TRANS* & Nonbinary
Lending LibraryGender Trauma:
Healing Cultural, Social and Historical Gendered Trauma
by Alex Iantaffi (they/them)
WINNER – NAUTILUS GOLD BOOK AWARD
Exploring how the essentialism of the gender binary impacts on clients of all genders, Gender Trauma examines how historical, social and culturally gendered trauma emerges in clinical settings. The book charts the history of the gender binary and its roots in colonialism, as well as the way this culture is perpetuated intergenerationally, and the impact this trauma has on all bodies, gender identities and experiences.
Featuring clinical vignettes, exercises and reflexive practices, this is an accessible and intersectional guide for professionals to develop their understanding of gender-derived trauma for supporting clients. Highlighting the importance of applying a trauma-informed approach in practice, this book provides insights as to how we can work towards collective healing, for future generations and for ourselves.
From Nonbinary Wiki;
Alex Iantaffi is a writer, educator, and therapist. They are the author of Gender Trauma: Healing Cultural, Social, and Historical Gendered Trauma. They have also co-authored the books How to Understand Your Gender: A Practical Guide for Exploring Who You Are, Life Isn’t Binary: On Being Both, Beyond, and In-Between, and Hell Yeah Self-Care; a trauma-informed workbook, with Meg-John Barker. They are also the host of the Gender Stories podcast, and are the former editor-in-chief for Journal of Sexual and Relationship Therapy (2007 – 2018).[3] [4] [5]
They grew up in Rome, Italy, and started going by the name “Alex” at the age of 14, inspired by the gender nonconforming character in Flashdance. In their twenties, while living in England, they were briefly married to an abusive husband, then divorced him and came out as bisexual, later coming out as a dyke for a brief period, before returning to identifying as bisexual. In their late twenties, upon attending a BiCon for the first time, they met a broad range of trans, gender nonconforming, and genderfluid people. By their early thirties, Alex was out to a few people as genderqueer and genderfluid. Alex obtained their Ph.D. in 1999, and moved to the United States in 2008, where they became very involved with the trans community.[2]