right side of history.”
• The trans movement is structured as “the next thing” that needs to be liberated from oppression. However, will it be?
• Why do men commit more transphobic acts than women?
People say that when you call people trans,...

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