Blocked and Reported

Premium: Weird! Turns Out The Science Of Youth Gender Medicine Isn’t Settled After All

February 25, 2026

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  • The preview for this premium episode of Blocked and Reported focuses heavily on recent articles by Jesse Singal in The Dispatch and The New York Times concerning trans-related issues, specifically addressing the 'trans shooter meme' and pronoun usage in the context of violent crime. 
  • The hosts engaged in a lengthy, tangential discussion about Jesse's attendance at an unstructured 'unconference' called Foo Camp and the etiquette surrounding pronoun usage when discussing violent perpetrators who are transgender. 
  • The conversation touched upon the statistical alignment between rates of violence victimization among transgender individuals and general male victimization statistics, contrasting this with advocacy group claims, and previewed a deeper dive into the medical aspects mentioned in the episode title. 

Segments

Podcast Preview and Topic Introduction
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: This preview of the premium episode of Blocked and Reported signals a focus on trans issues, referencing Jesse Singal’s recent articles in The Dispatch and The New York Times, alongside new polling data.
  • Summary: The segment serves as an advertisement for the premium content, explicitly stating the episode will cover ‘a lot of trans stuff.’ The topics covered in the full episode include articles written for The Dispatch and The New York Times, as well as new polling on trans issues. Listeners are directed to become premium subscribers at blockedandreported.org to hear the full discussion.
Personal Anecdotes and Foo Camp
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(00:00:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Jesse Singal attended an unstructured event called Foo Camp, which he described as difficult to explain without sounding ‘douchey,’ and where Helen Lewis presented on GLP1s.
  • Summary: The hosts briefly discussed Jesse’s recent experience with heavy snow in the Tahoe area and his attendance at ‘Foo Camp,’ which is characterized as an intentionally unstructured ‘unconference.’ Helen Lewis presented a session there regarding GLP1 drugs, arguing that while they work, systemic issues like food systems and cooking habits must also be addressed.
Pronoun Dilemma in Violent Crime Reporting
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(00:05:07)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts are struggling with the etiquette of using preferred pronouns when reporting on violent crimes committed by transgender individuals, feeling that using female pronouns can obfuscate the reality of male-perpetrated violence.
  • Summary: The episode pivots to the main topic, focusing on recent high-profile shootings involving transgender perpetrators, such as the incident at Tumblr Ridge in British Columbia and the Rhode Island hockey game shooting. Jesse noted difficulty in writing his Dispatch piece due to the pronoun dilemma, especially when discussing violent acts overwhelmingly perpetrated by males. The hosts referenced Sarah Jane Baker, a male-to-female transitioner imprisoned for kidnapping and torture, as an example of a case where using birth pronouns felt necessary to accurately convey the reality of the situation.
Media Deference and Victim Statistics
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(00:13:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Statistics show that the primary victims of gun violence, like perpetrators of gun violence, are predominantly male, a fact that contrasts with how some advocacy groups frame victimization statistics.
  • Summary: The discussion noted that when initial reports on the Canadian attack referred to the shooter as a ‘woman wearing a dress,’ there was backlash demanding the use of ‘man’ or ‘gun person’ instead of ‘gun man.’ The hosts pointed out that transgender individuals’ rates of murder victimization align closely with general statistics for male victimization, which they suggest is often overlooked by groups like the HRC.