"escaping Twin Flames" forced gender transitions

[Strawfan]

Has anybody watched this 3-part docuseries on Netflix? It's a fascinating story of spiritualism turned MLM turned cult. Vulnerable devotees were encouraged to transition in order to secure their "twin flame". A pragmatic solution to the cult's high female bias! Fascinating to hear from a survivor about how she was briefly convinced to socially transition, others fulling transitioned medically and surgically.

I was looking for something to watch so will have a look. I’m active on one of the anti MLM threads so interested in the theme. I am also GC. The combination of the two is terrifying.

The whole documentary is fascinating and terrifying from so many angles.

I was very interested in a disclaimer and the end describing how these vulnerable and isolated subjects who had no previous dysphoria, and yet were convinced online that changing their sex would solve their problems, were very different to "real" trans-people. As the relative of a young trans person the mirroring of ROGD is stark.

I saw about this, was planning to watch this weekend.

Oh I listened to the podcast about this, didn't realise there was a documentary about it. I remember thinking how absolute batshit the cult leader bloke was. Just awful. Taking advantage of clearly very unwell people.

I've watched the first episode, and it was chilling. I need to finish it, plus then listen to the podcast

I'm watching this. It is bonkers!!
The Gender professor is finding it ... very confusing (episode 3- where the twin flames are being coerced into transition and he is worried that people will take this the wrong way).
Fascinating and making my head spin!
Please more people watch this- there's so much in this to discuss!

I watched this, and felt completely repulsed by the founder and his lapdog wife. I don’t know how this MLM/cult are still in business, and why they’re not in prison.

Also disgusting was the way they liked to parade their vast wealth and material possessions , eg the wife dressed in Gucci, the Porsche and the huge house, etc.

The poor victims and families, especially women coerced into Top surgery because as the OP said, not enough men in the organisation.

Two examples of the most narcissistic and repugnant specimens of human beings.

I am just watching the third episode. It is a completely screwed up.
The forced transition, the sexual abuse (the woman was there to serve the man), and the coercive and emotional abuse is harrowing to hear about.

I feel so sorry for Stephanie's Mom.

I just saw it. It was really upsetting and showed the power of cohesion. Online abuse too, it seems like a lot of the abuse was over zoom.

I suppose my question is how did these young women gain access to testororone and surgery. If the gender professor could identify their motivation as external, rather than having an intrinsic need to be of the opposite sex, why couldn't the surgeons?

But I don't think that this documentary would heve been commissioned a couple of years ago. Or the cohesion about gender wouldn't have been included.

The founder was repulsive and a criminal, he should be behind bars.

I suppose my question is how did these young women gain access to testororone and surgery. If the gender professor could identify their motivation as external, rather than having an intrinsic need to be of the opposite sex, why couldn't the surgeons?

This is an excellent question- one that didn't even occur to me!
But I did feel like cogs were whirring in his brain. I saw cognitive dissonance.

Yes. There is so much In this (yes, distressing) series around how susceptible people are to making huge life changing decisions- and harm to both themselves and others- all based on ideas and suggestion, and the need for love and to belong.

The mothers struggling with pronouns and trying to accept their childrens new identity was sooo painful to watch.

I wonder, with this not being ostensibly about gender identity, how much this will encourage deeper thinking about the issue.
That's why the professor expressed concern about this I believe.

And yes, it is shocking that the founder might get away with this

I wonder, with this not being ostensibly about gender identity, how much this will encourage deeper thinking about the issue.
That's why the professor expressed concern about this I believe.

I wondered the same. A programme showing women transitioning due to online pressure would not be made or acknowledged, but in the context of the cult it is demonstrated in a way with even the gender experts agreeing this is not authentic. Nobody can now say “you can’t convince a cis person they need to transition” as it’s been so clearly shown you can.

Nobody can now say “you can’t convince a cis person they need to transition” as it’s been so clearly shown you can.
Yes. Exactly

This is conversion therapy* in action. Holy shit.

