Venus Rising

For our last episode this season, Kallie sits down with postpartum nurse, lactation consultant, writer, and mother of three, Emily. Emily reached out to us at the CBCNetwork after writing about her near miss experience as an almost egg donor at just nineteen years old. Why didn't Emily commit to becoming an egg-donor? What horrible information did she find out about the clinic who recruited her? These are all questions we will find out in today's episode of Venus Rising. Emily's background in women's health and various experiences with birth and mothering allows for a robust discussion even beyond Emily's personal experience with the fertility industry.  Through her writing on this vast topic and how it touches women and children, Emily hopes to spark critical thought and reverence for life, vitality and all that is good. It is in this spirit that Kallie and Emily also talk about the questions Emily seeks to explore in her writing.Listeners can find Emily's writings at her Substack under the newsletter name  “Women's Work” (https://theworkofwomen.substack.com) and on Instagram @tend.her.heart

Today I have the pleasure of sitting down with a very interesting man, Peter Boni. Peter credits his disruptive childhood, a college education from Univeristy of Massachusetts Amherst, decorated on-the-ground service as a US Army Special Operations Team Leader in Vietnam, the love of his family and friends, plus his luck-of-the-draw DNA with making him the person he has become today—a best-selling author, donor-conceived rights advocate, and fun-loving grandfather.Today we talk with Peter about his personal experience as a donor-conceived person, what he thinks of #BigFertility, and his best-selling book which intimately shares his personal odyssey and acquired expertise to advocate for regulatory oversight of the multibillion-dollar reproductive industry that conceives hundreds of half-siblings from a single donor, Uprooted. Uprooted has been twice recognized; first as the Winner of the 2022 Best Book Award, Narrative Nonfiction by American Bookfest, and second, as a 2023 Gold Medal Winner, Nonfiction Audiobook by The Independent Book Publisher's Association. You can find and follow Peter by going to his website: http://www.peterjboni.com/ 

Today on the show we hear from a very broken-hearted guest sharing the story of her sister's life and untimely death at just 39 years old. Breaz's sister was determined to have her own biological children and went through seven rounds of IVF. After her last pregnancy, cancer took Breaz's sisters life. Breaz shares her sister's IVF story in hopes of cautioning other women considering IVF and ART technologies stating “we are not all meant to give birth, but we can still be moms in many ways”. The grief is ever fresh and immensely hard to process, so listeners, be patient as you listen and be forewarned that this episode might be emotional and triggering for some. 

Liz, social scientist and donor-conceived person, joins me today to discuss the complications of donor-conception, even when a child is raised knowing the truth about their conception. Liz earned her Ph.D. in Social/Personality Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2021 and since then she's been an Assistant Professor of Psychology & Sociology at California Northstate University. Inspired by her own personal experience, Liz now studies attachment in donor-conception and she also recently founded a startup called Conception Connection which seeks to empower donor-conceived people by helping them with identity-related challenges and relationship building.Can you imagine starting each day wondering if you might be connected to another half sibling? What is her research showing about donor-conception? Is research being conducted on the donor-conceived population? What is Conception Connection (ConceptionConnection.co) and how can you get involved? Should egg and sperm donation be abolished? Join Liz and I as we discuss these questions and so much more! You can also find out more about Liz at https://elizabethblozano.com/. 

Today I have the opportunity to interview my first Detective, Chief of Police and Captain, Wendi Babst. Wendi worked in law enforcement in Oregon for over 31 years, retiring with the rank of Captain.In 2018, Wendi discovered she was the product of fertility fraud perpetrated against her mother in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since that time she has discovered many half-siblings scattered around the United States. Wendi's story was featured in the HBO original documentary Baby God. She now works with a non-profit group to advocate for federal and state fertility fraud legislation.Wendi has completed extensive education and training in criminal justice and is currently working towards a graduate certificate in Forensic Genetic Genealogy at the University of New Haven, partially inspired by her own DNA discovery. 

Gabrielle Clark is a mother and fierce advocate for children and parents, specifically advocating for free speech rights, sex-based rights and parental rights. When Gabrielle's daughter was captured by the gender identity industry, being socially transitioned at school, she implemented a globally utilized program to affirm reality, eventually helping free her daughter from the clutches of the gender industry and social transition at her school. After seeing her daughter desist, Gabrielle began devoting her time and energy raising awareness about the harms of social transitioning and began fighting against “gender identity” indoctrination in education.  It is her mission now to help others around the globe by offering personal guidance, powerful tools and helpful resources. You can follow Gabrielle on Twitter with the handle @GabsClark5 and you find out more about her program Affirming Reality at https://affirmingreality.com and on twitter @affirmreal

Welcome back to season 5! Today I have the privilege of welcoming Alesia a retired nurse, Army veteran, blog writer, and creator and CEO of  NPE (Not Parent Expected) Nurses (NPEN), a brand new resource center for people with an NPE (non-paternity event). NPEN is staffed by a collective of registered nursing professionals volunteering to support the needs of those navigating DNA surprise. Together, her team of nurses, many with their own personal experience of an NPE event, work to identify and understand the unique interests and needs of NPE clients as an NPE event can be deeply unsettling and lead to a profound identity crisis. Don't worry, we will explore what all of that means today in the show. Besides NPEN, Alesia has co-founded two nonprofits in her pioneering work with NPEs and remains a leading advocate for those impacted by a DNA surprise. Her service on behalf of this community includes education, genealogical research, networking and the provision of informed emotional support.  In addition, she has created online private groups that have reached people in the 1000's. Alesia's own experience with a commercial DNA kit in 2014 resulted in severe shock when she discovered that the man who'd raised her was not her genetic father.  Learning the identity of her biological father took four long years of research, and the news that he'd passed away years before her discovery will always be a profound source of sorrow for her.  After connecting with her genetic family, she learned that four relatives had suffered from brain tumors much like her own.  Had she known she had this genetic predisposition, her doctors could have diagnosed her tumor much sooner.  Spurred by her intimate knowledge of the harm done by genetic deceit, Alesia has proposed and fought hard for broad-based fertility fraud legislation.  Such bills have been introduced in multiple states; Iowa is the first to pass one into law.  You can find out more about Alesia's resource center at https://nursingfornpes.com/ and follow her on Facebook at Alesia Weiss. If you are impacted by DNA surprise, you can join her Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/thisnpelife/. 

Welcome back to Venus Rising. We are excited you're joining us for the first episode of season 5 with Eve Wiley! Originally from a small rural town in Texas, Eve uncovered a life changing family secret about her genetic identity. In 2019, she shared her story to expose the dark side of the grossly unregulated fertility industry. Eve's story, documented by ABC's 20/20, thrust her into an advocacy role to raise awareness on fertility fraud and negligence. She has successfully lobbied to change the laws in many states to protect those using artificial reproductive technologies, and continues to advocate for more accountability within the industry.You can find and follow Eve by going to her website: https://evewiley.com on Twitter, at @EveAndrewsWiley, and on Instagram at @EveAWiley. We hope todays episode inspires you to think beyond the masses!

As we wrap up season 4 of Venus Rising, I thought it appropriate to welcome back Camille Kiefel to the show! If you missed the first conversation with Camille, I encourage you to go back and have a listen as she shares with us her personal story of how she embraced a non-binary identity and was convinced to have her breasts removed in 2020. Now, after addressing her physical and mental health issues, Camille embraces her life as a woman and is speaking out to help others. Today we focus on her advocacy work as she shares with us how she hopes to help others who are being led down the path she once was. You can find Camille on Twitter @getbettertweets and you can support Camille with her lawsuit at https://www.givesendgo.com/camille_kiefel_lawsuit

Walt Heyer was a husband, father and corporate executive who underwent “sex change” surgery as an adult at the age of 42 and lived his life pretending to be a woman for eight years. Restored now for over 30 years, Walt uses his unique experience to help others who regret their so-called “gender change” and to advocate for and protect children from irreversible medical interventions. Walt has shared his story and written for The Daily Wire, USAToday, the Washington Time, as well as others. Walt's latest book, Trans Life Survivors, offers up-to-date research and 30 representative stories from the thousands of people who have contacted him for help through his website, SexChangeRegret.com. Walt's story is told in his autobiography titled, A Transgender's Faith, and has been the subject of numerous documentaries. Walt and his wife of 25 years work together to share his story of redemption and message of hope throughout the world. You can read and watch more about walt on his website https://waltheyer.com 

I had the pleasure of meeting Pamela Garfield-Jaeger, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with over 20 years of experience, at the premiere of our new documentary, The Detransition Diaries: Saving Our Sisters. Professionally, Pamala has served teens and families working as a licensed clinical social worker in a variety of settings including community-based agencies, residential programs for foster youth, and in schools and mental health clinics in California. In 2017, Pamela had to take medical leave from her profession and when she returned so much in the mental health profession had changed, particularly when it comes to treatment of gender dysphoric patients. Pamela has spoken to many therapists who agree that instant affirmation of young people with complex mental health conditions is inappropriate, however, those therapists are being heavily silenced. Pam has been emboldened to speak out on these issues and build her own program. Today, Pamela joins us on Venus Rising to talk about mental health disorders, the problem with gender affirmation therapy, what parents can do to help their children, and so much more. You can find and follow Pamela on Instagram at @the.truthfultherapist, on twitter @redpilledlcsw, on Substack at https://pamthetruthfultherapist.substack.com/ and on her website at www.thetruthfultherapist.org.  You can find our film,  Detransition Diaries: Saving Our Sisters free on YouTube at https://youtu.be/910JVOJSM2I. 

Today I have the privilege of sitting down with Stacy. Utilizing IVF, Stacy and her husband brought healthy twin girls into the world 14 years ago. After following the work of the Center for Bioethics and Culture for some time, Stacy reached out to me with hopes of sharing her story with other listeners. Despite their textbook IVF success story, Stacy and her husband are able to see in hindsight, just how much they were used, lied to, and profited off of during their struggle with infertility. The procedure, although successful, has had lasting negative effects on her family, both physically and emotionally. Stacy is here today to share her personal story in hopes of dissuading others from finding themselves caught up in what Stacy calls a predatory industry, preying upon the emotional and physically vulnerable. 

