Shame

Detransition and gender fluidity: Deeper understanding can improve care and acceptance

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

If you have been following recent coverage about gender-affirming health care, detransition will not be an unfamiliar topic.

Key Points: 
  • If you have been following recent coverage about gender-affirming health care, detransition will not be an unfamiliar topic.
  • From mainstream journalists to transgender authors, many have taken an interest in people who underwent a medical gender transition and chose to return to their former identity.

Detransition is not new, but we are seeing new gender-diverse experiences

  • Providers of gender-affirming medicine have long been aware of adults who medically transitioned and later returned to live in their former “gender role” or showed signs of regret.
  • Dr. Harry Benjamin, the endocrinologist who was among the first to offer gender-affirming medical interventions in the United States, wrote about one such case in his 1966 book, The Transsexual Phenomenon.
  • Using strict measurement criteria, they estimated that detransition was rare: around one to two per cent.

Understanding detransition can help us to enrich gender care


We have long known that sexuality can be fluid for some LGBTQ+ people. New research shows that it is not uncommon for trans and gender-diverse young people to report shifts in gender identity over time — dynamically moving between binary trans girls or trans boys, to non-binary, or to cisgender. In some cases, these identity-shift patterns can influence changes in desires for gender-affirming interventions.

  • However, when a person’s gender identity or their desire for how they want to express their gender changes after already completing medical or surgical interventions, this may contribute to feelings of decisional regret.
  • But because detransition and regret are being instrumentalized in debates about trans people and gender-affirming health care, organizations and care providers serving sexual minorities and gender-diverse communities may feel that offering outward support for detransitioners is politically risky.
  • But if organizations and care systems fail to offer formal recognition and support, where can detransitioners turn to for help?

Detransitioners’ voices

  • As social scientists who study gender-affirming health care, we understand what motivates these pursuits: a desire to be understood, and to seek validation and justice.
  • Detransitioners’ voices, though, may be strategically positioned toward gender-affirming care restrictions, rather than to improve research or to develop comprehensive detransition-related care services.

Identity evolution and detransition are LGBTQ+ experiences

  • Some might only detransition temporarily due to lack of support, external pressures and transphobia, and re-affirm a trans identity in the future.
  • Regardless, detransition can bring about loss of community supports, stigma, shame and health care avoidance.
  • Gender fluidity and detransition deserve further understanding and formal care services, not controversy.
  • Kinnon R. MacKinnon receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
  • Annie Pullen Sansfaçon receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canada Research Chair Program.

Rootless Destigmatizes Menopause With “Own Your Pause” Campaign

Retrieved on: 
Friday, March 8, 2024

Key Points: 
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240308891262/en/
    The Own Your Pause campaign features different women sharing their experiences with menopause.
  • “There are millions of women silently enduring menopausal symptoms, searching for answers, support, and community,” said Sachi Singh, Founder and CEO of Rootless.
  • Out of the 450 million people experiencing potentially debilitating menopause symptoms, 75 percent of them don’t get treated.
  • To learn more about Rootless and Own Your Pause, please visit getrootless.com/ownyourpause or share your story with #ownyourpause.

Fairfield County, Ohio Jury Awards Ten Women More Than $10 Million in Sexual Abuse Case

Retrieved on: 
Friday, March 1, 2024

“The jury heard the evidence and demonstrated by their verdict that they, too, found Schaitel’s actions repugnant.

Key Points: 
  • “The jury heard the evidence and demonstrated by their verdict that they, too, found Schaitel’s actions repugnant.
  • The verdict included more than $5 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, plus attorney fees and certain out of pocket costs.
  • Following the original filing, eight additional women came forward saying they were abused by Schaitel and were added to the complaint.
  • Natural Remedies Massage is based in Lancaster, Ohio, and provides a range of massage and spa services including aromatic medicine, float tanks and holistic health coaching.

Drew Barrymore Announces She’s the New Brand Ambassador for Dr. Kellyann's Breakthrough Perimenopause and Menopause Formula

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024

Barrymore has been struggling with perimenopause symptoms for more than a year now, and says this product has changed her life.

