Rachel was raised in a strict fundamentalist Christian household with rigid gender expectations. She was exposed to pedophilia, sexual violence and severe homophobia from a very young age. In the process of trying to find herself, Rachel became convinced that she could solve her mental health issues and her difficulties taking by taking cross-sex hormones and becoming a man. Rachel, who now identifies as a lesbian woman, shares openly about this process & why she decided to ultimately detransition. Rachel also explains what all of this has to do with internalized & culturally reinforced misogyny, unprocessed trauma, fundamentalist ideologies + widespread medical & psychological malpractice.

Find Rachel on Twitter.

Watch Dysphoric on Youtube.

Rachel’s book recommendation: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk and Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships by Janja Lalich

Songs featured: “Save Me” by Bleu and “Things Are Gonna Get Easier” by Low Motion Disco

How to support the show:

Rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Support my work on Patreon and get access to perks like an exclusive Discord Server, a book club just for patrons, shirts + stickers, playlists, and curated workshops led by myself, fellow Patrons and former guests of the podcast.

Visit my website – AnyaKaats.com & Find me on Instagram

Vaishnavi is an independent filmmaker, feminist, writer, and women’s rights activist from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Her most recent film, Dysphoric: Fleeing Womanhood Like a House on Fire is a four-part documentary series on the rise of Gender Identity Ideology and gender transition in developing countries. We focus specifically on the recent uptick in FTM transitions, how the trend showing up abroad and where it may intersect with internalized misogyny. We also talk about the patriarchal underbelly of medical corporatism, cancel culture, and why understanding the social construction of our identity is so vitally important, especially when our goal is to achieve equality across the board.

Find Vaishnavi at VaishnaviSundar.com, on Twitter and on Instagram.

Watch Dysphoric on Youtube.

Vaishnavi’s book recommendation: Writing by Andrea Dworkin and Sheila Jeffreys

Songs featured: “Splintered” by Aisha Badru and “Your Move” (single version) by Yes

How to support the show:

Rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Support my work on Patreon and get access to perks like an exclusive Discord Server, a book club just for patrons, shirts + stickers, playlists, and curated workshops led by myself, fellow Patrons and former guests of the podcast.

Visit my website – AnyaKaats.com & Find me on Instagram

Tao is a filmmaker (Being in the World, Monogamish), a photographer, a musician, a podcaster (the Being in the World podcast) and has a degree in philosophy from UC Berkeley. He is also an incredibly inspiring human and friend. From the compound he’s built on his property in Joshua Tree to The Bombay Beach Biennale, Tao has a knack for creating environments and communities that push the limits of our imagination. We sat down to co-release this conversation about sexuality, non-monogamy, fear, and how the act of applying our philosophies and beliefs about life to our physical, tangible surroundings can be a powerful form of anarchism.

Find Tao on Instagram and listen to his podcast.

Songs featured: “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got” by Bettye LaVette and “Relationship Anarchy” by Mary Wander

How to support the show:

Rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Support my work on Patreon and get access to perks like an exclusive Discord Server, a book club just for patrons, shirts + stickers, playlists, and curated workshops led by myself, fellow Patrons and former guests of the podcast.

Visit my website – AnyaKaats.com & Find me on Instagram