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Diana Fleischman vs. transgender people

Diana Fleischman is a Brazilian-American evolutionary psychologist and anti-transgender activist. Anti-trans activism is a family business; Fleischman’s spouse Geoffrey Miller also holds harmful views about sex and gender minorities.

Background

Diana Santos Fleischman was born in SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil and grew up in the United States. Fleischman earned a bachelor’s degree from Oglethorpe University. Under advisor David Buss, Fleischman earned a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin 2009, then did postdoctorate work at UNC Chapel Hill.

In addition to evolutionary psychology, Fleischman is also a proponent of effective altruism, a philanthropic movement with a disproportionate number of anti-trans activists. The movement is best exemplified by cryptocurrency scammer Sam Bankman-Fried.

Fleischman is also a proponent of various aspects of eugenics, including polygenic embryo screening. Fleischman characterizes this as an aspect of transhumanism.

Fleischman and Geoffrey Miller married in 2019 and have one child.

Sex segregationism

Fleischman’s life’s work is shoring up the idea of a sex binary in humans. In a 2021 online course on “sex differences,” the syllabus included most of the key sex segregationists in academia.

Simon Baron-Cohen

  • Empathising–systemising theory

Sheri A. Berenbaum and J. Michael Bailey

  • Effects on Gender Identity of Prenatal Androgens and Genital Appearance: Evidence from Girls with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

David Buss

  • The Evolution of Desire
  • David Schmitt and David Buss – Sex Differences in Long Term Mating Preferences=
  • Daniel Conroy-Beam, David M. Buss, Michael N. Pham, and Todd K. Shackelford How Sexually Dimorphic Are Human Mate Preferences?

Alessandro Cellerino

  • Sex differences in face gender recognition in humans with Davide Borghetti and Ferdinando Sartucci

James DamoreJames Damore and transgender people

  • Google memo

Richard Dawkins

  • “Battle of the Sexes” in The Selfish Gene

Marco Del Giudice

  • The Distance Between Mars and Venus: Measuring Global Sex Differences in Personality with Tom Booth and Paul Irwing
  • Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior: Eight Counterpoints with David A. Puts, David C. Geary, and David P. Schmitt

Peter Fitzgerald

  • Biological sex differences relevant to mental health with Timothy G. Dinan

Diana Fleischman: 

  • “Most people miss this reason women don’t want casual sex”
  • (2014). Women’s disgust adaptations. In Weekes-Shackelford VA, & Shackelford TK (Eds.), Evolutionary perspectives on human sexual psychology and behavior

David C. Geary

  • The Gender-Equality Paradox in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education. with Gijsbert Stoet
  • Sex Differences in Children’s Play
  • Sex differences in social development from Male, Female by David Geary
  • Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior: Eight Counterpoints – Marco Del Giudice, David A. Puts, David C. Geary, and David P. Schmitt

Scott Barry Kaufman

  •  Taking Sex Differences in Personality Seriously

Hermann Joseph Muller

  • Muller’s ratchet

Charles Murray

  • “Sex Differences in Occupational and Vocational Choices” in Human Diversity

Letitia Peplau

  • Human Sexuality: How do men and women differ?

Steven Pinker

  • “Gender” in The Blank Slate
  • The Sexual Paradox

Susan Pinker

  • The Sexual Paradox
  • His Standards or Hers? How Men and Women Define Success

Matt Ridley

  • Red Queen hypothesis in The Red Queen

Stuart Ritchie

  • Cordelia Fine’s “Testosterone Rex” — A Review

David P. Schmitt

  • Would you agree to sex with a total stranger?
  • The Truth about Sex Differences
  • Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior: Eight Counterpoints – Marco Del Giudice, David A. Puts, David C. Geary, and David P. Schmitt

Aurora Sola

  • The science of sex differences is nothing for feminists to be afraid of

Steve Stewart-Williams 

  • Men women and STEM with Lewis G Halsey

Larry Summers

  • President Summers’ Remarks at the National Bureau of Economic Research, Jan. 14 2005

Bo Winegard

  • The Myth of Pervasive Misogyny with Corey Clark

Unlike most of these people, Fleischman at least mentions a few people who disagree with this ideology, most notably Cordelia Fine, Daphna Joel, and Gina Rippon.

Anti-LGBT activism

Fleischman is associated with Aporia, formerly known as Ideas Sleep Furiously. Matthew Archer helped found it in 2021. In 2023 Bo Winegard joined after a long run as a Quillette contributor, and Fleischman became a podcast host.

Fleischman appeared with Louise Perry to discuss sex robots.

Fleischman boasted about promoting disease models of trans people created by anti-trans psychologist Ray Blanchard in a 2020 discussion with Justin Lehmiller, Zhana Vrangalova, and Geoffrey Miller. Fleischman is referring to “autogynephilia” and “gynandromorphophilia,” two sex diseases rejected by most ethical researchers.

Fleischman is particularly upset about nonbinary people. The clips below are cued up to selected comments.

Media

Triggernometry (Apr 26, 2020). “We Evolved to Manipulate” – Dr Diana Fleischman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YmTPATEArM

Triggernometry (Jul 8, 2018). Dr Diana Fleischman on Evolutionary Psychology, Men & Women & Effective Altruism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0Mueu1–ew

Adam Buxton (December 2019). Ep. 112 – Dr. Diana Fleischman. -https://soundcloud.com/adam-buxton/ep112-dr-diana-fleischman

Falkovich, Jacob (July 8, 2019). Diana Fleischman and Geoffrey Miller – Interview. Putanumonit https://putanumonit.com/2019/07/08/diana-fleischman-and-geoffrey-miller-interview/

Escaped Sapiens (November 24, 2021). #28: How Your Evolved Psychology Controls You | Diana Fleischman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cW4FrYBmtI

Renegade Ape (Jun 21, 2020). #096 – Chick Brains & Dude Noodles (Diana Fleischman). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEFGRZdwDmU

Murphy, Justin (April 3, 2017). Diana S. Fleischman – Other Life #6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzQ9wYy2Ryw

Miller, Geoffrey (April 4, 2020). Sex research today: A chat w. Justin Lehmiller, Zhana Vrangalova, Diana Fleischman & Geoffrey Miller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWG0tRyVYgU

Casual Intellectual (July 8, 2020). Evo Psychology with Dr Diana Fleischman. Fularsız Entellik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyR9aT0zpRI

Antisocial Psychologists (April 16, 2021). Utilitarianism, sentientism, and reducing your suffering footprint with guest-host Diana Fleischman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TFipWM9Jwk

The Wright Show (December 3, 2018) Evolutionary Psychology and #MeToo | Robert Wright & Diana Fleischman Nonzero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBiBYQ_8gKw

Williamson, Chris (March 5, 2021). How Catching Covid Can Change Your Personality – Dr Diana Fleischman | Modern Wisdom Podcast 290. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDveQyelQfM

(Oct 15, 2019). Stossel: The Science Around Male Brains vs. Female Brains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLptT1u8LWI

Resources

Diana Fleischman (dianafleischman.com)

  • CV (2018) http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/cb1e47_861ac0abd7e94d32b5f7bcb35bfbc90b.pdf

Dianaverse (dianaverse.com)

Twitter (twitter.com)

Substack (dissentient.substack.com)

Patreon (patreon.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

YouTube (youtube.com)