Episode 1830: Meghan Murphy | The Brogan Report

Introduction

Episode 1830 of The Joe Rogan Experience featured Meghan Murphy, a freelance writer and founder of the “Feminist Current” website. This episode is deeply problematic due to extensive anti-transgender rhetoric that contradicts established medical consensus, as well as COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. Murphy, who has a master’s degree in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies but no medical credentials, made numerous false claims about transgender people that directly contradict the American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, and other leading medical organizations.

The episode generated significant controversy for violating Spotify’s own platform rules prohibiting “dehumanizing statements about a person or group” based on gender identity.

Anti-Transgender Rhetoric and Medical Misinformation

False Claims About Mental Illness

Claim: Meghan Murphy falsely stated that being transgender is “a form of mental illness” and asserted, “I don’t even agree that gender dysphoria means there is such a thing as a trans woman.”

Fact-Check: This claim directly contradicts established medical consensus. The American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5 explicitly states that “gender non-conformity is not in itself a mental disorder.” The diagnosis of gender dysphoria focuses on the distress some people experience, not on transgender identity itself. The American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics all recognize transgender identities as valid and not pathological.

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Dehumanizing and Harmful Language

Claim: Murphy described trans women as “predators” who “get off on” making women uncomfortable. Rogan claimed trans women “use male tactics and male behavior as they invade feminist spaces” and “dominate them like men do.”

Fact-Check: These dehumanizing claims perpetuate harmful stereotypes that contribute to discrimination and violence against transgender people. There is no scientific evidence supporting the characterization of transgender women as inherently predatory or aggressive. Research shows that transgender people are far more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators, with transgender women of color facing particularly high rates of violence.

Real-World Harm: Anti-transgender rhetoric like this has been linked to increased harassment, discrimination, and violence against transgender people. In 2022, the Human Rights Campaign tracked at least 32 violent deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people, with the majority being Black and Latinx transgender women.

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Civilization Collapse Claims

Claim: Rogan suggested that trans people are a sign of civilizations collapsing, saying, “For some reason when a civilization is near the end, they become obsessed with gender.”

Fact-Check: This claim has no basis in historical or sociological evidence. Gender diversity has existed across cultures and time periods, including in many successful and stable societies. This type of rhetoric echoes historical patterns of scapegoating marginalized groups during times of social change.

COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

False “Gene Therapy” Claim

Claim: Rogan falsely claimed that mRNA vaccines are “really gene therapy” rather than traditional vaccines.

Fact-Check: This is false. The CDC, FDA, and multiple fact-checking organizations have confirmed that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are vaccines, not gene therapy. Gene therapy involves modifying a person’s genes to cure or treat a disease. The mRNA vaccines do not modify genes or enter the cell nucleus where DNA is located. The mRNA provides temporary instructions for cells to produce a harmless spike protein that triggers an immune response, then degrades.

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Natural Immunity Claims

Claim: Rogan argued it is “not logical” to vaccinate people who already had COVID-19 and have natural immunity.

Fact-Check: Medical experts and the CDC recommend vaccination even for those who have had COVID-19. Studies have shown that vaccination after infection provides additional protection and more consistent immunity levels than infection alone. The combination of natural immunity and vaccination (often called “hybrid immunity”) provides the strongest protection.

Guest Credentials

Meghan Murphy holds a BA and master’s degree in Women’s Studies from Simon Fraser University. While she is a published journalist and writer, she has no medical, psychiatric, or scientific credentials that would qualify her to make authoritative claims about transgender medical care, psychology, or COVID-19 vaccines. Her views on transgender issues have resulted in her being banned from Twitter in 2018 for misgendering and deadnaming trans people.

Expert Rebuttals

The American Psychological Association explicitly opposes the type of rhetoric presented in this episode, stating that “psychological attempts to change a gender identity (gender identity conversion efforts) have been linked to adverse mental health outcomes.” The APA affirms support for gender-affirming care and recognizes that such care “has been linked to dramatically reduced rates of suicide attempts, decreased rates of depression and anxiety, decreased substance use, improved HIV medication adherence and reduced rates of harmful self-prescribed hormone use.”

Medical organizations including the American Medical Association, the Endocrine Society, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the American Academy of Pediatrics all support access to appropriate gender-affirming care and oppose restrictions on such care.

Conclusion

This episode exemplifies the harm that can result when a large platform amplifies anti-transgender rhetoric and medical misinformation. By presenting Murphy’s views without appropriate medical expertise or fact-checking, the episode contributed to the spread of harmful misconceptions about both transgender people and COVID-19 vaccines. The dehumanizing language used to describe transgender people violates basic principles of respect and dignity, while the medical misinformation undermines public health efforts and appropriate medical care.

The scientific and medical consensus is clear: transgender identities are valid, gender-affirming care is medically necessary for many people, and mRNA vaccines are safe and effective vaccines that do not alter human DNA. Platforms with millions of listeners have a responsibility to avoid amplifying rhetoric that contradicts established science and contributes to discrimination and harm against vulnerable communities.