Today I have the pleasure of having Stephanie Winn back on the show! If you missed our first discussion, I would encourage you to go back and have a listen. The first time we spoke with Stephanie, we talked about how she became critical of the gender identity industry. Today we will be discussing the new film that Stephanie appeared in titled Affirmation Generation and our latest film, The Detransition Diaries. For those of you that haven't heard, allow me to introduce Stephanie again. Stephanie is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist, writer, consultant, and host of the podcast You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist. In Oregon, Stephanie has a small, online private practice called Real Talk Therapy PDX, offering Therapy Without Ideology. Both in her clinical work and in her writing, speaking, and consulting, Stephanie has increasingly taken an interest in the unique mental health needs of victims of gender medicine. You can find her podcast, You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist, blog, shop, and consulting services at www.sometherapist.com, and her counseling practice at www.realtalktherapypdx.com. You can follow Stephanie on Twitter at both @sometherapist and @some_therapist, since Twitter has a way of silencing heretics. She is on Instagram as @sometherapist    

In honor of Detransition Awareness Day this week, today I sit down with Camille, a young woman that embraced a non-binary identity and went under the knife in 2020 to have top surgery, where doctors removed her breasts. Only after addressing her physical and mental health issues, Camille finally accepted that she was a woman and had been all along. Camille now works to bring awareness to detransitioners and about alternative treatments for those struggling like she once did. She is also fighting back against those that harmed her and is suing the social worker, therapist, and the gender clinics they work for . You can support Camille with her lawsuit by clicking this link: https://www.givesendgo.com/camille_kiefel_lawsuit Follow Camille!@thegetbetterresearcher on YouTube@GetBetterTweetshttps://camillekiefel.substack.comhttps://www.tiktok.com/@camille_kiefel

Today on Venus Rising we welcome, Michelle, an outspoken 34-year-old detransitioned woman.Michelle identified as transgender for a period of ten years, during which time she was prescribed testosterone and underwent two medically unnecessary surgeries; a mastectomy and hysterectomy. Seven years after being prescribed testosterone, at nearly 30 years old, she was diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She detransitioned a few years later.In the aftermath of her transition, Michelle began to question why she'd been encouraged to pursue an extreme medical treatment that ultimately wasn't right for her. She became particularly concerned that the affirmation approach by professionals left no room to consider developmental dysphoria and that her undiagnosed disabilities contributed to her experience. Michelle considers writing to be her primary passion in life and is currently working on her first book, but in the meantime, she blogs about her post-transition experiences on her Substack, “Some Nuance, Please” (somenuanceplease.substack.com). You can follow Michelle on Twitter @somenuancepls where her “tweets serve the purpose of publicly criticizing health care professionals for enacting medical violence against vulnerable people."

Today on Venus Rising we have the pleasure to welcome Shulamit Ferber a programmer and feminist activist from Tel Aviv, Israel. Shulamit studied Interactive Studies at Sapir College in Sderot, Israel. After college, Shulamit started writing for the feminist media outlet "Politically Correct" about various issues, and in recent years decided to concentrate on the issue of surrogacy and the booming fertility industry in Israel - our focus for today's conversation and discussion. Apart from her day job, Shulamit is a talented cartoonist drawing comics titled “Why Ruin Everything”. 

Lately, Venus Rising has had the opportunity to sit down with those willing to share their personal stories of how they were harmed by the gender identity industry. Today we welcome yet another woman who bought the lie that she could become a man. Mary spent the last 4 years on testosterone, but now Mary is detransitioning and is sharing her story in hopes that others avoid harming themselves with transgender ideology. Mary hopes to be a beacon of hope for those with gender dysphoria. You can find and follow Mary on twitter @fandaflames

Happy New Year! Here at Venus Rising, we would like to ring in 2023 speaking with artist, activist, and investigative journalist, Jennifer Bilek. As well as receiving many awards for her portraiture, Jennifer's journalism has been featured in Tablet Magazine, First Things, The Post Millennial, and many other publications. She writes about the intersections of unfettered corporatism, technology, and the gender industry on her blog, The 11th Hour, found on Twitter @11thBlog or online at https://www.the11thhourblog.com. Today we talk at length with Jennifer about protecting women's spaces and rights, transgender ideology and transhumanism. You can find and follow Jennifer on twitter with the handle @bjportraits. 

