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[crowd] Stop tranzing kids!

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00:00:07,882 --> 00:00:09,801
I'm here at a           
         detransitioner rally,

3
00:00:09,843 --> 00:00:11,344
and they say that          
   gender-affirming care has gone

4
00:00:11,386 --> 00:00:12,804
too far.

5
00:00:12,846 --> 00:00:15,348
Why do you think there       
 aren't more people speaking out?

6
00:00:15,390 --> 00:00:17,017
I've received death threats,

7
00:00:17,058 --> 00:00:20,186
I'm constantly being told     
       I have blood on my hands.

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00:00:20,228 --> 00:00:23,023
[Alyza VO] You see narratives     
 about people are experimenting

9
00:00:23,064 --> 00:00:24,858
on children with          
        gender-affirming care.

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00:00:24,899 --> 00:00:26,192
What do you make of all that?

11
00:00:26,234 --> 00:00:28,236
The narrative is very off-base.

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I was very concerned about     
     my story being weaponized.

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00:00:31,072 --> 00:00:33,199
How do we take this movement    
   down so we can get on with our

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00:00:33,241 --> 00:00:35,827
lives of just living as people?

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00:00:35,869 --> 00:00:37,203
tense energetic music

16
00:00:37,245 --> 00:00:39,372
[Alzo VO] More than half of the   
 world's known cobalt comes from

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00:00:39,414 --> 00:00:40,582
Southern Congo.

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00:00:40,623 --> 00:00:43,168
How much money do          
         you make doing this?

19
00:00:45,879 --> 00:00:49,591
Does it bother you that foreign   
    companies would exploit the

20
00:00:49,632 --> 00:00:51,884
mineral wealth of this country?

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00:00:51,926 --> 00:00:54,721
There are people digging      
      for remnants of cobalt.

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00:00:54,763 --> 00:00:56,681
What is your biggest fear?

23
00:01:01,853 --> 00:01:06,900
dramatic theme music

24
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[shouting]

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Hoorah!

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[blasts]

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[man] Absolutely, right on!

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[crowd] Biology is not bigotry!

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Stop sterilizing children!

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Stop tranzing kids!

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We need more            
         people to wake up,

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stand up,

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00:01:34,302 --> 00:01:35,887
and speak up!

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[Alyza] I'm here at         
        a detransitioner rally

35
00:01:37,305 --> 00:01:38,431
in San Diego.

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00:01:38,472 --> 00:01:40,892
We're outside of a          
   pediatric medical conference,

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00:01:40,934 --> 00:01:43,478
and these folks are         
        out here protesting.

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They say that doctors are      
      using experimental methods

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00:01:47,315 --> 00:01:49,442
to treat gender           
        dysphoria in children,

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and they say that          
   gender-affirming care has gone

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too far.

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00:01:52,153 --> 00:01:53,446
[crowd] Children          
          cannot consent!

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[Cat] I am a detransitioner!

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00:01:55,948 --> 00:01:57,909
I'm with a group           
        of detransitioners!

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We are here to speak out       
     against the sterilization

46
00:02:00,870 --> 00:02:02,956
and mutilation of children!

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[Alyza VO] The definition of    
 "detransitioner" is specific to

48
00:02:05,166 --> 00:02:08,294
the individual but usually means 
     someone who was trans but no

49
00:02:08,336 --> 00:02:11,089
longer is and has since stopped   
 medical treatments to support

50
00:02:11,131 --> 00:02:12,298
their transition.

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It's become an           
 increasingly-politicized term.

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00:02:14,801 --> 00:02:18,138
As a trans journalist, talking   
 about this topic feels extremely

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00:02:18,179 --> 00:02:21,891
scary, mainly because        
 talking about detransitioners is

54
00:02:21,933 --> 00:02:23,309
fraught.

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[woman over speaker]        
   Hitler's doctors mutilated and

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experimented on children.

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[woman] That's right,        
        they did, they did!

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[woman over speaker] Pick      
   the side of history you wanna

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00:02:29,816 --> 00:02:31,276
be on!

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00:02:31,317 --> 00:02:32,777
[Alyza VO] Major medical      
 organizations cite that medical

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00:02:32,819 --> 00:02:35,155
treatment for gender dysphoria,   
       like puberty blockers or

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00:02:35,196 --> 00:02:38,158
hormones, are both safe       
       and medically necessary,

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and for so many people --     
            me included --

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it's life-saving care.

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But that hasn't stopped      
      Conservative lawmakers from

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00:02:43,371 --> 00:02:46,166
leveraging a small group of     
     voices to restrict access to

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00:02:46,207 --> 00:02:47,959
trans healthcare at large.

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My parents were told that      
    the options were transition

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or suicide.

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I cannot even cry          
         or raise my voice;

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I was silenced.

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[Abel] I was misled to believe   
     that these procedures were

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perfectly safe.

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[Alyza VO] And it's working.

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Just this year, more than 500   
     bills targeting trans rights

76
00:03:01,556 --> 00:03:03,892
have been introduced        
         across 49 states --

77
00:03:03,933 --> 00:03:06,311
a sharp increase          
             since 2015.

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00:03:06,352 --> 00:03:08,605
These proposals include      
       criminalizing doctors and

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00:03:08,646 --> 00:03:11,524
healthcare providers, and could   
 redefine child abuse to include

80
00:03:11,566 --> 00:03:15,320
those who support medical      
 transition for anyone under 18.

