Scientists Plan First-Ever Study of Online Transgenderism ‘Contagion’

Shannon Boschy, an investment manager working to create the first online AI study on transgenderism. Photo from Aug. 26, 2022. Jackson Elliott/YouTube/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

A groundbreaking new study will use artificial intelligence (AI) to trace the spread of online transgenderism.

Investment manager Shannon Boschy, activist Billboard Chris, and a Canadian AI research firm are organizing the study.

To avoid attacks from transgender advocates, the artificial intelligence company won’t mention its name publicly, Boschy said. The company has expertise in predicting how online behavior impacts real-life actions.

“This is one of the biggest questions that we have in this; trying to understand the explosive and exponential rise in the presentation of trans-identified children,” Boschy said.

Transgenderism experts Dr. Lisa Littman, Lisa Marchiano, Jane Wheeler, Helena Kershner, and Mia Ashton will also advise on the project.

If successful, the project will provide empirical answers for theories that have long had only anecdotal backing, he said. It is the first study of its kind.

Gender Science

The AI study will analyze conversations about transgenderism on Twitter, Reddit, and Tumblr, said Boschy. The study’s creators chose these sites because many children identify as transgender after spending time there.

“We’re curious about patterns, like, ‘How do kids decide to change pronouns? What are the main questions that people start asking about being trans?’” he said.

Previous studies of how children turn transgender have relied on anecdotal stories or analysis of small groups, he noted.

Littman’s study of rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) relied on 256 parent questionnaires. However, this AI study will analyze tens of thousands of people online, Boschy said. Results could provide a new understanding of transgenderism’s nature.

Whether transgender identities are born or made is a key question, he said. Society’s response to transgenderism should be different depending on whether the phenomenon is a social contagion or inherent biological wiring.

“If it was a naturally occurring phenomenon, it would occur across all sample populations and all political orientations and all sexual orientations,” he said.

But if transgenderism is a social contagion, it will concentrate on certain social groups, Boschy said. The AI study of social media could reveal one of these patterns.

Many anecdotal accounts of transgenderism have pointed to online “love-bombing” as a key factor in turning people trans, Boschy added.

Google Trends results for the phrase "am i transgender" from Aug. 11, 2014 to March 11, 2022 on March 11, 2022 Google Trends

Google Trends results for the phrase "Jazz Jennings" on March 11, 2022 Google Trends

The term “Love-bombing” originally comes from the psychology of cult indoctrination or family abuse, Boschy explained. But in the transgender context, it means pro-transgender people offer potential transitioners massive amounts of online affirmation.

“When someone comes out as trans, or non-binary, or gender non-conforming, and they announce their change of names, love bombing is the thousands of likes and comments,” Boschy said. “And it’s like a surge of digital popularity and a giant dopamine hit.”

This intense feeling of approval can sometimes push people into wanting to be transgender, researchers have discovered.

The group’s AI research might be able to show this phenomenon in action.

Funds for Facts

Boschy said he estimates that the initial stage of the project will cost about $20,000 to complete. Currently, his group is about 75 percent of the way there.

The whole project will likely cost $58,000, he added.

The researchers have opted to use private channels in fundraising rather than official academic outlets because of the influence of the transgender movement there, he said. His group also does not have a website, and the name of his research foundation won’t be made public until later stages.

“The topic of trans is so politicized and ideologically motivated, and the universities of research departments are captured,” Boschy said. “Doing this type of research is just blasphemy.”

However, he said the group expects that as their project continues, they will receive more government and academic support.

Boschy said that although the AI tool used for this research has some fallibilities, it’s good at tracking the correlation between events and changes in public opinion.

He also said he’s prepared to follow the evidence he finds.

“We want to be as objective as possible and not go in with preconceptions,” Boschy said.

For the last several years, transgenderism has expanded like a stock market bubble, said Boschy. But some current events suggest the bubble has reached its limit, he concluded.

“I believe we’re at a point where the bubble is bursting,” he said.

Boschy said he hopes to reveal the first publicly available data for the project in about 60 days.

“I hope to be able to talk publicly about general findings by the end of October, if we can get all our ducks in a row,” he said.