You definitely don't want to miss today's guest, Stephanie Winn. Stephanie is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist, writer, consultant, and host of the podcast You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist all with the goals of restoring integrity to the profession of psychotherapy, ending childhood sexual mutilation, and promoting justice & healing for those who have been harmed by “gender affirming care”. Today I get to chat with Stephanie about each of these goals, her work, and why she thinks gender affirming care is harmful. You can find her podcast, blog, shop, and consulting services at www.sometherapist.com, and her counseling practice at www.realtalktherapypdx.com. Or you can go to https://bio.site/sometherapist to find a multitude of resources Stephanie has provided! For more information on how therapists treat gender dysphoria, make sure to listen to Stephanie interview with Marcus Evans, author of Gender Dysphoria: A Therapeutic Model for Working with Children, Adolescents and Young Adults. Follow Stephanie on Twitter at both @sometherapist and @some_therapist Follow on Instagram as @sometherapist 

Today I am thrilled to virtually sit down with writer, feminist and freelance journalist Milli Hill. Milli is the author of bestselling Positive Birth Book (2017), Give Birth like a Feminist (2019) and a book for pre-teen girls, titled My Period (2021). From 2012 to 2021 she founded and ran the Positive Birth Movement, a global network of antenatal discussion groups aimed at improving birth and giving women better access to support and information.As a journalist since 2013 Milli has written for many publications including Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Mother&Baby, to name a few, and she has appeared on BBC Radio talkradio, LBC and many other leading podcasts. In recent times Milli has become interested in ‘cancel culture' and had her own experiences of this phenomenon. As you'll hear on today's show, Milli has a passion for reframing the narrative around women's bodies and as a writer about female biology, she is curious about the current misinformation about sex and gender and the implications of shifts in word definitions for women's rights.You can find Milli and her work at https://www.millihill.co.uk Twitter @millihillInstagram @milli.hill    

Abel Garcia joins us on Venus Rising to share his story as a male detransitioner. Abel changed his name, took estrogen, and went under the knife for "top" surgery. Facing many roadblocks, Abel has worked hard to detransition and is now sharing his story with hopes to help minimize the number of people who will be harmed by the claim that it is possible to change sex.Abel is active on Instagram, twitter and YouTube under the handle @officialabelg. 

Earlier this year,  a woman named Jennie reached out to us with the hopes of warning others before they, like her, are swept up in the assisted reproduction vortex. Jennie and her husband spent seven years facing the heartbreak of infertility before their son was born at the very beginning of the global pandemic in March of 2020. Jennie and her husband went through 3 grueling rounds of IUIs and 1 round of IVF in order to conceive their son and in hindsight, Jennie now realizes the moral and ethical compromises that she made, resulting in 29 frozen embryos. Jennie wishes that she would have been more educated on ethical ways to do IVF before jumping on the fertility rollercoaster, and while she is so thankful for her son, her and her husband are now faced with the ethical ramifications of having so many frozen embryos.

Today I have the pleasure of having freelance writer and journalist, Meghan Murphy on the show.  Meghan has a master's degree in the department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at Simon Fraser University, and has been writing about feminism since 2010.  Known for going against the grain, she was the first to publish a critique of Slutwalk, back in 2011, and was one of the only popular feminist bloggers to publicly articulate both a radical feminist and socialist position against the sex industry. Meghan's critiques of third wave feminism, burlesque, self-objectification in selfies, gender identity politics, and choice feminism have brought both acclaim and attacks, but most of all recognition as a writer who isn't afraid to say something different, despite what progressive and mainstream media deem to be the party line. Meghan has spoken around the world about the issue of gender identity legislation and women's rights, including at the Canadian Senate and Scottish Parliament. Meghan was also featured in our documentary film Trans mission: What's the Rush to Reassign Gender.Most recently, Meghan is the is the founder and editor of Feminist Current, Canada's leading feminist website where you can find a unique perspective on gender, women's rights and many other issues that are often underrepresented or misrepresented by mainstream, progressive, and feminist media sources. Currently, Meghan is working on a book project of her own, which takes a critical look at third wave feminism. Today we talk with Meghan about her work and her views related to trans ideology and feminism. Find Meghan here: https://meghanmurphy.caFind her work on Twitter: @thesamedrugs_  @FeministCurrentFind her on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq-04S1vzWPy3G8omi0wVvA

Venus Rising exists to challenge listeners to think beyond the masses, especially as it pertains to women's health. It is with that goal in mind that today we welcome, Gerda, a 27-year-old woman from Poland, who started to identify as trans at the age of 14 and began the process of social transition at 19 and medical transition at 21. After 8 years of living as a transman, she came to the conclusion that the majority of her 'gender dysphoria' was a mixture of her psychological trauma and normal teen angst. Detransition helped her to change her life for the better and she's here today to share her story. 

Welcome back to another wonderful season of Venus Rising. Can you believe we are in season 4? This season starts off with a bang as we interview Genevieve Gluck, feminist essayist and co-founder of the pro-woman news and opinion site Reduxx. Prior to starting Reduxx, Genevieve has contributed work to Feminist Current and was published in the anthology Spinning and Weaving: Radical Feminist for the 21st Century. Genevieve hosts her own podcast called Women's Voices, which features interviews with women's rights activists, readings from feminist texts, and conversations about current events. Today we talk about her amazing new opinion site as well as the work she's done to reveal the disturbing roots of transgender ideology. Please be aware that this content might be triggering for some listeners. You can read more and sign up for her newsletter at reduxx.info. If you like to support  pro-woman, pro-child safeguarding journalism you can purchase merchandise that does just that at https://reduxxmerch.info.  