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00:03:15,361 --> 00:03:17,197
And while it may seem like     
      there are a large number of

82
00:03:17,238 --> 00:03:19,198
detransitioner           
         voices raising alarm,

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00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:21,701
it's actually the same few     
      providing the most graphic

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00:03:21,743 --> 00:03:24,329
testimony in support of       
 these bills across the country.

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00:03:24,370 --> 00:03:26,372
I am dealing with          
         genital atrophy.

86
00:03:26,414 --> 00:03:27,957
I have blood clots in my urine.

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00:03:27,999 --> 00:03:29,792
And all of my joints ache.

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We must prevent this nightmare   
     from happening to any more

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00:03:32,253 --> 00:03:33,463
young people.

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[Alyza VO] One of         
         these detransitioners

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00:03:34,422 --> 00:03:36,049
is Cat Cattinson.

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00:03:36,090 --> 00:03:39,177
When she was 28, she started    
 taking testosterone but stopped

93
00:03:39,219 --> 00:03:42,055
after four months when       
      she developed throat pain.

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00:03:42,096 --> 00:03:46,017
Castration is not a         
   treatment for mental illness!

95
00:03:46,059 --> 00:03:48,561
When did you decide to        
    speak out about your story?

96
00:03:48,602 --> 00:03:51,397
Initially, I didn't speak out 
     about detransitioning because

97
00:03:51,439 --> 00:03:53,441
I didn't want to do 
               anything to, like,

98
00:03:53,483 --> 00:03:55,568
harm the trans community.

99
00:03:55,610 --> 00:03:58,696
But I did realize      
         just, like, how little...

100
00:03:58,738 --> 00:04:01,532
support and knowledge there     
     is about detransitioners.

101
00:04:01,574 --> 00:04:05,161
Like, there's no medical      
     codes for detransitioners.

102
00:04:05,203 --> 00:04:09,332
And I feel like right now, 
         minors transitioning is

103
00:04:09,374 --> 00:04:11,376
an emergency situation.

104
00:04:11,417 --> 00:04:14,545
Why do you think there       
 aren't more people speaking out?

105
00:04:14,587 --> 00:04:18,383
There are more that are   
          slowly coming forward...

106
00:04:18,424 --> 00:04:21,219
but it's scary to put        
        yourself out there.

107
00:04:21,261 --> 00:04:22,595
It's terrifying, actually.

108
00:04:22,637 --> 00:04:25,265
I've received death 
               threats, bullying,

109
00:04:25,306 --> 00:04:26,432
and harassment.

110
00:04:26,474 --> 00:04:28,768
I'm constantly being told I'm...

111
00:04:28,810 --> 00:04:32,897
a child-killer and that I have    
 blood on my hands of trans kids

112
00:04:32,939 --> 00:04:33,690
and things like that.

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00:04:33,731 --> 00:04:35,233
It's not easy at all.

114
00:04:35,275 --> 00:04:39,112
Do you ever worry that        
    what you're saying may have

115
00:04:39,153 --> 00:04:41,781
consequences that          
         you can't foresee?

116
00:04:41,823 --> 00:04:44,409
I don't think that what    
        I'm doing is causing harm.

117
00:04:44,450 --> 00:04:47,453
I think certain politicians and   
 public figures that bring up the

118
00:04:47,495 --> 00:04:50,456
gender issue are using that    
       to get votes from people,

119
00:04:50,498 --> 00:04:54,460
but often times, the Right is     
 the only side that cares about

120
00:04:54,502 --> 00:04:57,505
detransitioners and is willing    
 to listen to and amplify their

121
00:04:57,547 --> 00:04:58,131
stories.

122
00:04:58,172 --> 00:05:00,383
A lot of people have            
 called you "transphobic,"

123
00:05:00,425 --> 00:05:02,385
have called these          
       bills "transphobic"...

124
00:05:02,427 --> 00:05:03,469
How do you see them?

125
00:05:03,511 --> 00:05:08,516
The word "transphobia" 
            implies hatred and...

126
00:05:09,017 --> 00:05:13,646
bigotry towards people who     
      identify as transgender.

127
00:05:13,688 --> 00:05:16,441
I do not hate anyone,

128
00:05:16,482 --> 00:05:20,445
and my desire to prevent 
           people from suffering

129
00:05:20,486 --> 00:05:23,323
from life-long            
        health issues is...

130
00:05:23,364 --> 00:05:24,907
coming from a place of love.

131
00:05:24,949 --> 00:05:29,912
I do think that people who    
    affirm -- providers who affirm

132
00:05:29,954 --> 00:05:34,334
-- are doing so from         
       a good place as well.

133
00:05:34,375 --> 00:05:38,004
But I do believe that        
        that leads to harm.

134
00:05:40,798 --> 00:05:42,091
[Alyza] Hi, it's so         
    nice to finally meet you...

135
00:05:42,133 --> 00:05:44,093
[Alyza VO] Dr. Meredithe      
       McNamara specializes in

136
00:05:44,135 --> 00:05:47,347
adolescent medicine and provides 
 gender-affirming care to minors

137
00:05:47,388 --> 00:05:49,849
-- something she's had to defend 
      in response to testimonies

138
00:05:49,891 --> 00:05:51,142
like Cat's.

139
00:05:51,184 --> 00:05:54,979
I think that the concerned     
       public really responds

140
00:05:55,021 --> 00:05:56,189
to human stories.

