In this episode, Sasha and Stella reflect on the Bigger Picture Conference in Lisbon, discussing notable takeaways from various speakers. A key theme explored is how the gender debate has expanded into a multidisciplinary conversation, no longer just confined to therapists or concerned parents but drawing in academics, sociologists, and political thinkers worldwide.
Their discussion covers a range of topics, including institutional capture, mass formation theory, societal movements, the roles of parents—particularly mothers—in navigating gender questioning, the ethics within the field of gender medicine, and the power of truth in countering ideological extremism.
Be sure to check out Genspect’s YouTube channel to watch all of the speakers’ presentations. Check back often for new releases!
While many speakers presented at the conference, a few notable presentations reviewed in this episode include:
Helen Joyce
Dr. Frank Furedi
Mattias Desmet
Bob Withers
Jaco van Zyl
Marcus Evans
Dr. Peter Boghossian
Mia Hughes
Emma Thomas
Alex Capo
Dr. Julia Mason
Jesper Rasmussen
Dr. Stephen B.Levine
Eldur Smári Kristinsson
Several of these speakers have also been featured as guests on Gender: A Wider Lens. Check out their episodes linked below!
For those who haven't seen it, Stella's "Reflections on Lisbon" is a very good related resource to this episode for more context and detail: https://stellaomalley.substack.com/p/reflections-on-lisbon
As a related topic to Mattias Desmet's views on mass formation, I would love to hear you speak with someone about the role preference falsification plays in sustaining the gender affirmation movement in the polite liberal circles like the ones I (and so many of us) tend to move in. As an example of how this plays out for me in particular, I don't just keep my views on this to myself in most situations because I'm afraid of getting in trouble (and I have good reason to believe I really would get in trouble), although that's certainly part of it. It's also because doing so would implicate the decisions that people I really care about have made about their own kids, or even themselves, in the sincere good faith on the advice of people they trusted. These are relationships that really matter to me that I am confident I would damage or even destroy if I were honest. So people like me keep quiet because we don't want to seem cruel to people we like while the affirmative people continue to speak up in support, and everyone sits around in the meantime assuming that most people are on board with gender affirmation even if that's not necessarily the case.
The upshot, however, is that movements that are supported by a large amount of preference falsification tend to collapse suddenly an unexpectedly. I think there are many, many more skeptical people out there than most people realize, and that public support for the affirmative model (in the US at least) is a good candidate to be one of these movements in the relatively near future.
Thank you for this overview. I was there and was glad I went. I came home invigorated and informed, and ready to carry on to advocate for the protection of vulnerable kids from being harmed by gender ideology. And I also advocate for the LGB community and women's rights. Thanks again.
It was a fantastic conference. I can't want to attend the next Genspect.