Even before Donald Trump was re-elected on the heels of a campaign that relied, at least in part, on promises to return America to a time when men were in charge and women were subjugated, it was clear that the relationship between American men and women was, shall we say, strained.

Rights many of us had all but taken for granted for generations like no-fault divorce, access to contraception and abortion, as well as newer but still cherished rights like access to gender-affirming health care and same-sex marriage, are now in the crosshairs of an empowered conservative bloc, eager to turn this country into a place where there are two tiers of citizenship, married straight guys and everybody else.

Project 2025 calls for the government to stop barely short of forcing women back into a state

of subservience, gay people back into the closet, and America back to the 1950s.

But can the government actually do that?

I'm Erin Ryan, and this is how we got here, a series that explores a big question

behind the week's headlines and tells a story that answers that question. Folks, Max Fisher is

out this week, which means that I have run completely amok. And so we're going to talk about

one of the issues that's been on my mind for the last, oh, 15 years or so,

the relationship between men and women in this country and the push pull between female empowerment and male resentment that we're now seeing come to a head.

Since the election was called for Donald Trump, people have been scared that the incoming president is going to do what he says he's going to do.

Take women and LGBTQ people down a few notches by rolling back their rights. And people are taking action to

protect themselves. There's been an uptick in vasectomies and permanent sterilization among

Americans of reproductive age. Women are stockpiling emergency contraception and abortion

medication. Planned Parenthood has seen a 1,200% rise in appointments to get IUDs placed.

And a public service announcement, if you've got a uterus, it's time to re-up.

These puppies last eight years now.

And if you get an IUD today, it could very well outlive some of the bozos trying to legislate away your rights.

So to dive into this, I called up author and New York Magazine writer at large, Rebecca Traster.

Rebecca covers the intersection of gender, politics, and society, and is the author of several books,

including 2016's All the Single Ladies and 2020s, Good and Mad.

We started by talking about how policy and sexual politics form a kind of feedback loop

...