141
00:05:56,230 --> 00:06:01,110
It becomes a concerning 
           problem when anecdotes

142
00:06:01,152 --> 00:06:04,489
are being used to          
     decide the fates of many,

143
00:06:04,530 --> 00:06:08,326
and that's fundamentally      
           unscientific.

144
00:06:08,368 --> 00:06:10,536
If you're                     
 turning on the TV,

145
00:06:10,578 --> 00:06:13,915
you see narratives about        
 children are being butchered,

146
00:06:13,956 --> 00:06:15,875
you know, people are            
 experimenting on children

147
00:06:15,917 --> 00:06:17,668
with gender-affirming care...

148
00:06:17,710 --> 00:06:19,295
What do you make of all that?

149
00:06:19,337 --> 00:06:20,671
How does that make you feel?

150
00:06:20,713 --> 00:06:22,465
In order to ban           
        care for something,

151
00:06:22,507 --> 00:06:25,343
you really have to try to      
     chip away at the existence

152
00:06:25,385 --> 00:06:29,138
of the condition for which     
       care is being sought.

153
00:06:29,180 --> 00:06:32,392
So, when people say things     
 like "Social contagion is real,"

154
00:06:32,433 --> 00:06:35,561
or "Gender dysphoria is       
      other mental illnesses,"

155
00:06:35,603 --> 00:06:38,731
or "Talk therapy is appropriate   
      as the only treatment,"

156
00:06:38,773 --> 00:06:41,401
what they're really saying is    
   that transgender identity and

157
00:06:41,442 --> 00:06:43,361
gender dysphoria don't exist.

158
00:06:43,403 --> 00:06:46,406
The next thing you might hear 
      would be false claims about

159
00:06:46,447 --> 00:06:48,825
safety, false claims 
              about the evidence.

160
00:06:48,866 --> 00:06:51,744
And then the final thing is just 
   attacks on medical authority,

161
00:06:51,786 --> 00:06:54,580
so "Medical organizations      
       are advocacy groups.

162
00:06:54,622 --> 00:06:57,750
They're biased, liberal,       
 Leftist, ideological machines."

163
00:06:57,792 --> 00:06:59,335
That sort of thing.

164
00:06:59,377 --> 00:07:02,547
How often are you recommending   
 surgery to adolescents under the

165
00:07:02,588 --> 00:07:03,965
age of 18?

166
00:07:04,006 --> 00:07:07,510
So I've never recommended    
      surgery for gender-affirming

167
00:07:07,552 --> 00:07:11,806
purposes in my life,         
 because that kind of describes,

168
00:07:11,848 --> 00:07:14,559
like, a prescriptive      
       model that we're not doing,

169
00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:15,935
that doesn't really exist.

170
00:07:15,977 --> 00:07:18,938
It's not a medicalized conveyor   
   belt that you hop on and you

171
00:07:18,980 --> 00:07:21,357
can't get off until         
        you get to the end.

172
00:07:21,399 --> 00:07:23,443
[Alyza VO] There aren't      
 solid numbers on how many people

173
00:07:23,484 --> 00:07:24,235
detransition or why,

174
00:07:24,235 --> 00:07:27,822
in part because long-term and     
 large-scale studies are scarce,

175
00:07:27,864 --> 00:07:30,741
but their impact is         
         inarguably outsized.

176
00:07:30,783 --> 00:07:33,619
Current bills could limit      
     healthcare for up to 300,000

177
00:07:33,661 --> 00:07:37,790
trans kids nationally,       
      and that's not accidental.

178
00:07:39,834 --> 00:07:42,628
We just landed in Chicago and    
 we're going to meet Ky Schevers.

179
00:07:42,670 --> 00:07:45,465
She's a former detransitioner    
   who feels like her story was

180
00:07:45,506 --> 00:07:48,468
co-opted by the           
        Anti-trans Movement.

181
00:07:49,469 --> 00:07:54,474
soft ethereal music

182
00:07:55,683 --> 00:07:57,477
[Alyza VO] Ky Schevers       
      medically transitioned from

183
00:07:57,518 --> 00:07:59,645
female to male in 2006,

184
00:07:59,687 --> 00:08:02,355
but began detransitioning     
           five years later.

185
00:08:02,398 --> 00:08:03,983
She now uses            
           she/her pronouns

186
00:08:04,024 --> 00:08:06,152
and identifies as         
           trans masculine.

187
00:08:06,194 --> 00:08:09,029
While detransitioning, Ky turned 
     to the Internet for support,

188
00:08:09,071 --> 00:08:11,574
and she was slowly indoctrinated 
        by people she says are

189
00:08:11,615 --> 00:08:14,452
anti-trans radical feminists.

190
00:08:14,494 --> 00:08:17,622
Over the next six years,      
      she worked alongside them.

191
00:08:17,663 --> 00:08:20,041
The Right, in particular,      
 has specifically kind of, like,

192
00:08:20,082 --> 00:08:22,627
sought out              
      detransitioned people's

193
00:08:22,668 --> 00:08:24,670
stories that they could use     
 because they feel like that can

194
00:08:24,712 --> 00:08:26,631
kind of, like-- that it       
    works better like effective

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00:08:26,672 --> 00:08:28,049
propaganda.

