Stella O'Malley: Gender, Psychotherapy and the Right to Ask Questions

Irish psychotherapist and author Stella O'Malley founded Genspect in 2021. She tells Dane Giraud why she believes young people in gender distress need psychological care first, and why she argues medical transition has become consumer-driven healthcare. Stella describes her own childhood, when she wanted to be a boy from the age of three until puberty. She recounts the hostility that followed her 2018 Channel 4 documentary, Trans Kids: It's Time to Talk, and how it drew her into this work. She also explains the shift in therapy from patient-centred to patient-led practice, and what she hears from parents and detransitioners in Genspect's support groups. Dane and Stella also discuss censorship in a democracy, proposed social media bans for young people, and New Zealand's Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act 2022. Stella argues the law limits what therapists can explore with clients who want to medically transition. Free to Speak is the official podcast of the New Zealand Free Speech Union. Uncensored conversations on free speech, civil liberties, and the people defending them. Hosted by Dane Giraud. Join the Free Speech Union: https://www.fsu.nz/join Support our work: https://www.fsu.nz/donate Newsletter: https://www.fsu.nz/subscribe Website: https://www.fsu.nz Got feedback or a guest suggestion? podcast@fsu.nz Promoted by Free Speech Union, PO Box 91811, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142 Support the show https://www.fsu.nz/ https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech https://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/ https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz