Modern Wisdom

#654 - J Michael Bailey - Activists Tried To Get This Study Banned

Sat Jul 15 2023

Sexual OrientationGender DysphoriaROGDTransgenderSocial ContagionAutogynephiliaFluidity of Sexual OrientationCulture and Sexual OrientationAttraction to Transgender IndividualsComplexities of Sexual OrientationSexual Attraction Mechanisms

Description

This episode covers a range of topics related to sexual orientation and gender dysphoria. It includes discussions on a study retracted due to public pressure, rapid onset gender dysphoria among adolescents, social contagion and transgender identification, psychological risk factors for gender dysphoria, sexual attraction and preferences among transgender individuals, fluidity of sexual orientation, influence of culture on sexual orientation, complexities of sexual orientation and attraction, and sexual attraction mechanisms and cultural change.

Insights

Retraction Backfires

The retraction of a study on sexual orientation has only increased its attention and downloads.

Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria

ROGD refers to the surge in cases of gender dysphoria among adolescents who never showed signs of it in childhood. Social transition worsened their well-being and strained relationships with parents.

Influence of Social Contagion

Increased acceptance of trans people and social contagion within peer groups may contribute to the increase in gender dysphoria cases.

Psychological Risk Factors

OCD and autism spectrum disorder may predict susceptibility to rapid onset gender dysphoria.

Controversy over Autogynephilia

There is controversy surrounding the existence of autogynephilia, a sexual orientation where individuals are aroused by the idea of being a woman.

Sexual Attraction to Transgender Individuals

Some individuals are attracted to transgender individuals who have both breasts and a penis. There is controversy over the existence of autoandrophilia, the female equivalent of autogynephilia.

Fluidity of Sexual Orientation

Lesbian women may exhibit flirtatious behavior with high-status men, indicating female fluidity. Male bisexuality has been proven to exist through studies showing arousal to both male and female stimuli.

Influence of Culture on Sexual Orientation

Cultural factors and negative experiences with men may influence women's sexual orientation. Pornography blurs attraction based on gender presentation.

Complexities of Sexual Orientation

The question of attraction to transgender individuals raises complex issues. Gay men tend to present themselves more attractively than straight men.

Sexual Attraction Mechanisms

Men and women have different sexual attraction mechanisms. Male individual mate value is more malleable than female mate value.

Chapters

Study on Sexual Orientation and Human Sexuality
Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD)
Increase in Transgender Identification and Social Contagion
Diagnoses and Evidence on Gender Dysphoric Adolescents
Attraction and Sexual Orientation
Sexual Attraction and Preferences
Fluidity of Sexual Orientation and Mate Value
Influence of Culture on Sexual Orientation
Complexities of Sexual Orientation and Attraction
Sexual Attraction Mechanisms and Cultural Change

Summary

Transcript

Study on Sexual Orientation and Human Sexuality

00:00 - 08:30

Jay Michael Bailey, a Northwestern University professor of psychology, discusses his recent study on sexual orientation and human sexuality.
The study faced public scrutiny and was retracted by the journal due to pressure from upset dissidents.
The retraction has backfired as the article has received significant attention and downloads.
Bailey encourages people to read the article despite the retraction notice.
The article can still be accessed for free as it was published open access.
The retraction only means that the words 'retracted article' are stamped on every page of the document.

Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD)

08:06 - 18:20

The article on rapid onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) was retracted and stamped with a wax seal.
ROGD refers to the surge in cases of gender dysphoria among adolescents who never showed signs of it in childhood.
These adolescents tend to hang out with an unconventional and progressive crowd that promotes the idea that their problems are due to underlying transgender issues.
Many of these girls demand serious treatments like testosterone and breast amputation, and some are getting them.
A survey of parents revealed that three-quarters of the youth believed to have ROGD were girls with pre-existing mental health issues.
Social transition worsened their well-being, strained relationships with parents, and led to decompensation.
Visiting a gender specialist often resulted in pressure to transition the child.
The concept of ROGD threatens trans activists' belief system that all gender dysphoria is always real and transitioning is always the best approach.
There are two current explanations for the increase in gender dysphoria cases: increased acceptance of trans people and social contagion within peer groups.

Increase in Transgender Identification and Social Contagion

18:08 - 27:44

The increase in the number of people identifying as transgender may be due to the release of social stigma and judgment.
Females, especially those transitioning from female to male, may be more susceptible to social contagion.
Tolerance for transgender individuals has increased, but there may be trade-offs in attitudes affecting choices.
Being transgender can partly be a decision influenced by factors such as social status and victimization.
Promoting victim status creates perverse incentives for self-harm or other negative phenomena.
Belief in psychological maladies can lead to their manifestation, as seen with multiple personality disorder and recovered memories of sexual abuse.
Rapid onset gender dysphoria is similar to previous epidemics like multiple personality disorder, but occurring at a younger age and influenced by peers.
Psychological risk factors like OCD and autism spectrum disorder may predict susceptibility to rapid onset gender dysphoria.
The diagnosis of autism has become vague and over-diagnosed, making it less impressive as a predictive factor for rapid onset gender dysphoria.

Diagnoses and Evidence on Gender Dysphoric Adolescents

27:15 - 37:01

Accurate diagnoses were obtained for individuals with more time.
The most common diagnosis was borderline personality disorder, associated with identity disturbance and extreme emotions.
Rapid onset gender dysphoria is a concept introduced by David Geary.
Denial of biological differences is associated with some individuals experiencing rapid onset gender dysphoria.
The biological difference between men and women contributes to the sex difference in f to m transitions, despite denial of this fact by some individuals.
A study is being launched to gather detailed evidence on gender dysphoric adolescents and their families over five years.
Testing hypotheses with science is a slow process compared to spinning explanations without scientific backing.
Ethics approval for research can be a bureaucratic obstacle.
An article was retracted due to lack of informed consent in a survey, which the parents had actually agreed to participate in and wanted published.
Most female-to-male transsexuals were attracted to females or males before transitioning.