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00:08:28,090 --> 00:08:30,885
I was talking to someone    
       who wanted to believe that,

197
00:08:30,927 --> 00:08:33,471
"Well, all transmasculine people 
 transition because of unresolved

198
00:08:33,513 --> 00:08:36,224
trauma," and that          
         to heal from that,

199
00:08:36,265 --> 00:08:39,101
you had to sort of,      
       like, reclaim being female.

200
00:08:39,143 --> 00:08:43,523
So I had this unresolved trauma   
 about my mom committing suicide,

201
00:08:43,564 --> 00:08:44,941
and I had come to          
         believe, you know,

202
00:08:44,982 --> 00:08:48,277
my transness was motivated 
        by that unresolved trauma,

203
00:08:48,319 --> 00:08:51,113
and to heal from that, I       
 would have to stop being trans.

204
00:08:51,155 --> 00:08:53,658
And so when did you             
 realize, "Wait a second,

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00:08:53,699 --> 00:08:56,536
I think there's something         
 more insidious going on?"

206
00:08:56,577 --> 00:08:57,954
[clears throat] Boy...

207
00:08:57,995 --> 00:09:01,415
The real significant        
 wake-up call was some anti-trans

208
00:09:01,457 --> 00:09:04,627
feminist decided to, you know,   
       ally with the Right --

209
00:09:04,669 --> 00:09:07,588
like, ally with           
 Conservative Christian groups --

210
00:09:07,630 --> 00:09:09,632
and I was absolutely horrified.

211
00:09:09,674 --> 00:09:13,052
I just was like, "How can   
       you claim to be against the

212
00:09:13,094 --> 00:09:15,846
Patriarchy when           
     you're working with them?"

213
00:09:15,888 --> 00:09:19,475
So I was basically like, "The    
 only reason you would wanna work

214
00:09:19,517 --> 00:09:22,728
with these people is if you     
     just hated trans people."

215
00:09:22,895 --> 00:09:25,106
We really should reach out to    
   some of the people that have

216
00:09:25,147 --> 00:09:26,524
been, like, protesting.

217
00:09:26,566 --> 00:09:28,568
[Alyza VO] Eventually, Ky      
 understood what happened to her

218
00:09:28,609 --> 00:09:30,695
to be a type of          
          conversion therapy.

219
00:09:30,736 --> 00:09:32,530
In order to reckon         
         with that experience,

220
00:09:32,572 --> 00:09:35,074
she needed to find         
        out who was behind it.

221
00:09:35,116 --> 00:09:36,659
She and her partner        
          Lee discovered that

222
00:09:36,701 --> 00:09:39,537
seemingly-independent doctors     
 and psychotherapists supporting

223
00:09:39,579 --> 00:09:42,498
the group were actually       
 connected to major Conservative

224
00:09:42,540 --> 00:09:44,709
political powerhouses.

225
00:09:44,750 --> 00:09:47,295
Their work was validated in     
 March when thousands of leaked

226
00:09:47,336 --> 00:09:49,755
emails revealed a coordinated   
      effort between Conservative

227
00:09:49,797 --> 00:09:52,925
state legislators,         
         think tanks, lawyers,

228
00:09:52,967 --> 00:09:57,430
and gender-critical feminists   
 to further an anti-trans agenda.

229
00:09:57,930 --> 00:09:59,932
[Ky VO] There's, like, a lot    
 of different organizations that

230
00:09:59,974 --> 00:10:02,226
pass themselves off as       
      something that they're not.

231
00:10:02,268 --> 00:10:04,770
The American             
     College of Pediatricians,

232
00:10:04,812 --> 00:10:06,939
which is a Conservative       
 Christian group that pretends to

233
00:10:06,981 --> 00:10:09,358
be a legitimate medical       
 organization so they can spread,

234
00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:11,736
you know, anti-gay and trans

235
00:10:11,777 --> 00:10:14,780
and anti-reproductive 
                  right crap

236
00:10:14,822 --> 00:10:16,365
while trying to           
     pretend to be scientific.

237
00:10:16,407 --> 00:10:18,200
Why do you feel the            
 need to do this research?

238
00:10:18,242 --> 00:10:19,744
Like, why is it                 
 important right now?

239
00:10:19,785 --> 00:10:21,621
[Ky] [sighs] Just to 
              make sure we keep--

240
00:10:21,662 --> 00:10:23,164
like, we can survive!

241
00:10:23,205 --> 00:10:25,416
How do we take this movement    
   down so we can get on with our

242
00:10:25,458 --> 00:10:27,627
lives of just, you know...

243
00:10:27,668 --> 00:10:29,712
living as people?

244
00:10:34,842 --> 00:10:36,802
[Alyza VO] The divisive       
 political climate leaves little

245
00:10:36,844 --> 00:10:38,346
room for nuance.

246
00:10:38,387 --> 00:10:40,806
Some detransitioners feel caught 
       between detrans activists

247
00:10:40,848 --> 00:10:42,808
and their former          
          trans communities.

248
00:10:42,850 --> 00:10:44,810
[Alyza] So this is your studio?

249
00:10:44,852 --> 00:10:46,771
[Maddie] It is.

250
00:10:47,021 --> 00:10:48,814
[Alyza VO] I went to        
        Canada to visit Maddie,

251
00:10:48,856 --> 00:10:51,442
who has asked that we        
       only use her first name.

252
00:10:51,484 --> 00:10:52,652
[Alyza] Is this                 
 usually what you do?

253
00:10:52,693 --> 00:10:54,904
You make, like,                
 little diorama setups?