Key Points: 
  • Barrymore has been struggling with perimenopause symptoms for more than a year now, and says this product has changed her life.
  • The influential voice of Drew Barrymore is helping more women than ever to feel comfortable and empowered to take control of their hormones, in a safe and natural way during perimenopause and menopause.
  • Dr. Kellyann and Drew Barrymore teamed up after Drew tried Dr. Kellyann &ME Peri + Menopause for 3 months and had incredible results.
  • To learn more about Dr. Kellyann &ME Peri + Menopause visit drkellyann.com or join the menopause conversation by following @drkellyannpetrucci across social.

VeriNew Transforms Healthcare Accessibility Through Innovative Telehealth Platform

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 28, 2024

VeriNew is poised to disrupt the healthcare landscape by offering tailored care plans and direct-to-patient prescription services, thereby setting a new standard in healthcare delivery.

Key Points: 
  • VeriNew is poised to disrupt the healthcare landscape by offering tailored care plans and direct-to-patient prescription services, thereby setting a new standard in healthcare delivery.
  • By prioritizing individualized attention and comprehensive support, VeriNew ensures that every patient receives the personalized care they deserve, paving the way for a more inclusive and empowering healthcare experience.
  • This is weight loss redefined – effective, and accessible.”
    VeriNew's innovative platform integrates advanced telehealth services with a comprehensive approach to healthcare, transcending mere treatment.
  • VeriNew is a direct-to-patient healthcare technology company with a mission of helping patients reach their wellness goals through convenient and effective care.

Lilly's Newest Phase of Get Better Campaign Challenges Misperceptions About Obesity Care

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 7, 2024

INDIANAPOLIS, March 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today launched the next phase of its Get Better corporate branding campaign with a new focus on obesity. Earlier this year, Lilly launched Get Better to reinforce its commitment to discovering and making medicines that give people a chance at better health.

Key Points: 
  • INDIANAPOLIS, March 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today launched the next phase of its Get Better corporate branding campaign with a new focus on obesity.
  • Earlier this year, Lilly launched Get Better to reinforce its commitment to discovering and making medicines that give people a chance at better health.
  • As a continuation of the larger campaign, Lilly will air two films - Shame and Big Night .
  • Shame, unveiled during Obesity Care Week, is designed to increase the dialogue about obesity as a serious disease and reinforce that there is no place for shame in the conversation around it.

Jameela Jamil's I Weigh Community Partners with MakeLoveNotPorn Founder Cindy Gallop to Support New Investment Campaign To Empower Women and Promote Positive Sexual Behavior Online

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 20, 2024

In a world where the intersection of technology, sexuality, and ethics is more important than ever, this collaboration aims to drive lasting change through a revolutionary approach to sex education and conversation.

Key Points: 
  • In a world where the intersection of technology, sexuality, and ethics is more important than ever, this collaboration aims to drive lasting change through a revolutionary approach to sex education and conversation.
  • With less than 2% of venture funding going to women-led companies, Gallop decided to get creative with fundraising by tapping into Jamil and her likeminded I Weigh community to bolster awareness around this important initiative.
  • Gallop shares, "I am in awe of Jameela's commitment to encourage her I Weigh community to do something that is so badly needed - fund female founders.
  • Jamil adds, "Cindy's leadership in the social sex revolution aligns perfectly with our values at I Weigh, and MLNP's strategic approach and commitment to fostering positive sexual behavior resonate deeply.

"This Penis Business: A Memoir" Chronicles the Life Events That Compelled Georganne Chapin to Make Ending Circumcision Her Life's Work

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 20, 2024

TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Chapin, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Intact America, Exposes the Big Business of Medical Circumcision and the Cruel Absurdity of Circumcising Baby Boys for No Medical Reason

Key Points: 
  • I chose to write a memoir about why I believe cutting the genitals of children who cannot consent is a massive human rights abuse," says Chapin.
  • But it wasn't until she went to law school mid-career and studied bioethics that Chapin turned to intactivism, the human rights movement dedicated to ending routine circumcision of baby boys in the United States.
  • "I wanted to write a book exposing the multi-billion-dollar medical circumcision business in the United States.
  • "This Penis Business" is available from Amazon , Barnes & Noble , and Bookshop , as well as local bookstores near you.

Acid attacks are a form of violence against women – the law needs to treat them as such

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

Sadly, acid attacks like this are not isolated incidents.

Key Points: 
  • Sadly, acid attacks like this are not isolated incidents.
  • Over the last 15 years, they have been on the rise across the world, including in the UK.
  • Those who target a victim’s face in particular aim to maim and disfigure, but not necessarily kill, their target.

