The Illegal Trans Woman

It’s an Ellie’s Talking Head Show! The Big Story is about how Robert Kennedy Jr.’s HHS has issued a report on gender affirming care for transgender youth and—surprise—it claims that that crucial medical care is harming children! Other stories have transgender people participating in the funeral for Pope Francis and a brave man in Sylva…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Big Story this week is about the Mississippi Supreme Court refusing a sixteen-year-old transgender teen boy’s application for a name change, despite his parent’s consent to the change. The Court rationalized that the youth wasn’t “mature enough,” and additionally, to allow the name change would assist with his gender transition in violation of MS…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

We start with the Big Story of how the UK Supreme Court ruled that transgender women aren’t included in the definition of female “sex” under the UK’s Equality Act, meaning that trans women can be excluded from all female spaces and sports in the UK. No doubt, MAGA will latch onto this! Ugh. The Big…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

This week’s Big Story is about how a Florida school district is non-renewing a well-loved high school English teacher’s contract because she had the audacity to use a transgender student’s name that aligns with the student’s gender identity; apparently, that’s illegal in FL (of course!). The Big Interview is with Sam Chapman from the SD…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Big Story picks up from last week with a list of the mega-sized American law firms that have caved to Trump, and those that have resisted. The Big Interview is with Max Kozlov, a science reporter who wrote about the National Institute of Health gutting all research around transgender health, and instead mandating a…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

I start the show’s Big Story with talking about fear—those who are afraid of what Trump 2 will do; and those who so care about me that they’ve required a list of emergency contacts in case I go missing. The Big Interview is with Jordan Rubin from MSNBC and the curator of Deadline: Legal Blog…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

This week’s Big Story is about federal Judge Ana Reyes and her stinging rebuke of the Trump Administration’s ban on transgender service members; wow! The Big Interview is with Nick Epley, a University of Chicago behavioral scientist who talks about social isolation and the rewards of taking a risk to reach out to someone who…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

It’s the first Live TITW show, ever! The Big Story is how TX Attorney General Ken Paxton has ordered TX state agencies to ignore court orders re: changing gender markers and birth certificates for transgender people—the rule of law is now dead in the Lone Star state! Other stories include highlighting the bravery of attorney…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Big Story is about politicians who do the right thing (Senate Democrats who blocked a national trans youth sports ban) and those who don’t (CA Gov. Gavin Newsom, who in a podcast interview with right wing pundit Charlie Kirk threw trans athletes under the bus). The Big Interview will rock you—it’s with Pastor Luke…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

It’s completely unfortunate and heart-wrenching that this week’s Big Story is about how Iowa—my beloved home state—this week rolled back legal protections for transgender humans, literally altering its state civil rights act to remove our us from the law! Unbelievable. The Big Interview is with NYT columnist/mainstream media commentator, Jamelle Bouie, who talks about the…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

This week’s Big Story is about former MN Vikings punter Chris Kluwe and his act of civil disobedience when the Huntington Beach CA library system decided to go all-MAGA—we need more leadership like that! The Big interview is with USA Today sports journalist Nancy Armour, who talks about the unfairness (and ridiculousness) of banning transgender…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

It’s me broadcasting from home as I get over a mild case of pneumonia! The Big Story is how the National Park Service has removed “TQ+” from “LGBTQ+” at the Stonewall Inn National Monument—it’s more about erasing trans people from public life. The Big Interview is with Dr. Donald Haider-Markel, a University of Kansas professor…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

We begin with Trump signing two more executive orders this week. One banned trans girls/young women from participating in women’s sports across the country (and the NCAA immediately agreed to ban trans athletes). The second EO creates a “Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias” with Attorney General Pam Bondi heading it. The EO in part…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

We taped the show on January 31, which marked the 35th anniversary of when my father took his life, so the Big Interview is with Ryan Fouts, the executive director of Reclaim, a Twin Cities mental health nonprofit that serves LGBTQ+ youth. Ryan shares some grim statistics re: the attempted suicide/completed suicide rate for queer youth,…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

We spend most of the show talking about the destruction since the Inauguration, via Trump Executive Order 13988 re: “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” aka, “The Let’s-Hound-Transgender-People-Out-of-Existence order.” The Big Interview is with attorney Jess Braverman from Gender Justice who talks about some of the legal…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

It’s a great show with my interview of Dr. Harry Barbee from Johns Hopkins who reports on research showing that that the regret rate for gender confirmation surgery is much, much less than that for cisgender (non-transgender) people. In News Bites, I talk about an empowered man who attacked a woman, and how the Montana…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Big Story this week is Meta’s decision to discontinue fact checking and how, inevitably, that will result in more transphobic postings and the risk of cascading marginalization of transgender and gender expansive people. The Big Interview is with Leigh Finke, the first out transgender person elected to the Minnesota Legislature, who offers unique perspective…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The first show of ’25 for a podcast fighting Project 2025! The Big Story is about Costco pushing back at efforts to shut down its DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs. The Big Interview is with Aime Wichtendahl, the first transgender person ever elected to the Iowa Legislature. I also rail against J.K. Rowling because…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

This week’s Big Story is about Trump’s vow to end “the transgender lunacy” and promise to define gender as only “male” and “female,” which would effectively erase transgender-identifying humans from official governmental recognition. We also talk about how this makes “reversion” possible—where the government takes away your true gender identity, like the gender marker on…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The Big Story this week is a continuation of last week’s BS (literally, that’s what it is BS) with 37 Democratic Senators voting to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, including MN’s two Senators, Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar. As with the House version, the bill passed by the Senate included a provision wiping gender…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

In this week’s show, we cover how 81 Democrats—Including MN’s Dean Phillips—voted along with House Republicans to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (e.g., the U.S. Defense budget), which included a provision that prohibits TRICARE, the medical provider for service member family members, from offering gender affirming care to trans youth. This defection of support/loss…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Our inaugural show. I lay out the show’s mission, share a little of my background, and address why “Illegal” is part of the show’s name (hint: Project 2025 seeks to outlaw “transgender ideology” whatever the hell that is…). We also cover this week’s oral arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti, which deals with the question of…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Is America at risk of erasing transgender people? Host Ellie Krug tackles this urgent question in her show, The Illegal Trans Woman, while confronting the growing threats to the LGBTQ+ community and the very existence of trans and gender variant individuals. A transgender woman herself, Ellie is a passionate advocate for her community, dedicated to…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS