Heterodorx (podcast)
Heterodorx is an American podcast by Nina Paley and Corinna Cohn. The hosts talk about gender and, as they put it themselves, everything else they find interesting or troubling. Episodes are released via Substack; the two-hundredth episode came out in September 2026.
What you will find
Most episodes are long conversations with a guest: people who have undergone a transition or detransitioned, parents, doctors, writers, and activists with a range of views. The hosts take a critical stance toward prevailing ideas about gender identity. The tone is informal, with plenty of sarcasm and occasional coarse language.
Why it is on this list
Heterodorx is opinion and conversation, not investigative journalism. The podcast is valuable for its personal stories and because it gives a voice to guests who receive little space elsewhere. See also detransition and critical perspectives.
Who is behind it
Nina Paley was born in 1968 in Urbana, Illinois, and is an animator, cartoonist, and free-culture activist. She made the 2008 animated film Sita Sings the Blues, based on the Ramayana, and the 2018 film Seder-Masochism, a retelling of the Book of Exodus. After encountering copyright problems with her first film, she began releasing her work under free licenses. Paley describes herself as gender-critical. Since January 2021, she has presented the podcast with Corinna Cohn, whose name the Substack is registered under.
Format and topics
Episodes are released irregularly. In 2026, there were sometimes a few days and sometimes two months between episodes, and their length ranged from just over half an hour to more than an hour and a half. The topics often extend beyond gender. Recent episodes discussed veganism, the decline of social media, and a guest who survived metastatic cancer. In April 2026, writer Meghan Daum was a guest. According to the podcast page, paying subscribers get access to the complete archive. The hosts use a crude self-chosen name that already makes clear how little they care about the conventions of polite debate.
How to weigh this source
Anyone listening to the podcast will hear two people with strongly held opinions and guests they have chosen themselves. Claims about research or policy are rarely accompanied by sources during the conversations. Use the episodes, therefore, as an introduction to people and viewpoints, and consult the science and debate section for facts. A related podcast on this list is Gender: A Wider Lens.