Calmversations

Dr. Ray Blanchard ( @BlanchardPhD ) is a titan among researchers into sexuality, and spent a large portion of his clinical career studying homosexuality, transsexuality, and other paraphilias. He worked at  The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto beginning in 1980 and became the Head of Clinical Sexology Services at the Centre until 2010. His typology of transsexualism, and the...

Kalvin has been a youtuber since his early teens. He also transitioned from male to female during this time, but remained skeptical of gender ideology. In this interview, we talk about his life on and offline, and his views on the current state of trans discourse. Kalvin's channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/kalvingarrah Support this podcast at: https://paypal.me/benjaminboyce

Maritza Cummings is a detransitioned natal female who was a strong trans advocate in the early and mid 2000's within the medical field. Some years ago, she began doubting that transition was correct for her, but instead a way of avoiding other issues she was beset with, such as childhood trauma and some neurological hiccoughs. She is now detransitioned and is speaking out against the Gender Identi...

Rhys (@RhysMcKavanagh) is a transman dwelling in the UK. In this interview we discuss the difficulties not only in being trans, but how that identity has become in itself a political act. Rhys' speaks about his engagement on social media, the need for more moderate voices, and how biology isn't something you can escape from—without unintentional (and very biological) consequences. Best way to cont...

Helen Pluckrose (@HPluckrose) speaks to me about how postmodernism wed itself to Marxist activism and became the Grievance Juggernaut we see today. Helen is the editor of aeromagazine.com and is one of three intellectuals (along with James Lindsay and Peter Boghossian) involved in "The Grievance Studies Scandal" (see Mike Nayna's ongoing documentary series here: https://bit.ly/2ueIKwl). Support th...

Ben (@gnc_centric) is a young detransitioned woman living somewhere in that broad stretch of northern real estate that pretends it's not a subsidiary of the US. Just kidding, Canadians. She recently started a youtube channel that pulls no punches about her early experiences in the LGBT and Kink communities, her gender dysmorphia, transition and detransition: https://www.youtube.com/c/gnc-centric

Sasha Ayad ( @SashaLPC ) is a Licensed Professional Counselor who works with adolescents on issues around gender identity. She's been an outspoken critic of the affirmation-only gender therapy model that is pushed by trans activists. Her therapeutic approach is exploration-based, compassionate, and seeks out a more nuanced understanding of the client as a whole person.  Find her on the web at...

Sean Lindsey (@RrTiste) is a transman and lover of Irish proverbs. In this interview he speaks about his cautious process of transition in the mid-90's, and the problems with the voices that have taken hold of the trans narrative. This is part of a series on Sexuality, Gender and Transition: https://bit.ly/2XzrgIH Support for this podcast can be given through https://paypal.me/benjaminboyce

Lee Jussim (@PsychRabble) is a professor of Social Psychology at Rutgers University. He also identifies as a rabble rouser. His main focus in the social sciences is to get them consistently outputting high quality research. He is a firebrand and this conversation was fun as hell. Read his thoughts on psychology and the state of science at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/rabble-rouser Supp...

Jamie Shupe (@NotableDesister) entered the national spotlight when, in 2016, he legally changed his gender to "non-binary." In this interview, he speaks about that court case and his entry into and exit out of being a trans woman. You can find his writing (including excerpts from his autobiography) at https://jamieshupe.wordpress.com

Colin Wright (@SwipeWright) is an evolutionary biologist and humanist who realized, somewhere along the road to professorship, that he was constantly putting off the moment he would speak up for science and against the anti-rational movements in the media—both social and mainstream. In this interview we talk about things that make webs and live in nests, and what they might tell us about human soc...

Dr. Michael Bailey is a professor of psychology and researcher of sexuality at Northwestern University. In this interview he shares his extensive research in paraphiliac (atypical sexualities), specifically those which inform some transgender experiences. We also speak about Gender Dysphoria and the current surge in young women identifying as trans during pubescence. Find his writings on the matte...

Helena (@lacroicsz) is the third member of The Pique Resilience Project that I've had the honor of interviewing. In this discussion, she speaks about her experience of dysphoria and how interactions online (via Tumblr and Reddit) influenced her transition—and how she realized that an ideology was boxing her into a life that brought more frustration than joy.  Connect with The Pique Resilience...

Cory Clark (@ImHardcory) is a social psychologist and experimental philosopher focusing on free will and bias—and that's pretty much what we discuss in this interview. She runs a podcast with Bo Winegard (another psych prof) called Psyphilopod, found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8mHb9VLBbrlvzRRwwGgL5w

Discussing mass hysteria, rights of passage, and the meaning of transformation with Jungian Analyst Lisa Marchiano (@LisaMarchiano). Lisa is a prolific author at thejungsoul.com, and runs a weekly podcast at thisjungianlife.com  Articles on teen transition: https://quillette.com/2018/03/01/transgenderism-social-construction-diagnosis/ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00332925.2017...

Chiara (@chiaracanaan) is a founding member of The Pique Resilience Project a collective of young women focused on providing guidance and advice to gender questioning teens and their parents. Check out there channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmGEMjyAwk6R1lTmG_JjLUA

Rachel Fulton Brown (@RFultonBrown) is a Medieval Scholar who writes on the Catholic contemplative tradition, focusing on the divine feminine. In this interview we explore what Mary represents in the journey of spiritual progress.

This is the first of two discussions between Dr. Jane Clare Jones (@janeclarejones) and myself. You can find her writing at janeclarejones.com

BJ Campbell is an engineer and data nerd. His essays on gun control and media manipulation can be found at: https://medium.com/handwaving-freakoutery

Professor John Vervaeke (@vervaeke_john) teaches Cognitive Science, Mindfulness, and Buddhism at the University of Toronto. He's producing a series of lectures titled "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis" charting the development of thinking technologies (narrative, writing, democracy, etc), and their influence on our development as selves and as a species—and how at this point in history we are str...

Excerpted from "A Resistance of Letters", this short story details the vicissitudes of two unemployed lovers in early 2000's Portland, Oregon. 

Alexander Adams is an artist and art critic who splits his time between Britain and Germany. In this interview we speak about the encroachment of identity politics into the art world, and its significance on the aesthetic project. More from Adam: http://www.thejackdaw.co.uk http://www.alexanderadamsart.wordpress.com http://www.alexanderadams.art

Loir Leser (@YouTuberLaw) is a tech lawyer and the host of the YoutuberLaw youtube channel. In the past he has been answering many legal questions about the state of digital rights, free speech, and deplatforming. When Patreon banned Carl Benjamin, and then Paypal cut off business with the Patreon competitor SubscribeStar, Lior decided it was time to act. He is now pursuing an Anti-Trust Complaint...

Dr. Jane Clare Jones, a UK feminist scholar, and I speak about what feminism is trying to tell society about the treatment of women. Her essays can be found at https://janeclarejones.com, and she can be followed on twitter @janeclarejones. 

Eric Anderson is a professor of masculinity, sexuality, and sports in the UK. His research and writings can be found at http://ericandersonphd.com