If you've been following our show for some time, you know we like to have guests from around the globe. Today we welcome a very special guest all the way from the United Kingdom, going by his Twitter handle TullipR.  Tullip R is here to share his story as a male detransitioner. Fom the ages of 26 to 34 TullipR lived as a trans woman, including hormone therapy and full genital surgery in 2018.  TullipR is active on twitter and in running the detrans males group that started just this year. Follow our guest @TullipR on Twitter Resources: Llife Detransitions @LifeDetrans@GenspectFollow the host @KalFell to make sure not to miss a podcast 

A few weeks ago, I received an email from a young woman that was exposed to the dangers and tragedy of the surrogacy industry as a young child. She shared with me her childhood story about the untimely passing of her mother from complications after a surrogate pregnancy. Now, as a young adult, Jaida lives in Orange County with her husband and is an undergraduate student studying Theology at Grand Canyon University. Graciously, Jaida agreed to come on Venus Rising to share her story with the masses. So, today we welcome Jaida as she gives an eyewitness account to her mother's surrogacy pregnancy, and the complications and loss that followed.

We have had the opportunity to talk with so many wonderful people this season and today is no exception. Today we welcome Rachel, a 31-year-old detransitioned lesbian woman, brave enough to share with us her deeply personal story. Rachel lived for 5 years as a transman, taking injectable testosterone, but stopped medical transition and ceased identifying as transgender. She became popular on Twitter for being outspoken about the long-term health effects of cross-sex hormones and transition-related surgeries and has done several interviews regarding the topic. Though she is no longer active on Twitter, you can find her on Medium under @habituallyfemme.   

Wow! Today is our 50th episode on Venus Rising! To celebrate, Kallie sits down with best-selling author and award-winning academic, Dr. Kathleen Stock.Dr. Stock is well-known in the United Kingdom and the United States for bravely recognizing the importance of biological sex. She regularly discusses and writes on gender identity ideology and its effects on women and girls. Until October 2021, Kathleen Stock was a Professor of Philosophy at University of Sussex, and was awarded an OBE for services to higher education in 2020. Today we talk with Dr. Stock about her exit from the University of Sussex, gender identity, and her best-selling book Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism.You can follow Kathleen at @docstockk on twitter You can read more of her wonderful writing on her website: https://kathleenstock.comMaterial Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism is available on kindle and audible through Amazon  and on the publishers website: https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/kathleen-stock/material-girls/9780349726595/Read Kara Dansky's Piece Witch Trials Within the Academy: https://www.karadansky.com/read/witch-trials-within-the-academy

Today, we have a very special guest with us, all the way from Sydney Australia, Edward Saulig. Edward brings a voice to Venus Rising that we haven't yet heard, the voice of a sperm donor. In his day to day life, Edward works as a town planner for the local government in Sydney, Australia. Part of his work is creating new neighbourhood parks in established areas. He has successfully created a new park dedicated to each of his offspring from sperm donation; he hopes to one day push each of his offspring in those very swings. Join us as he shares his very personal story. Watch our film Anonymous Father's Day free on Youtube! 

Today, we have a very special guest with us, Katy Francisco. Her name might sound a little familiar to some listeners as her brother, Matt Doran, was a special guest on our show in Season 1. Like her brother, Katy was born from donor conception and has been an advocate for the donor conceived community by sharing her story and supporting restorative reproductive medicine. Katy served 6 years as Operations Manager for CanaVox, the marriage and family project of the Witherspoon Institute, and 3 years for the International Institute for Restorative Reproductive Medicine as secretariat.  Read Katy's Story Here: https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2020/01/59169/Listen to her brother, Matt's, interview on Venus Rising. To find out more information on restorative reproductive medicine visit: Iirrm.orgListen to Dr. Naomi Whittaker or Dr. Susan Caldwell, both physicians practicing restorative reproductive medicine, on Venus Rising!Support for the Donor Conceived Community: Anonymousus.org Wearedonorconceived.com Donorchildren.org 

Today we welcome Libby Emmons, Editor-in-chief for The Post Millennial to the show. Libby holds a Masters of Fine Arts from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College. Before Libby became a journalist, she was in the world of theater. In this episode we talk with Libby about her shift from playwright to editor and why good debate and conversation around contriversial topics is rare, often resulting in cancel culture. You can find Libby's work published in many different outlets including Quillette, Spectator, New York Post, The Federalist, just to name a few.Come see Libby and more amazing women at our event in NYC on March 16th where we will discuss the challenges facing women today to provide true Equality and Empowerment for women and children. Follow Libby on twitter with the handle @libbyemmonsRead Libby's review of Trans Mission: What's the Rush to Reassign Gender here: https://thepostmillennial.com/trans-mission-exposes-the-fallacy-of-the-gender-transition-narrative

Venus Rising welcomes Lexi with Stop Surrogacy Now UK. Stop Surrogacy Now is a global campaign that brings together a worldwide, ethnically, religiously, and culturally diverse group opposed to the exploitation of women and the human trafficking of children through surrogacy. You can find more and join this global campaign at stopsurrogacynow.com. Stop Surrogacy Now UK was formed by a group of women who were and still are concerned about the proposals the UK Law Commission put forward in its 2019 consultation to reform UK law. Stop Surrogacy Now UK aims to raise awareness of the truth of surrogacy and challenge the erosion of language through media spin and raise up the voices of women and children heard when it comes to the laws that concern them. You can find and follow Stop Surrogacy Now UK on Twitter with the handle @WombsNotForRent

