Listen now | an 18-year-old desistor and PITT essayist with a strong enough 'spidey sense' to ultimately resist Trevor Inc's seduction tactics, and a desire to warn others.
Maya is obviously a very smart, sensitive person. She, like many other desisters and detransitionrs, gives me so much hope for the future. I so appreciate her efforts to share her story so that people may learn from it - and I sincerely hope people take what she has to say to heart.
This does leave me wondering though - how is it that a teenager can so clearly see reality for what it is and articulate the truth, while so many adults are unable to even consider that they may have gotten this whole thing wrong?
"The ideology, to me, is the problem." All desisters and detransitioners are different, and their stories share exactly one thing: a belief that they were transgender. Cults rely on some number of people to be spiritual seekers. The story that the cult tells is the bait for the seekers; the sense of community is the hook. For a variety of reasons, some people are receptive to the story that they were "born in the wrong body." It is the wellspring of all harms by the cult. I'm glad Maya reasoned her way out of it.
Thank you both for this podcast, and Maya for your strength. I hear the pain in your voice at times, I hope you are feeling stronger and know that you’re amazing.
I haven’t sent my son anything in 3 years. He was too deep, but I sent this PITT article from last week, it was simple and powerful, it really resonated with me and I thought my son may be in a space now to read it too.
He’s received it.. he would have read jt. He’s still talking to me! So that’s a good sign.
I may also send the podcast. I’ll think on it.
Thanks again for your amazing and tireless work Jenny. I’m just a mum out in Australia and appreciate you.
Jenny & Maya- I love this interview so much. It is one of the first that I may actually be comfortable enough to share with my 16 yo daughter. Maya- your sincerity and self- reflection are wise beyond your years. I had loved your PItt article and was so happy to see you here sharing more about your story. You hit all the important points- how you came to believe this about yourself, hiw today’s culture reinforced your beliefs, how you came to question it and how important critical thinking is. I agree on the cult part, too. I didn’t realize you wrote that, too- I have that saved to use in a discussion (My Little Pony has an episode on cults for those with kids into this show).
So much wonderful insight here, wow! This struck me particularly as so wise and true. Worth remembering, always: “The ideology, to me, is the problem. There's no one person, there's no one villain, there's no one abuser. It's the ideology. And it's beyond me. It's beyond my story. It's way beyond my story. It's just about everything right now.”
Maya is obviously a very smart, sensitive person. She, like many other desisters and detransitionrs, gives me so much hope for the future. I so appreciate her efforts to share her story so that people may learn from it - and I sincerely hope people take what she has to say to heart.
This does leave me wondering though - how is it that a teenager can so clearly see reality for what it is and articulate the truth, while so many adults are unable to even consider that they may have gotten this whole thing wrong?
"The ideology, to me, is the problem." All desisters and detransitioners are different, and their stories share exactly one thing: a belief that they were transgender. Cults rely on some number of people to be spiritual seekers. The story that the cult tells is the bait for the seekers; the sense of community is the hook. For a variety of reasons, some people are receptive to the story that they were "born in the wrong body." It is the wellspring of all harms by the cult. I'm glad Maya reasoned her way out of it.
Thank you both for this podcast, and Maya for your strength. I hear the pain in your voice at times, I hope you are feeling stronger and know that you’re amazing.
I haven’t sent my son anything in 3 years. He was too deep, but I sent this PITT article from last week, it was simple and powerful, it really resonated with me and I thought my son may be in a space now to read it too.
He’s received it.. he would have read jt. He’s still talking to me! So that’s a good sign.
I may also send the podcast. I’ll think on it.
Thanks again for your amazing and tireless work Jenny. I’m just a mum out in Australia and appreciate you.
That means so much to me, thank you WM.
No one can change sex. Start saying this while you're teaching them to talk but Maya had good advice.
Jenny & Maya- I love this interview so much. It is one of the first that I may actually be comfortable enough to share with my 16 yo daughter. Maya- your sincerity and self- reflection are wise beyond your years. I had loved your PItt article and was so happy to see you here sharing more about your story. You hit all the important points- how you came to believe this about yourself, hiw today’s culture reinforced your beliefs, how you came to question it and how important critical thinking is. I agree on the cult part, too. I didn’t realize you wrote that, too- I have that saved to use in a discussion (My Little Pony has an episode on cults for those with kids into this show).
Thank you both so much!!
I really appreciate that comment, and I would love to hear back from you if you do share the episode with your daughter!
So much wonderful insight here, wow! This struck me particularly as so wise and true. Worth remembering, always: “The ideology, to me, is the problem. There's no one person, there's no one villain, there's no one abuser. It's the ideology. And it's beyond me. It's beyond my story. It's way beyond my story. It's just about everything right now.”
That remark stayed with me too, for the same reasons: very wise and true.