31 - Silencing Thought: A Conversation with Heather Brunskell-Evans

Heather Brunskell-Evans is a philosopher and sociologist who studies the intersection of medicine and culture. She joins us today to trace the ways in which queer theory evolved in academia and moved into the broader culture, including the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) in the UK. Explaining how a social justice angle is key to the ‘affirmative model’ of care for gender dysphoria, Heather recounts a few key moments when she realized there were authoritarian elements at play in silencing thought and conversation around the topic of transgender, even for parents trying to protect their children.Links:Heather’s Website  http://www.heather-brunskell-evans.co.uk/  Transgender Children and Young People: Born in Your Own Body https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-0398-4  Inventing Transgender Children and Young People  https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-3638-8  Transgender Body Politics  http://www.heather-brunskell-evans.co.uk/thoughts/transgender-body-politics/  Heather on Twitter https://twitter.com/brunskellevans  The History of Sexuality https://www.amazon.com/History-Sexuality-Vol-Introduction/dp/0679724699  Janice Raymond, The Transsexual Empire https://janiceraymond.com/the-transsexual-empire/  Vanity Fair Cover https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/06/caitlyn-jenner-bruce-cover-annie-leibovitz  Moral Maze http://www.heather-brunskell-evans.co.uk/tag/moral-maze/  Heather Brunskell Evans opinion piece for Leicester University   https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/think-leicester/arts-and-culture/2015/neo-liberalism-masculinity-and-femininity-caitlyn-jenner-and-the-politics-of-transgender   Extended NotesHeather has been working in this field since the very beginning --Since the early 1990s. Heather shares a bit about her background and how she got started. The moment Heather discovered medical intervention for transgender children in 2016, her work has not been the same since. Why did Heather decide to do her PhD in child sexual abuse? Technically, we don’t actually have any human or social rights. What research did Heather discover when she was doing her PhD in queer theory? Heather describes what post-structuralism is. We are a byproduct of the culture we live in, This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com/subscribe