In this episode of Venus Rising we shift from our normal programming to bring you an interview between Jennifer Lahl, CBC Founder and President, and surrogate mother, Kimberly. Kimberly sits down with Jennifer to share her horrific surrogacy story where she was left fighting for custody of her own biological child.  The baby Kimberly gave birth to as part of a gestational surrogacy arrangement was her own child, and not the baby for a Chinese couple who hired her. Surrogacy in China is still illegal and unfortunately Kimberly is not the only mother that has experienced this preventable tragedy. To protect her privacy, Kimberly is using an alias.You can also watch this interview on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er2OjZmINCI&t=8s 

We are kicking off the New Year with another wonderful episode of Venus Rising featuring researcher, author and professor Dr. Theresa Morris! Theresa Morris, Ph.D. is Professor of Sociology and Women's and Gender Studies as well as the Coordinator of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at Texas A&M University. When she's not busy teaching undergraduate and graduate students, Dr. Morris also conducts research on gender, reproduction, and birth. Her first book, Cut It Out: The C-Section Epidemic in America (NYU Press 2013), examining the exponential increase in c-sections in the United States, was positively reviewed in several venues, including the New York Times, and her second book, Health Care in Crisis: Hospitals, Nurses, and the Consequences of Policy Change (NYU Press 2018), received an Honorable Mention for the 2019 Adele E. Clarke Book Award. Today we talk with Dr. Morris about her research, her books, and teaching college students in the twenty first century. 

Today we welcome attorney, public speaker, writer, and consultant, Kara Dansky. Kara has an extensive background in criminal justice law and policy and is unabashedly committed to protecting the rights, privacy, and safety of women and girls on the basis of sex in law and throughout society. Kara currently serves on the steering committee of the U.S. chapter of the Women's Human Rights Campaign (WHRC), which seeks to promote the Declaration on Women's Sex-Based Rights and also serves as the Chair of the Committee on Law and Legislation for WHRC globally. Most recently, Kara has a new book out titled The Abolition of Sex: How the "Transgender" Agenda Harms Women and Girls. Follow Kara on Twitter @KdanskyFind Kara online: https://www.karadansky.comRead & Sign the Declaration on Women's Sex-Based Rights: https://www.womensdeclaration.comDeck the Halls of Congress by donating to the US chapter of WHRC: https://womensdeclarationusa.com/deck-the-halls/

Today on Venus Rising I sit down with reproductive science research expert, author, academic and educator Joyce Harper, BSc, PhD. Currently Dr. Harper is Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London in the Institute for Women's Health where she is Head of the Reproductive Science and Society Group. She is a Director of the Embryology and PGD Academy and founder of Global Women Connected.  Dr. Harper has over 33 years of experience in the fields of fertility, genetics and reproductive science. In fact, she was finishing her PhD just nine years after Louise Brown was born! She has written over 200 scientific papers and published three books, her latest titled Your Fertile Years, What you need to know to make informed choices. Dr. Harper started her career as an embryologist, then moved into reproductive science and genetics, now she is researching fertility education, FemTech, and the social aspects of infertility treatment including donation and IVF add-ons. This is truly an episode you won't want to miss! It's not every day that you get to hear from a woman as passionate and knowledgeable as Dr. Harper on topics like women's fertility, women's health education, IVF and the marketing of IVF add-ons such as preimplantation genetic testing.   Find out more about Dr. Joyce Harper at www.joyceharper.comFollow her on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn: @ProfJoyceHarperRead more about Global Women Connected: www.globalwomenconnected.comWatch this weeks episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eqpoq6dB2zg 

Welcome back! Today I am thrilled to host award winning independent journalist and author, Jennifer Block. I have the opportunity to talk with Jennifer about women's health, gender, the conflict of interest found in medicine, and her newest book Everything Below The Waist: Why Health Care Needs a Feminist Revolution (St. Martin's Press). You might have read her other publications in The BMJ, New York Times, Romper, Washington Post Magazine, The Baffler, and in many other outlets. Her first book, Pushed, led a wave of attention to the national crisis in maternity care and was named a "Best Book of 2007" by Kirkus Reviews. A reporter with Type Investigations, Block won several awards for her investigative reporting on the permanent contraceptive implant Essure, which has since been discontinued.  You can find Jennifer and her work at Jenniferblock.com or on Twitter @wrtitingblock. 

Welcome back to another interesting episode of Venus Rising. This week I have the pleasure of chatting with  a young freelance writer and literary scholar, Donovan Cleckley. Donovan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Montevallo and a Master of Arts in English from Tulane University. His research focuses on the relationship between women's rights and gay rights, literature and sexual politics, and the social and political implications of transgenderism as an ideology, an industry, and an institution. Today, I talk with Donovan about the crossroads of his research and passion and the debate concerning the medical transitioning of children, which we also explore in our recent documentary Trans Mission: What's the Rush to Reassign Gender?You can learn more about his work at https://donovancleckley.com or join him in discussion by following him on Twitter.