254
00:10:54,945 --> 00:10:55,488
[Maddie] Yeah, I   
                sometimes do that,

255
00:10:55,529 --> 00:10:59,367
or I sometimes just   
             make miniature foods.

256
00:10:59,575 --> 00:11:04,664
soft ethereal music

257
00:11:04,830 --> 00:11:08,834
I got started making        
      miniatures in high school.

258
00:11:08,876 --> 00:11:12,630
I find it very therapeutic; I     
 can just get really lost in it

259
00:11:12,672 --> 00:11:15,424
and, like, I don't think      
      very much when I'm working,

260
00:11:15,466 --> 00:11:17,635
and that's really nice.      
              [chuckles]

261
00:11:18,885 --> 00:11:20,846
[Alyza VO] She first        
      began her transition at 15,

262
00:11:20,888 --> 00:11:23,516
and eventually started taking   
 testosterone and got top surgery

263
00:11:23,557 --> 00:11:25,184
when she was 21.

264
00:11:25,226 --> 00:11:28,020
Two years later,          
          she detransitioned.

265
00:11:28,062 --> 00:11:31,357
She has never shared her      
        story publicly before.

266
00:11:31,399 --> 00:11:33,859
[Alyza] What made you        
      decide to detransition?

267
00:11:33,901 --> 00:11:37,154
I had received an          
         Autism diagnosis,

268
00:11:37,196 --> 00:11:40,866
and things that had once       
 made sense to me as being about

269
00:11:40,908 --> 00:11:45,913
gender suddenly were very      
 clearly stemming from Autism --

270
00:11:46,914 --> 00:11:49,875
things like my              
 discomfort with my body --

271
00:11:49,917 --> 00:11:51,877
and then I              
      started to feel regret.

272
00:11:51,919 --> 00:11:55,548
I started to wonder               
 if my disability--

273
00:11:55,589 --> 00:11:57,258
"Your disability" 
                  meaning Autism?

274
00:11:57,299 --> 00:11:58,384
-[Maddie] Yeah.           
              -Okay.

275
00:11:58,426 --> 00:12:00,553
[Maddie] Had impacted this.

276
00:12:00,594 --> 00:12:03,889
Why was that never explored     
    with the doctors I had seen?

277
00:12:03,931 --> 00:12:05,850
I felt...

278
00:12:05,891 --> 00:12:08,352
very upset about that.

279
00:12:08,394 --> 00:12:09,895
tense ambient music

280
00:12:09,937 --> 00:12:12,898
I learned pretty quickly that   
 people really don't like talking

281
00:12:12,940 --> 00:12:17,945
about this, and they don't like   
 talking about regrets or doubts.

282
00:12:19,363 --> 00:12:21,741
I just felt very alone.

283
00:12:22,366 --> 00:12:25,077
It sounds like you were looking   
 for people to talk to about what

284
00:12:25,119 --> 00:12:26,245
you'd experienced.

285
00:12:26,287 --> 00:12:29,248
Yeah, I found it quite        
 difficult to navigate because I

286
00:12:29,290 --> 00:12:31,500
was very concerned about      
     my story being weaponized.

287
00:12:31,542 --> 00:12:32,710
By who?

288
00:12:32,752 --> 00:12:35,546
The right wing...

289
00:12:35,588 --> 00:12:39,967
really, really liked to       
       use these stories of

290
00:12:40,009 --> 00:12:42,094
transition regret

291
00:12:42,136 --> 00:12:45,431
in attempts to...

292
00:12:45,473 --> 00:12:50,478
ban transition or to        
       demonstrate that it...

293
00:12:51,854 --> 00:12:53,314
doesn't work for anyone.

294
00:12:53,355 --> 00:12:55,816
Do you believe in         
    banning gender-affirming care?

295
00:12:55,858 --> 00:12:59,779
I don't, I think there are     
 some people who benefit from it,

296
00:12:59,820 --> 00:13:03,699
and probably some people       
   who really do need it to live

297
00:13:03,741 --> 00:13:04,867
happy lives.

298
00:13:04,909 --> 00:13:08,788
I don't think the system --       
 as it is now -- is serving

299
00:13:08,829 --> 00:13:10,623
everybody who            
          goes through it,

300
00:13:10,664 --> 00:13:15,669
but I think bans are a       
         severe overreaction.

301
00:13:16,670 --> 00:13:19,131
Our children are not         
      guinea pigs for science

302
00:13:19,173 --> 00:13:22,802
experimentation, and we cannot   
     allow people to make money

303
00:13:22,843 --> 00:13:24,970
off mutilating them.

304
00:13:25,012 --> 00:13:26,972
[Alyza VO] It's clear       
      Conservative lawmakers have

305
00:13:27,014 --> 00:13:29,975
turned gender-affirming       
     care into a key wedge issue.

306
00:13:30,017 --> 00:13:32,978
They're calling the very idea   
      of transness into question,

307
00:13:33,020 --> 00:13:35,773
and the resulting bans are     
 having a major negative impact

308
00:13:35,815 --> 00:13:38,317
on trans people's         
      mental and physical health.

309
00:13:38,359 --> 00:13:42,154
The reality is so many of us --   
     detransitioners included --

310
00:13:42,196 --> 00:13:44,990
want the freedom to live      
       authentic, healthy lives,

311
00:13:45,032 --> 00:13:46,826
and want access to         
       care that supports that.

