Podcaster Joe Rogan has drawn criticism after making a series of controversial remarks about transgender people during a recent episode of his widely listened-to show.
During the broadcast of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan was speaking with guest Stephen Glover — better known as Steve-O from MTV’s Jackass — when the conversation turned to transgender rights and discrimination.
Glover began describing a conversation he had with a transgender person who shared experiences of discrimination that he said: “genuinely f**king broke my heart.” As he spoke, Rogan repeatedly interrupted, disputing claims that transgender people face institutional barriers in the United States.
When Glover said the person he spoke with was unable to use the bathroom at their workplace, Rogan responded: “Not true.”
“They’re just not allowed to use the bathroom that doesn’t align with their biological sex,” Rogan said.
However, laws restricting bathroom access for transgender people do exist across several states. According to the Movement Advancement Project, around 19 states have enacted policies limiting the ability of transgender people to use facilities that align with their gender identity, particularly in government buildings, schools and other public spaces.
During the discussion, Rogan also repeated controversial claims about transgender identity, suggesting that while some people genuinely feel they were born in the wrong body, others are “f**king perverts” motivated by what he called “autogynephilia”.
The theory of autogynephilia — first proposed by psychologist Ray Blanchard — claims some transgender women transition because of a sexual fixation on femininity. The idea has been widely rejected by major medical and psychological organisations, which say it lacks scientific support and misrepresents transgender experiences.
Rogan went on to argue that some trans women are “creeps” who want access to women’s spaces, suggesting that gender-inclusive policies would give them a “golden ticket” to enter women’s locker rooms and bathrooms.
The argument echoes a longstanding anti-trans talking point that frames transgender women as a threat to women’s safety — a claim LGBTQ+ advocates and researchers say is unsupported by evidence and rooted in misinformation.
Later in the conversation, Glover referenced politicians attempting to place transgender people in detention-like conditions, prompting Rogan to question whether any politicians had explicitly called for such measures.
While no mainstream politician has publicly advocated for internment camps for transgender people, critics note that a number of recent policies across the United States have criminalised or restricted aspects of transgender life. These include laws targeting gender-affirming healthcare for minors, restrictions on cross-dressing in some jurisdictions, and policies affecting identification documents.
Some of these laws carry criminal penalties, while detention policies in certain states have raised concerns that transgender people could be held in facilities that do not align with their gender identity, increasing the risk of harassment or violence.
The discussion also touched on school shootings, with Rogan claiming that “the majority of these high school shootings have been transgender people”.
Data does not support that claim. Studies and databases tracking mass shootings consistently show that the overwhelming majority of perpetrators are cisgender men. Only a small number of documented cases involve shooters who identified as transgender.
Researchers have also found no evidence linking gender-affirming healthcare or transgender-related mental health challenges to acts of mass violence.
The Joe Rogan Experience remains one of the most widely listened-to podcasts in the world, holding the number one spot on Spotify for six consecutive years through 2025.