Attraction and Sexual Orientation

36:32 - 47:09

Female-to-male transsexuals are mostly attracted to women, with about 10% attracted to men.
Male-to-female transsexuals can be divided into two types: those who were feminine from early childhood and are attracted to men, and those who have autogynephilia, a sexual orientation where they are aroused by the idea of being a woman.
Autogynephilic male-to-female transsexuals are attracted to both women in the world and the woman they create inside themselves. This attraction starts in adolescence and may involve cross-dressing and fantasies about having breasts and a vulva.
Trans activists have tried to suppress discussion about autogynephilia, but many autogynephilic individuals are open and honest about their experiences.
There is controversy surrounding the existence of autoandrophilia, which would be the female equivalent of autogynephilia. Some transgender individuals believe it exists, while others are skeptical due to differences in male and female sexuality.
The term gynandromorphophilia refers to a sexual attraction to shemale individuals, who are natal males that transitioned into women but still have both breasts and a penis.

Sexual Attraction and Preferences

46:39 - 56:19

Gynaner morphophilia is a sexual attraction to she males, which are natal male trans women with both breasts and a penis.
Some straight men are attracted to she males, but there are also men who specifically prefer them.
For some individuals, the presence of a penis in a sexual encounter can be arousing.
The concept of lady boys has been popularized in comedy shows and there are even touring performances called 'Lady Boys of Bangkok'.
She-mail escorts can be found online, and some transsexual prostitutes have worked as she-male prostitutes before undergoing surgery.
Guys who are into she-mails get aroused by females but not males. They may also get slightly more aroused by videos of two she-mails together.
Heterosexual women show indifference towards erotica in the laboratory, getting equally aroused by both male-male and female-female stimuli.
Lesbians show a preference for female stimuli but may still experience arousal when exposed to male stimuli.
The measurement of genital arousal differs between men and women, making it difficult to compare responses directly.
A study showed that women's behavior towards different men varied based on their perceived status and mannerisms.

Fluidity of Sexual Orientation and Mate Value

55:54 - 1:04:39

Lesbian women in a study exhibited flirtatious non-verbal behavior with high-status men, even if they were not attracted to them.
Some lesbians have the capacity for sexual attraction to men, indicating female fluidity.
Men's sexual orientation is generally more fixed than women's, which may explain why men are more likely to have paraphilias or unusual sexual interests.
Paraphilias include autogynephilia, pedophilia, zoophilia, and lipophilia.
There is a relationship between people who are attracted to certain things and those who see themselves as embodying those things.
Male bisexuality has been proven to exist through studies that show arousal to both male and female stimuli.
Most bisexual men are somewhat more aroused by one sex than the other.

Influence of Culture on Sexual Orientation

1:04:15 - 1:13:12

Male bisexuality exists, with some men being more aroused by one sex than the other.
Some gay men have identified as bisexual in the past, but later realized they were not.
Environmental influences may impact sexual orientation, such as a sex-negative culture in Korea leading to celibacy or lesbianism.
Declining birth rates and imbalances in mate value may contribute to a mating crisis in the West.
Men's sexuality is less likely to be influenced by cultural pressure compared to women's sexuality.
Cultural factors and negative experiences with men may influence women's sexual orientation.
The line between physical appearance and sexual orientation can be blurred, especially when it comes to transgender individuals.
Pornography stimulates our brains based on presentation rather than just action, blurring the lines of attraction based on gender presentation.

Complexities of Sexual Orientation and Attraction

1:12:47 - 1:21:50

Men who don't feel attracted to transgender women may have a mental aversion based on the idea that they are men, despite their appearance as attractive women.
The question of whether it is more gay to have sex with a transgender woman who looks like a woman but has male genitalia, or to have sex with a man who presents as masculine but has female genitalia, is fascinating and complex.
People have better than chance accuracy in discerning whether a man is gay or straight based on outward appearance, movement, speech patterns, and accents.
Gay men tend to present themselves more attractively than straight men.
There is a distinct gay accent and lesbian accent characterized by speech patterns and expressiveness.
The origins of the gay accent are not fully understood, but hypotheses include unconscious modeling of female speech patterns and feminization of the brain.
Being gay may provide a competitive advantage in the world of online commentary.
Lesbians tend to dress differently from heterosexual women, while gay men often dress more stylishly.
A study suggested that male mate value is more malleable than female mate value due to women's emphasis on looks and men's emphasis on accomplishments. However, this theory is debated.
Differences in depression and anxiety between men and women decrease when controlling for upper body strength.
Discussions about mate value often involve misunderstandings between men and women regarding physical attractiveness versus status and resources.

Sexual Attraction Mechanisms and Cultural Change

1:21:26 - 1:26:06

Men and women have different sexual attraction mechanisms.
There is no exchange rate between physical attributes and status/resources.
Male individual mate value is more malleable than female individual mate value.
Culture has changed in terms of male-female interactions, but it's unclear how to change it further.
The speaker hopes for certain changes in the culture regarding sex.
The speaker expresses interest in discussing sexual arousal patterns, virtuous pedophiles, and the birth order effect of homosexuality in future conversations with the guest.
To find the guest's articles or contact him, one can search for Jay Michael Bailey on Google Scholar or Research Gate, or email him at his university address.