312
00:13:46,867 --> 00:13:48,828
But when healthcare is       
     legislated in black and white

313
00:13:48,869 --> 00:13:51,997
ways, that freedom         
         hangs in the balance.

314
00:13:52,039 --> 00:13:54,875
What do you say to the           
 detransitioners who say,

315
00:13:54,917 --> 00:13:57,378
"I feel like I was hurt           
 by the medical system?"

316
00:13:57,419 --> 00:14:02,341
I would never go so far as to 
     cast doubt on somebody else's

317
00:14:02,383 --> 00:14:05,928
lived experiences, but the    
     narrative that that describes

318
00:14:05,970 --> 00:14:08,931
the standard of           
       care is very off-base.

319
00:14:08,973 --> 00:14:10,808
Do you think there                
 is enough evidence

320
00:14:10,850 --> 00:14:11,934
for gender-affirming care?

321
00:14:11,976 --> 00:14:13,435
[Dr. McNamara] 
                     Yeah, I do.

322
00:14:13,477 --> 00:14:15,354
There is enough evidence to 
       show that it benefits a lot

323
00:14:15,396 --> 00:14:16,772
of people.

324
00:14:16,814 --> 00:14:18,649
We do need more evidence   
        -- we need bigger studies,

325
00:14:18,691 --> 00:14:22,862
we need longer follow-up periods 
   -- but if these laws and these

326
00:14:22,903 --> 00:14:25,281
policy actions are         
         allowed to stand,

327
00:14:25,322 --> 00:14:28,284
we're not going to         
          be able to do that.

328
00:14:29,034 --> 00:14:34,039
tense theme music

329
00:14:35,082 --> 00:14:40,087
tense erratic music

330
00:14:52,933 --> 00:14:54,685
We're on a tour of         
          an artisanal mine,

331
00:14:54,727 --> 00:14:58,063
which is at the very bottom of   
   the supply chain when it comes

332
00:14:58,105 --> 00:14:59,732
to mining cobalt.

333
00:14:59,773 --> 00:15:03,611
Over here is just an open-air     
 pit that's just full of holes,

334
00:15:03,652 --> 00:15:07,990
and every hole is a tunnel     
      that runs from 15- to about

335
00:15:08,032 --> 00:15:09,825
40-meters deep.

336
00:15:09,867 --> 00:15:14,914
[machine whirring]

337
00:15:17,541 --> 00:15:19,668
[Alzo VO] The bags coming up    
 from these tunnels are full of

338
00:15:19,710 --> 00:15:23,422
cobalt, a key component that    
 helps lithium ion batteries used

339
00:15:23,464 --> 00:15:27,885
in cell phones, laptops, and    
 electric vehicles charge faster.

340
00:15:27,927 --> 00:15:30,554
The DRC is the second-largest   
          country in Africa.

341
00:15:30,596 --> 00:15:32,932
More than half of the world's   
      known cobalt comes from the

342
00:15:32,973 --> 00:15:35,893
south -- mostly,          
           here in Kolwezi.

343
00:15:35,935 --> 00:15:37,895
The market for this        
       valuable mineral exploded

344
00:15:37,937 --> 00:15:38,729
over a decade ago.

345
00:15:38,729 --> 00:15:42,942
And now, demand for cobalt is   
 expected to go up by 500 percent

346
00:15:42,983 --> 00:15:44,443
in the next             
            three decades,

347
00:15:44,485 --> 00:15:46,695
with powerful companies       
      scrambling to dominate the

348
00:15:46,737 --> 00:15:49,114
transition to electric vehicles.

349
00:15:49,156 --> 00:15:50,741
tense music

350
00:15:50,783 --> 00:15:54,161
At this mine alone, there are   
 18,000 people digging for copper

351
00:15:54,203 --> 00:15:56,121
and cobalt daily.

352
00:16:13,806 --> 00:16:15,349
[Alzo VO] Raw           
        cobalt gets pulverized,

353
00:16:15,391 --> 00:16:19,103
weighed, and tested for quality   
 in local depots like this one,

354
00:16:19,144 --> 00:16:21,939
but the value is decided by the   
 parent company that's licensed

355
00:16:21,981 --> 00:16:23,524
to mine here.

356
00:16:23,565 --> 00:16:27,319
Chinese investors own almost 70   
 percent of the cobalt sector,

357
00:16:27,361 --> 00:16:30,155
and they can adjust the price   
     of cobalt at their discretion

358
00:16:30,197 --> 00:16:32,741
outside the market value.

359
00:16:32,783 --> 00:16:36,953
As a Congolese citizen, does     
 it bother you that it's foreign

360
00:16:36,996 --> 00:16:41,625
companies coming over here       
 to exploit the mineral wealth

361
00:16:41,666 --> 00:16:43,001
of this country?

362
00:17:03,355 --> 00:17:06,316
[Alzo VO] This relationship    
      was set in motion in 2007.

363
00:17:06,358 --> 00:17:09,611
Then-President Joseph Kabila    
 made a $6 billion infrastructure

364
00:17:09,653 --> 00:17:13,115
deal with China that allowed    
 them to extract 600,000 tons of

365
00:17:13,157 --> 00:17:15,993
cobalt in exchange         
         for roads, railways,

366
00:17:16,035 --> 00:17:16,744
and hospitals.

367
00:17:16,785 --> 00:17:21,165
So far, they haven't delivered    
      on many of these promises.

