Looking back on our conversation with Helen Joyce from September 2021, it’s clear just how prescient and impactful her insights were. Her book, Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality, had just been released, and we explored its central argument—that the shift toward defining men and women by self-declaration rather than biology carries profound consequences. Helen made it clear that her book wasn’t about trans people themselves but about the ideological movement shaping policy, language, and societal norms.
One of the standout moments was our discussion on how gender ideology plays out differently across cultures. Helen pointed out that, in many ways, it’s easier for men to “give up some privilege” than for women to challenge the constraints placed on them. She also highlighted historical strategies women have used to navigate oppressive systems—offering a stark contrast to today’s insistence that identity alone determines reality.
We also examined the difference in how the U.S. and the U.K. approach bad policy. Americans, as Helen observed, have a tendency to double down, while in the U.K., there was a growing reckoning with gender self-ID that gave her some optimism. Reflecting on this episode now, it remains a sharp, thought-provoking conversation about the real-world consequences of the idea that “you are exactly who you say you are.”
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