Today's guest is Jasmine Esmay, a Registered Nurse Certified in Inpatient Obstetrics with over 20 years of frontline healthcare experience. Jasmine is also a Certified Lactation Counselor and an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Jasmine believes that lifelong health and strong family relationships start with pregnancy and birth. Families today face almost insurmountable struggles when it comes to navigating the healthcare system, juggling the demands of a new baby with no paid parental leave, and the lack of postpartum and breastfeeding support. These struggles show in maternal and infant mortality rates, infant feeding outcomes, and increasing rates of postpartum depression. All things we discuss on today's episode.Jasmine currently works to change birth culture by offering continuing education to healthcare providers through her consulting business “Tongass Lactation Consulting, LLC” and serving on the United States Lactation Association Advisory Board. She is the current President of The Alaska Breastfeeding Coalition. Join us as Kallie chats with Jasmine about the current state of maternal fetal healthcare and what can be done to help women and families succeed in a time where we clearly are failing women. Find Jasmine at www.tongasslactation.com. Find more about Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, whose work is referenced in the podcast, at https://www.kathleenkendall-tackett.comThis week's episode is also available for viewing on our YouTube channel.

On today's episode of Venus Rising, I sit down with the fearless advocate, Toni Bare.In 2016 Toni agreed to be a gestational surrogate for a couple with hopes that she would make enough money to pay for her own fertility treatment. Toni's experience as a surrogate mother was so horrific and harmful she has committed to publicly speaking out against surrogacy. Toni's story is complex and painful, full of abuse, injustice, and personal trauma and I admire her strength as she shares it with me today. You can read more about Toni's story here:https://www.legalizesurrogacywhynot.com/toni-barre-storyJoin Toni by signing the Stop Surrogacy Now Petition: http://www.stopsurrogacynow.com/#sthash.MiyOBpDk.dpbs

Hello and welcome back to Venus Rising Season THREE! I have so many wonderful guests lined up for this season, but before introducing someone new I decided to kick-off season three with someone you met last season, Alyssia Wood. I spoke with Alyssia about her experience as a surrogate mother in season 2, but only touched the tip of the iceberg.  Today I talks more in-depth about Alyssia's experience as a surrogate mother and really focuses on her last pregnancy as a surrogate mother and what has transpired since the birth of that child and our last time speaking with Alyssia. Thank you for joining me! 

Welcome back to this season’s final episode of Venus Rising. Today Kallie has a candid and informative talk with Brynne, one of the brave mothers featured in our newly released documentary “Trans Mission: What’s the Rush to Reassign Gender”. At age 13, Brynne's daughter began suffering from "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria” (ROGD), a poorly understood phenomena currently affecting hundreds of thousands of girls worldwide. ROGD is characterized by a sudden and severe rejection of a person’s biological sex and corresponding body parts in favor of an identity aligning with the opposite sex. Brynne realized early on that the “experts” proposed solutions to her daughter’s dysphoria all seemed to lead down a pathway of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones with potentially irreversible consequences, and she worried her daughter might later regret these changes. She was surprised to discover that any questioning of this medical pathway is routinely met with hostility and aggression, so she stands bravely in the gap for parents and their children, insisting on asking important questions that are often forbidden discourse. Brynne advocates for radical self-acceptance of peoples’ whole healthy bodies, diverse personality expressions, and the elimination of harmful gender stereotypes. She works with nonprofits that seek to raise funds for public education in regards to the harms and abuse trans-identifying people and their families suffer in the medical and mental health community.

Today I have the pleasure of sitting down with four-time surrogate mother, Alyssia Wood. Having wonderful pregnancy experiences with each of her four children, Alyssia felt that surrogacy was an obvious way for her to help others start or build their own families. She is here today to talk about her different experiences as a surrogate mother, which included two miscarriages, two premature deliveries, hyperemesis gravidarum, sepsis, a near hysterectomy, and a host of unexpected challenges she now encourages prospective surrogates to thoroughly research before signing a surrogacy contract. We are so grateful for Alyssia's willingness to candidly discuss her experiences with us so that other women can make informed choices about their reproductive options. Be sure to subscribe to Venus Rising so you can stay updated on Alyssia's story!

If you are an aspiring labor and delivery nurse or nurse midwife or have ever wanted to chat with a nurse that works at an IVF clinic then today’s show is just for you. I am especially excited about this episode because I get to sit down with nursing colleague, Kelly Wilson. I had the opportunity of meeting and working with Kelly when I was fresh out of nursing school, several years ago. Kelly has been a nurse since 2010 and joined the ranks of labor and delivery nurses in 2013. In 2019 she started working as a fertility nurse while she pursues her degree in nurse midwifery. Kelly has finished her clinical training and is excitedly graduating very soon! She lives in Ohio with her husband and two adorable sons.

Welcome back to Venus Rising! With me today is Dr. Susan Caldwell, a primary care physician specializing in women’s health practicing in New Orleans, Louisiana. Today we tackle an emotionally sensitive topic, especially as we approach Mother's Day- infertility and IVF. Dr. Caldwell has three children of her own, all of whom were conceived through IVF. Today she explains why, in retrospect, she would not recommend IVF as a solution to infertility and why, in her expert opinion, naprotechnology is a much better pathway for couples struggling to conceive. Dr. Caldwell is able to navigate this difficult subject through a lens of both empathy and immense knowledge. Her insight is invaluable to the broader conversation. Dr. Caldwell received her medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center where she also completed her residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. In 2016 she became a Certified Naprotechnology Medical Consultant. She enjoys writing and speaking about authentic femininity and reproductive health that upholds the dignity of all human life. She blogs about topics in women’s health at drsusancaldwell.com.

Welcome back to Venus Rising! One of the main commodities in the ever-growing infertility industry is human eggs. Young women all over the world are targeted by ads to "donate" their eggs. Who are these women and what are the risks to their health? In this episode I have the opportunity to talk with Kylee Kwiatkowski about her harrowing story of egg "donation" and the aftermath that followed this life-altering decision. If you are considering "donating" your eggs or are dealing with health effects after egg "donation", this is an episode you won't want to miss! You can read about Kylee's story online at: https://www.legalizesurrogacywhynot.com/kylee-kwiatkowski-s-story Kylee was also featured in our award-winning documentary Eggsploitation. You can watch it on Amazon Prime here: https://amzn.to/2Q3NelW

In the early 2000s, Liz Scheier’s mom was facing eviction, so Liz, like many young women, turned to egg donation to raise funds to escape financial crisis. Over the next several years, Liz underwent a total of three rounds of egg retrieval. In the years since, Liz has spent a significant amount of time analyzing the situation and asking important ethical questions related to it. She sits on the leadership team of We Are Egg Donors (WAED), a volunteer-run global support network for over 2,000 current and former egg donors across the world. WAED is regularly featured in media outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, NBC, WIRED, and others. As media liaison for WAED, Liz speaks frequently with journalists about the experiences of egg donors, the ethical issues involved in anonymous gamete donation, and the urgent need for a long-term longitudinal study of the effects of egg donation on women's health. She is an author, editor, and product developer living in Washington, DC with her husband and two children, and we are honored to have her joining us on Venus Rising today.

Welcome back to an informative new episode of Venus Rising! This week Kallie sits down with Wendy Kramer, Co-Founder and Director of the Donor Sibling Registry (DSR), a network of over 72,000 members worldwide, united by their shared experience as individuals conceived as a result of egg, sperm, or embryo donation and their mutual desire to be connected with others who share their genetic ties. Wendy launched the DSR in an effort to help bridge some of the ancestral gaps for her own son Ryan, who was conceived via sperm donation. A prolific speaker and writer, Wendy is a tireless advocate for the donor-conceived community and a strong proponent of regulations that prioritize the needs of the children born of third party reproductive arrangements. We are so pleased to have her with us today.

You will not want to miss this week’s episode of Venus Rising, as Kallie sits down with award winning author and writer Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos for a frank discussion on a painful topic: infertility. Pamela’s book Silent Sorority, became the first account of reconciling infertility that was not written by a mother. With raw honesty Pamela drew from her experience to explore the stigma associated with fertility issues and the complex effects of living involuntarily childless. Through her research and writing, Pamela was introduced to a vibrant community of IVF survivors. Her followup ebook, Finally Heard, gives voice to a large but seldom acknowledged population of women reconciling the trauma of failed fertility treatments. Her writing raises provocative, often uncomfortable questions usually reserved for late night reflection or anonymous blogging. Pamela has authored many other publications and you can view hew work in a variety of media outlets including Marie Claire, Huffington Post, TIME, Redbook, and Fertility and Sterility. Pamela was the co-founder of ReproTechTruths.org, a grassroots initiative to provide a counter-programming platform for women to share the long-lasting impacts of failed IVF. She was named a Top 10 Health blogger by Time Inc.’s Health Magazine in July 2015. To date, Pamela continues to write and serve on several cross-discipline working groups monitoring assisted reproductive technologies. We are thrilled to have her joining us today on Venus Rising.

This week on Venus Rising, Kallie sits down with Isabella Malbin, founder of Whose Body Is It? Isabella is a self-described radical birth keeper, hypnotist, and radical feminist. In 2020, she was kicked out of a fertility awareness teacher training program for using the words “woman” and “mother,” which were deemed “trans-exclusionary.” Since then, she’s become passionate about illuminating the harms of trans ideology, especially in regard to its impact on women. In today’s episode, Kallie and Isabella explore the links between surrogacy, porn, prostitution, and transgenderism and how they all work in tandem to prop up #BigFertility. In addition to serving pregnant women in her community, she leads an 8-week educational series for women questioning the ethics of trans ideology, prostitution, pornography and surrogacy and runs a private virtual gender-critical community where women connect, conspire & enact change. Find Isabella at: whosebodyisit.com Instagram @whosebodyisit