368
00:17:21,206 --> 00:17:23,751
But this isn't the first time   
     the Congolese have been taken

369
00:17:23,792 --> 00:17:26,712
advantage of by a         
          grab for resources.

370
00:17:36,096 --> 00:17:39,391
[Alzo VO] In the 1800s, King    
 Leopold II of Belgium sought to

371
00:17:39,433 --> 00:17:41,852
pull other             
        resources from the DRC,

372
00:17:41,894 --> 00:17:44,396
and deployed            
       colonists to steal land.

373
00:17:44,438 --> 00:17:47,649
Soon, a runaway market for     
     rubber extraction went on to

374
00:17:47,691 --> 00:17:51,195
feed the automotive industry    
 boom of the early 20th century.

375
00:17:51,236 --> 00:17:54,031
And while the investors      
       profited in the millions,

376
00:17:54,073 --> 00:17:57,242
little was shared with the     
 Congolese harvesting the rubber.

377
00:17:57,284 --> 00:18:00,245
The DRC gained its         
         independence in 1960,

378
00:18:00,287 --> 00:18:02,372
but was left with          
        weakened institutions,

379
00:18:02,414 --> 00:18:06,794
no infrastructure for education, 
 and a devastated local economy,

380
00:18:06,835 --> 00:18:10,005
all of which set the groundwork   
 for decades of failed leadership

381
00:18:10,047 --> 00:18:12,216
and installed dictators.

382
00:18:12,257 --> 00:18:14,593
And today, the Congolese      
       government allows foreign

383
00:18:14,635 --> 00:18:18,097
investors to capitalize on the    
 Congo's resources at the expense

384
00:18:18,138 --> 00:18:19,640
of its own people.

385
00:18:19,681 --> 00:18:24,728
tense music

386
00:18:26,105 --> 00:18:28,899
Back in 2014, a man was just    
   digging in his backyard in the

387
00:18:28,941 --> 00:18:30,901
neighborhood of           
       Kasulo and discovered

388
00:18:30,943 --> 00:18:32,402
there was cobalt there.

389
00:18:32,444 --> 00:18:35,072
It triggered a mad rush, and    
 then it became the major source

390
00:18:35,114 --> 00:18:37,241
of income for that community.

391
00:18:37,282 --> 00:18:40,702
Nine years later,          
    things are a bit different.

392
00:18:44,915 --> 00:18:46,291
deep tense music

393
00:18:46,333 --> 00:18:49,294
[Alzo VO] Junior Kasango      
 Kamuza ran this simple tunnel,

394
00:18:49,336 --> 00:18:52,297
finding enough cobalt to      
       provide for his family.

395
00:18:52,339 --> 00:18:55,467
But with mining companies      
 now defining the economy here,

396
00:18:55,509 --> 00:18:58,137
diggers like Junior can only    
     take home a fraction of what

397
00:18:58,178 --> 00:19:00,222
they made before.

398
00:19:17,114 --> 00:19:20,159
Do you still sell          
       cobalt from this mine?

399
00:19:40,137 --> 00:19:42,181
What is your biggest fear?

400
00:19:50,564 --> 00:19:53,025
[Alzo VO] And that job       
       comes with immense risk.

401
00:19:53,066 --> 00:19:55,777
Landslides and tunnel       
        collapses are frequent.

402
00:19:55,819 --> 00:19:57,613
It's hard to find         
          an accurate figure,

403
00:19:57,654 --> 00:20:01,158
but some researchers estimate   
 at least 2,000 miners get killed

404
00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:02,784
each year.

405
00:20:02,826 --> 00:20:05,204
Miners often die instantly,    
     crushed beneath fallen cobalt

406
00:20:05,245 --> 00:20:08,165
and dirt, while the more      
       fortunate survive to keep

407
00:20:08,207 --> 00:20:10,959
working, but with broken      
       bones and severed limbs,

408
00:20:11,001 --> 00:20:14,046
as they have no other       
         way to make a living.

409
00:20:25,098 --> 00:20:27,851
[hushed] Right now, the doctor    
 and his team are with a patient

410
00:20:27,893 --> 00:20:31,396
who had a mining accident where   
 part of his thumb was crushed,

411
00:20:31,438 --> 00:20:36,485
and as a result, they're having   
 to remove part of that thumb.

412
00:20:36,693 --> 00:20:38,403
tense ethereal music

413
00:20:38,445 --> 00:20:41,406
[rooster crows]

414
00:20:45,953 --> 00:20:50,249
How often do you have patients    
   that have conditions related

415
00:20:50,290 --> 00:20:51,541
to mining?

416
00:21:26,326 --> 00:21:29,079
[Alzo VO] The impact of this    
 massive industry is felt beyond

417
00:21:29,121 --> 00:21:30,831
the risks of life and limb.

418
00:21:30,872 --> 00:21:33,458
Multinational mining companies    
      are digging with the next

419
00:21:33,500 --> 00:21:35,502
century of technology in mind.

420
00:21:35,544 --> 00:21:38,463
To pull this off, the companies   
       are eyeing land that has

421
00:21:38,505 --> 00:21:40,924
belonged to            
       families for generations.

422
00:21:40,966 --> 00:21:44,303
[church bell ringing]

423
00:21:44,344 --> 00:21:49,391
congregation singing

424
00:22:10,871 --> 00:22:13,498
[Alzo VO] Espérance Tchiabula   
       never expected the mining

425
00:22:13,540 --> 00:22:15,834
company next door to get so big.