(*except some countries' anti-CT legislation or proposed legislation doesnt make cis-> trans conversion unlawful, only the other way round)

I felt like the gender professor was saying Oh but these aren’t proper trans people so it’s totally different (therefore irrelevant to any concerns of brainwashing in schools etc). I also wasn’t impressed that one of the bits of info flashed up at the end was the 1% detransitioning statistic - I thought that was shown to be a massive underestimate? It felt like they were trying to distance the documentary from any accusations of critical thinking suggesting ROGD shouldn’t be affirmed etc.

Even so, I really hope it will make many people think about the power of suggestion and gender ideology.

It was such a disturbing show, I can’t believe it’s still going on, and of course now they are more careful about their social media so it could get even worse behind closed doors.

The documentary on Prime (Desperately Seeking Soulmate) is worth watching too - obviously some overlap but different participants including some of J&S’ family/friends.

I watched the first two episodes this evening. Completely bonkers. Can't believe the bloke and his wife are getting away with it. Looks like the final episode is going to be even more.... interesting. 👀

Yeah, the documentary makers were definitely trying to protect themselves and their film with that stuff. But TBH I don't think it really matters. They documented multiple incidents of coerced gender change and regret/desistence at length and then added a disclaimer that 'this doesn't happen'. Viewers aren't idiots.

The most chilling bit for me was that the producers felt the need to tack a mealy-mouthed “trans joy” type bit of nonsense on the end after we’d just watched about women destroying their bodies to fit the mantras of this MLM cult. The gender studies “prof” is a transman. Her concern apparently not for these women (and at least one man featured) but that Joe Public might see transness itself as a cult. If it quacks like a duck, love …

I’m watching this now- that man is a colossal prick who shouldn’t be anywhere near any women ever.

Me too. And all the techniques we see with vulnerable groups being deliberately targeted, young women being groomed and (part way through episode 2) the decision to turn it into a religion!

The parallels are insanely similar.

Just finished watching this last night. What an unlikley and horrible creep that Jeff is. A bully and manipulator drunk on his own power, including over his wife who often looked deeply uncomfortable - even as she dressed in her expensive designer gear paid for by the gullible followers.

Regarding the forced transitions, it was galling that it was felt there had to be interviews given over to a trans charity to explain how these really weren't representative of "real trans people" ,with disclaimers that " only 1% regretted their transition". Also how the family interviewees felt they had to go along with the pronouns and all - even in the absence of their child.

This revealed just how much of a cult the trans train is itself - albeit on a societal scale. How people can be convinced that they are something they are not, and how much they will lie to themselves to maintain that performance.

Seems the cult is still operative and suggestions about " true believers" not being able to break free until something big and dramatic occurs - such as the cult leader being imprisoned. I suspect that is how it will play out in society too; with each new scandal or terrible event gradually revealing to the public the true nature of this ideology.

So many people are susceptible to gurus - I've seen it myself in New Age circles. Though we live in a largely secular society people still seem to feel the need to put their faith in something beyond them - and being group minded they can easily be taken in by all sorts of grifters and charlatans.

He is the most insane narcissistic weirdo and I cannot believe how many have fallen for his shite. Thinks he is christ ffs. The man needs incarceration and shes no better. Misogynistic prick.

The podcast about this lot is also fascinating, it's called Twin Flames. But I wonder how they've never been prosecuted for anything very dangerous people.
There's another documentary about them on Prime called Desperately Seeking Soulmate and the journalist actually got to visit their home and talk to them directly.

I think the gender professor is a transman, so not surprising that there's a lot of 'not true trans' justification going on. Just shows how easily vulnerable people are convinced by it all.

I think the wife was an early victim of him.

She’s played her part in abusing others, but as the cult expert points out there’s lots of layers of abuse- he’s ultimately controlling everyone abusing each other. It’s all about him.

It’s worrying they ended up with a child.

The abused ending up as the abusers seems to happen a lot in these cults. It happened with Keeley, I'm guessing a self-preservation type thing.