Acid attacks as gendered violence

  • But what is often left out of the discussion is that it is a form of gendered violence that mainly targets women.
  • While acid attacks are perpetrated against both men and women, the vast majority of victims – 80% globally – are women, and the majority of perpetrators are male.
  • As a specialist in criminal justice responses to violence against women and girls, I have provided expert evidence in UK courts on the cultural contexts at play in cases of gender-based violence, including acid attacks.
  • Acid attacks remain common in India and the rest of South Asia, despite bans on the sale of acid over the counter.

How the law ignores violence against women

  • Although few acid attacks result in death, the intention to disfigure the victim permanently can still lead to a murder charge.
  • A number of UK women have reported not being taken seriously by police when they report threats of acid attacks.
  • Acid violence against women usually does not happen out of the blue.
  • This starts by acknowledging that these are not just horrific, random attacks – they are very often targeted violence against women.


Aisha K. Gill is affiliated with the End Violence Against Women Coalition

Girls and pornography in South Africa: going beyond just the negative effects

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Academic research tends to focus on the negative aspects and sexual dangers of girls and young people viewing porn. But what do girls themselves say about growing up in a world where porn is so readily available from such a young age? It’s a question Deevia Bhana, a professor in gender and childhood sexuality, sets out to answer in her book Girls Negotiating Porn in South Africa: Power, Play and Sexuality. We asked her five questions.What’s the book’s central idea?In South Africa, these divisions are made deeper by sexual violence and gender inequalities where girls are seen as passive victims of sexuality.

Key Points: 


Academic research tends to focus on the negative aspects and sexual dangers of girls and young people viewing porn. But what do girls themselves say about growing up in a world where porn is so readily available from such a young age? It’s a question Deevia Bhana, a professor in gender and childhood sexuality, sets out to answer in her book Girls Negotiating Porn in South Africa: Power, Play and Sexuality. We asked her five questions.

What’s the book’s central idea?

  • In South Africa, these divisions are made deeper by sexual violence and gender inequalities where girls are seen as passive victims of sexuality.
  • And girls do engage with it to expand their knowledge – whether teachers and parents like this or not.
  • The book advocates for a more open and nonjudgmental approach to understanding teenage girls’ experiences with porn, focusing on their voices, experiences and perspectives.

What research was involved?


The book is based on focus group discussions and individual interviews with 30 teenage girls between 14 and 18. It draws on photo-elicitation methods, drawings and poster making. The girls presented visual images and drawings to describe what porn meant to them.

What did girls tell you about their experiences of viewing porn?

  • Like other girls in the study, she spoke about what online porn meant to her.
  • The girls in the study did not have to access porn online to see porn.
  • The book shows that girls may find themselves pursuing these elusive “ideals”, but may also challenge them.
  • Rather than reinforce outdated beauty norms, the girls suggested alternative media and social media platforms that celebrate the real variety of bodies.

Where do power, play and sexuality fit in?

  • Play also indicates the fun and pleasure they derive from talking about their online encounters with sexuality.
  • So, they play with porn, make jokes about its content, learn about sexual relationships, while they also critically object to the domination of heterosexuality and racialised and gendered patterns of inequalities.
  • In fact across the globe young people are denied sexuality education that actually takes heed of pleasure.

What do you hope readers will take away?


The research offers five key insights:
Girls are not passive recipients: The book challenges the prevailing notion that teenage girls are passive victims of sexuality. Instead, it highlights they actively engage with and navigate the complex world of online porn.
Girls’ experiences are complex: The research shows girls have a wide range of thoughts, feelings and reactions to porn, including curiosity, playfulness and critical thinking. This challenges the view that porn is universally harmful.
Context matters: The study highlights the importance of considering the specific social, economic and cultural contexts in which girls are growing up. It recognises that girls from privileged backgrounds may have different experiences and access to online resources that permit ways of learning about porn.
Better sexuality education is crucial: Instead of shunning discussions about sexuality and porn, the book shows that girls do want to have conversations about these topics. It is adults who refuse to do so.
We should listen to girls’ voices: The book underscores the importance of valuing girls’ voices and perspectives. It advocates for an approach that recognises that girls both desire and object to porn’s racialised and sexist messages.
Deevia Bhana receives funding from the National Research Foundation. This work is based on the research supported wholly by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (Grant Number 98407).