426
00:22:15,876 --> 00:22:19,087
For the last five years, she's    
 watched as it's progressively

427
00:22:19,129 --> 00:22:22,341
expanded, coming          
          closer and closer.

428
00:22:22,382 --> 00:22:25,135
Even though Mama Espérance     
      is chief of this village,

429
00:22:25,177 --> 00:22:28,472
she says she was never given a    
 choice whether to move or not.

430
00:22:28,513 --> 00:22:31,141
Instead, she was handed an     
 agreement between the government

431
00:22:31,183 --> 00:22:36,021
and the mining company to     
 take her land -- already signed.

432
00:22:36,063 --> 00:22:40,525
Mama Espérance, can you tell me   
 what these numbers on the side

433
00:22:40,567 --> 00:22:43,612
of these homes mean?

434
00:22:53,747 --> 00:22:58,001
How long do you think it will    
   be before you and your family

435
00:22:58,043 --> 00:23:00,253
have to leave this village?

436
00:23:23,443 --> 00:23:24,986
[Alzo VO] When it          
       comes to land ownership,

437
00:23:25,028 --> 00:23:27,823
responsibility does lie in     
 the hands of the government --

438
00:23:27,864 --> 00:23:30,409
the ones who brokered the     
        contracts to mine here.

439
00:23:30,450 --> 00:23:33,370
Not only did they not deliver     
 on many of the promises of new

440
00:23:33,412 --> 00:23:36,415
roads and infrastructure, they    
     also pocketed money that was

441
00:23:36,456 --> 00:23:39,418
meant for those projects,     
      leaving people to resort to

442
00:23:39,459 --> 00:23:42,504
extreme measures          
          to make ends meet.

443
00:23:44,798 --> 00:23:48,427
This mountain right here is     
 made up of dirt from industrial

444
00:23:48,468 --> 00:23:52,764
mining, and it still        
    contains remnants of cobalt.

445
00:23:52,806 --> 00:23:57,227
We got word that there are     
     people down here digging for

446
00:23:57,269 --> 00:23:59,271
those scraps.

447
00:23:59,896 --> 00:24:02,441
[Alzo VO] Trucks from the      
 industrial mine next door dump

448
00:24:02,482 --> 00:24:04,818
hundreds of tons          
           of leftover dirt.

449
00:24:04,860 --> 00:24:07,821
Adults and children from the    
 village rush up these hills to

450
00:24:07,863 --> 00:24:10,157
fill sacks with debris.

451
00:24:10,198 --> 00:24:12,617
They carry them down        
       tiers of unstable ground,

452
00:24:12,659 --> 00:24:15,245
and sift through them       
          in the river below.

453
00:24:15,287 --> 00:24:18,290
Cobalt is then sorted and     
 packed to be sold on a secondary

454
00:24:18,331 --> 00:24:20,041
market.

455
00:24:55,535 --> 00:24:58,955
How much money do you        
       make a day doing this?

456
00:25:10,842 --> 00:25:15,847
You have eight children, and     
   I see a lot of children here.

457
00:25:16,389 --> 00:25:19,518
Many of these kids        
     probably should be in school.

458
00:25:33,573 --> 00:25:35,492
[Alzo VO] Families who can't    
     afford to send their kids to

459
00:25:35,534 --> 00:25:38,286
school are forced to        
        send them to the mines.

460
00:25:38,328 --> 00:25:41,122
Researchers estimate there may    
 be thousands of children working

461
00:25:41,164 --> 00:25:45,544
in Kolwezi, some          
           as young as five.

462
00:25:47,003 --> 00:25:49,673
children singing

463
00:25:49,714 --> 00:25:52,884
This nonprofit school was     
       set up by volunteer nuns,

464
00:25:52,926 --> 00:25:55,720
but can only afford to teach a    
 fraction of the kids who need

465
00:25:55,762 --> 00:25:57,097
help.

466
00:25:57,138 --> 00:26:01,184
Nearly every student here      
      is a former child laborer.

467
00:26:09,317 --> 00:26:13,530
[clapping]

468
00:26:18,535 --> 00:26:21,121
[Alzo VO] Helene Mande Masengo    
     worked in the mines before a

469
00:26:21,162 --> 00:26:24,416
social worker            
        found her a spot here.

470
00:26:42,392 --> 00:26:45,353
When you were              
 working there in the mines,

471
00:26:45,395 --> 00:26:49,774
did you ever think               
 about going to school

472
00:26:49,816 --> 00:26:53,445
and studying in the way           
 that you are right now?

473
00:27:00,493 --> 00:27:03,371
[Alzo VO] This school is a     
 fix for the lucky few in a land

474
00:27:03,413 --> 00:27:06,583
where long-term solutions     
       are needed for the many.

475
00:27:06,625 --> 00:27:09,961
The scars of colonialism      
      in the DRC are undeniable,

476
00:27:10,003 --> 00:27:12,922
yet history seems to        
         be repeating itself.

477
00:27:12,964 --> 00:27:15,925
The business of unearthing     
 precious resources from the DRC

478
00:27:15,967 --> 00:27:19,763
today suggests an economy much    
 like the one that devastated it

479
00:27:19,804 --> 00:27:21,806
100 years ago.

480
00:27:44,871 --> 00:27:48,625
tender ethereal music

481
00:27:48,667 --> 00:27:53,672
moody electronic music