Identity Issues

In HBO’s True Blood, scientific advances in synthetic blood allow vampires to come out of hiding and live in the open. This show is fictional, but some people today do identify as ... Read More

The experience of coming out to oneself and others as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and/or transgender is an ongoing process that often shapes how LGBTQ+ people see themselves and how ... Read More

Rachel Dolezal, a Caucasian woman, has dominated recent news with her assertion that she identifies as black. Like many people, I was initially perplexed about why someone would choose ... Read More

News about Rachel Dolezal, a white woman who says she identified as black from a young age and has portrayed herself publicly as a black woman for years, has flooded social media. Dolezal ... Read More

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth.” ... Read More

When a friend or family member tells you they are transgender, or trans, it can be hard to figure out the best way to show support. Trans issues have recently become part of the mainstream ... Read More

Bruce Jenner, former Olympic athlete and reality star, has made recent headlines. After months (or longer) of tabloid and entertainment news speculation, Jenner publicly came out in an ... Read More

In an interview with Diane Sawyer, former Olympic gold medalist and Kardashian family patriarch Bruce Jenner revealed he is transgender. “For all intents and purposes, I am a woman,” ... Read More

I recently overheard a young woman bemoaning that her 2-year-old was “too chubby” so she was going to put her on a diet. This started me thinking about people who are unaware ... Read More

We are not our thoughts. Many arrive at psychotherapy with a limited or unstable sense of Self. They feel unsure, conflicted, or “blank,” sometimes acting out in ways that seem confusing, ... Read More

The act of “coming out” is to move from a place of silence, stigma, or shame toward the possibility of pride and acceptance. Coming out isn’t just about sex or gender expression—we ... Read More

Conversion therapy—sometimes called reparative therapy and other names—is a widely discredited form of therapy that attempts to change people’s sexual orientation or gender identity. ... Read More