Content note: This episode discusses misogynistic and queermisic legislation, language, and movements. If you’re unable to engage with these topics right now, you are welcome to skip this episode or come back to it when you feel better resourced.

What do glossy pamphlets, moral panic, and abstinence-only sex ed have in common? They’re all part of the U.S. Christian Right’s campaign to export “pro-family” politics to Africa — and it’s causing real harm. In this episode, we expose how conservative religious groups from the Global North are funding anti-LGBTQIA+ laws, sabotaging reproductive rights, and co-opting decolonial language to disguise a new kind of moral imperialism.

Sociology postdoctoral researcher and author Haley McEwen joins us to discuss the USA and African pro-family movements. We dig into who these groups are, how they operate, and what it takes to resist their growing influence — all through a trans-inclusive, African-centred lens.

🌐 https://www.linkedin.com/in/haley-mcewen-73999543/ 🎬 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86BTvFWoDFE

📗 https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-46653-3 📕 https://www.takealot.com/the-u-s-christian-right-and-pro-family-politics-in-21st-century-/PLID93983844

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00:00:00 Land acknowledgement 00:00:28 Title credits 00:00:58 Welcome and introduction 00:02:37 About the work of Dr Haley McEwen 00:04:28 Exporting "Eden": God, guns, and glossy pamphlets in Africa 00:16:38 Not your Mama's family values: The dark politics behind the "pro-family" agenda 00:25:36 The Gospel according to Gaslight: How the Christian Right twists decolonial rhetoric 00:46:14 Power, protest, and possibility: Resisting the Christian Right's global agenda 00:58:12 End credits

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McEwen, H. (2023) The U.S. Christian Right and Pro-Family Politics in 21st Century Africa. Palgrave Macmillan. Pontsho Pilane, investigative journalist, author, and advocacy manager. https://mg.co.za/author/pontsho-pilane/ Rev. Dr Kapya John Kaoma, theologian and researcher. https://thebtscenter.org/rev-dr-kapya-john-kaoma/ Prof. Jeff Sharlet, author, journalist, and academic. https://english.dartmouth.edu/people/jeff-sharlet

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Content note: This episode references transphobic arguments and objections to gender-affirming health care (GAHC) in our discussion and explanation of the guidelines for GAHC. If you’re unable to engage with these topics right now, you are welcome to skip this episode or come back to it when you feel better resourced.

In this powerful follow-up, host Aurora Brown and Dr Anastacia Tomson, MD, dive deeper into the complexities of gender-affirming healthcare in South Africa. They tackle systemic barriers, debunk pervasive myths, and explore how institutions — from clinics to workplaces — can truly support trans and gender-diverse (TGD) communities. Dr Tomson’s insights blend clinical expertise with lived experience, offering actionable steps towards dignity-centered care.

📸 @anaphylaxus 🌐 anastaciatomson.com / myfamily.gp

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📄 Download a transcript of this episode on IntersectionalPsychology.com.

00:00:00 Land acknowledgement 00:00:28 Patreon bonus announcement 00:01:31 Title credits 00:01:52 Welcome and introduction 00:03:15 Health disclaimer 00:04:10 The truth about the access to GAHC (Part 2) 00:08:01 Why GAHC is primary health care 00:14:26 Psychosocial support for TGD people 00:19:05 The truth about GAHC for non-binary people 00:21:59 The truth about TGD people in sports 00:29:16 The uniqueness of every transition pathway 00:32:01 How institutions can support gender transitions 00:36:29 The truth about voice therapy in GAHC 00:40:58 A future for everyone (Part 2) 00:45:37 End credits

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Tomson, A., McLachlan, C., Wattrus, C., Adams, K., Addinall, R., Bothma, R., Jankelowitz, L., Kotze, E., Luvuno, Z., Madlala, N., Matyila, S., Padavatan, A., Pillay, M., Rakumakoe, M., Tomson-Myburgh, M., Venter, W., & de Vries, E. (2021). Southern African HIV Clinicians Society gender-affirming healthcare guideline for South Africa. Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine, 22(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhivmed.v22i1.1299 Tomson, A. (2020). Always Anastacia. Jeppestown: Jonathan Ball Publishers.

McKinney, A. Among the Stars, no piano edit. ZapSplat. https://www.zapsplat.com/music/among-the-stars-no-piano-soothing-ambient-choir-portrays-panoramic-space-good-for-landscapes/ Miles, D. Shades of Orange. ZapSplat. https://www.zapsplat.com/music/shades-of-orange-a-serene-relaxing-warm-ambient-piece-with-slow-mellow-chords-perfect-for-relaxation-meditation-etc/ Wall, C.S.J., Patev, A.J., & Benotsch, E.G. (2023). Trans broken arm syndrome: A mixed-methods exploration of gender-related medical misattribution and invasive questioning. Social science & medicine (1982), 320, 115748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115748

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Content note: This episode discusses transphobic objections to gender-affirming health care (GAHC) in our explanation of the guidelines for GAHC. If you’re unable to engage with these topics right now, you are welcome to skip this episode or come back to it when you feel better resourced.

What if the evidence does exist — and it’s just being willfully ignored?

In this episode, clinical psychologist and PsySSA SGD executive member Thembisile Dlamini joins us to unpack the Practice Guidelines for Psychology Professionals Working with Sexually and Gender-Diverse People (2nd edition). These groundbreaking guidelines, published by the Psychological Society of South Africa and the African LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Project, are the only comprehensive, evidence-based mental health guidelines of their kind on the African continent. Together, we explore the real research behind gender-affirming care, the values that underpin the guidelines, and the very deliberate misinformation being spread by anti-trans movements.

We also discuss the role of psychology professionals in countering stigma, upholding self-determination, supporting diverse family structures, and advocating for social justice. If you’re a mental health practitioner, an LGBTQIA+ ally, or someone navigating your own identity, this conversation is for you. Thembisile brings warmth, insight, and clarity to a subject that is too often clouded by fearmongering and bad-faith debate. Spoiler: the evidence is real, the guidelines are robust, and gender-affirming care is mental health care.

📸 @mindmatters.with.thembi 🌐 https://www.psyssa.com/about-us/psyssa-structures-2/divisions/sexuality-and-gender-division-sgd/

📗 Free download of the PsySSA Practice Guidelines for Psychology Professionals Working with Sexually and Gender-Diverse People, 2nd edition

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📄 Download a transcript of this episode.

00:00:00 Land acknowledgement 00:00:28 Title credits 00:00:58 Health disclaimer 00:01:59 Announcement 00:03:00 Welcome and introduction 00:06:19 Introducing PsySSA's practice guidelines for psychology professionals working with sexually and gender diverse people, 2nd edition 00:15:41 Affirmation is the first step (Guidelines 1-3) 00:26:22 It goes all the way to the top! (Guidelines 4-6) 00:35:49 Love, families, and finding your people (Guidelines 7-9) 00:46:14 The work starts with us (Guidelines 10-12) 00:59:31 End credits

Psychological Society of South Africa. (2025). Practice Guidelines For Psychology Professionals Working With Sexually And Gender-Diverse People. Johannesburg: Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA).

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