Posts by Natasha Distiller
Apartheid and Trump, or Gas Station Confrontation
I recently heard an excellent speaker—an older gay man who dedicated his life to advocating for children in the school system—talk about the importance of compassion in these fraught political times. “I grew up with the people who voted for Trump,” he said. “They are not my enemy. If we see each other as enemies…
Attachment Theory in the Age of Trump
Recently, the New York Times ran an article entitled, “Yes, It’s Your Parents’ Fault.” The piece presents the main principles of attachment theory. What’s interesting about it is that the writer, Kate Murphy, is summarizing attachment theory for the Times’ readership, and that’s it. The article is a good introduction to the basic facts about…
From the Front Lines: Fighting Back at WPATH
Trans*identities cannot be prevented, any more than sexual identities can. What can be prevented is the suffering caused by refusing to accept a trans*person, by shaming them, by subjecting them to behavior modification therapies that will not work, or by stigmatizing them and making their lives literally unlivable.
Surviving the Trumpocalypse: Thoughts from an Immigrant Therapist
I watched the inauguration of Barak Obama in 2009 from my living room in Cape Town, South Africa. In my memory it is daytime, and the late afternoon sunshine is coming in through the glass sliding doors. There is a seven-hour time difference between Cape Town and Washington – Cape Town is ahead. My ex-patriot…