Episode 3
The Anti-Trans Hate Machine
Seduction of Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria
This short film is Episode 3 of The Anti-Trans Hate Machine Animated Series, a companion to Season 2 of TransLash Media’s limited podcast series The Anti-Trans Hate Machine: A Plot Against Equality.
Disinformation must spread in ways that are imperceptible and seemingly organic. Join us for a deep dive into the massive influence of the fringe blog 4th Wave Now, where parents who are hostile to their trans kids gather to spread conspiracy theories about the origins of gender identity. It’s influenced liberal parents like Jeanne Ogden, who used ideas in the blog to help justify blocking her daughter Cam from receiving the care she needs. Learn how Jeanne and Cam are working to pick up the pieces, after being manipulated by this disinformation. And how, despite the harm, journalists like Jesse Singal grabbed the idea of trans social contagion and ran with it.
The Anti-Trans Hate Machine Animated Series explains in easy to access videos how anti-trans pseudoscience and disinformation has become widely accepted as fact. From conversion therapy, to rapid onset gender dysphoria, to “watchful waiting,” a vast network of Christian Nationalist organizations and bad-actors have used both rightwing and mainstream media to change the way an entire nation thinks about the validity of trans people.
Today, we’re going to tell you the story of 4th Wave Now, a critical force in the anti-trans movement, specifically the sweeping attacks on trans kids.
It’s where parents who are hostile to their trans children gather to find ways to support each other in undermining them.
Now, this sounds far-fetched, but sadly, it’s true.
4th Wave Now is where the idea of transness as a social contagion gained steam, and actually, it’s where the idea of “rapid onset gender dysphoria” originated and was conceptualized by the pseudoscience of Dr. Lisa Littman, who used 4th Wave Now conversations to create the concept.
Based on 4th Wave Now she encourages parents to believe that their kids are being brainwashed by YouTube, or social media, or even their friends.
Trans social contagion has become one of the most potent ideas out there. It has spread far and wide, even to mainstream and supposedly non-biased platforms like The Atlantic magazine.
The problem is it’s based on highly biased research.
And now this idea of social contagion has become a vital piece of right wing propaganda and popularized by writers like Jesse Singal.
Organizations that are apart of the anti-trans hate machine ran focus groups to see the best way to attack the idea of trans people overall.
They landed, spreading the belief that trans youth coming out is some sort of a social contagion.
And now this disinformation has transformed into conventional wisdom.
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