How often have I heard (and believed) the mantra, “There is no such thing as objective reality. We each create our own subjective reality in every situation we encounter.” I have always taken some comfort in this thought, as it absolves me from judging others for their belief systems. Having been raised in a judgmental [...]
Pre-Order: Transition and Beyond: Second Edition
Pre-Order: Transition and Beyond: Observations on Gender Identity, Second Edition by Reid Vanderburgh, MA, LMFT
Available July 2010.
Archive for the ‘Gender/Sexuality Theory’ Category
by Reid Vanderburgh MA, LMFT
I was 39 years old, living as a lesbian, when I first realized I’d probably be happier living as a guy. I did not take kindly to this realization, for several reasons. First, I had quite a life built up in the Portland (Oregon) lesbian community. I was a founding member of nine years’ standing [...]
by Reid Vanderburgh MA, LMFT
By this time, most people in the mental health field are familiar with the distinction drawn between gender identity and sexual orientation. When I do presentations, I usually begin by giving the following explanation, as a “jumping off” point for further discussion: Gender identity is about a person’s internal sense of being male or female [...]
by Reid Vanderburgh MA, LMFT
“She’s a witch” was usually the equivalent of a death sentence, back in Salem, Massachusetts of the 1600’s, whether the accusation was true or not. In the McCarthy era of the 1950’s, “communist” could easily ruin a person’s life, whether true or not. “Dyke” or “faggot” were deadly insults in the 1960’s, and the mere [...]
by Reid Vanderburgh MA, LMFT
In early 2002, the question arose on an academic e-mail list I subscribe to, “How can I respond when a colleague questions my decision to have surgery, her argument being that trans surgeries are no different than liposuction, breast augmentation or any other form of body image-based cosmetic surgery? Her point is that women don’t [...]
