{"id":53,"date":"2010-08-15T19:05:12","date_gmt":"2010-08-15T19:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/demo.studiopress.com\/genesis"},"modified":"2026-08-20T23:45:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T23:45:16","slug":"gender-and-transgender","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.mylesdownes.com\/?page_id=53","title":{"rendered":"Gender and Transgender Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-834 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mylesdownes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/TransgenderFlag.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"272\" height=\"192\" \/>Although a cis-identified therapist, I have been working with trans clients since the mid-90&#8217;s, making me one of the longer-running psychotherapists to work with Trans and Non-binary (TNB) populations. Since that time, the options and protections for folks have increased dramatically, yet there is still much work to be done in terms of education and advocacy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About Me<\/strong><br \/>\nI am a Gender Therapist of long standing, having worked with TNB clients since 1996. \u00a0As such, I have a wealth and variety of training and expertise for a wide range of experiences related to gender, and can help you to find the path that\u2019s best for you. \u00a0I myself am a cisgendered queer\/gay male, but have always had a passionate interest in both how gender is socially constructed and the incredible diversity in how it is lived and experienced. \u00a0By now I personally have been a member of the extended LGBTQ community for over 40 years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Work<\/strong><br \/>\nIn my work I mostly specialize with those on the trans-masculine scale and those who are non-binary and\/or gender queer \/ gender fluid.\u00a0 For those who are trans men \/ trans masculine, one of the challenges of transitioning is often figuring out what sort of man to be, or of how to embody masculinity in a good way. \u00a0Some of the questions might be: \u201cHow do I explore my masculinity without contributing to patriarchal oppression?\u201d, \u201cWhat does it mean to be a man in today\u2019s culture \/ society?\u201d, \u201cAm I still queer if I\u2019m now seen as a man attracted to women?\u201d, and so on. \u00a0There is a whole spectrum of manhood out there that is possible, and ways of being that don\u2019t necessarily lead to toxic masculinity or to the abuse of power.\u00a0\u00a0For those who are gender queer, non-binary, agendered, or other-gendered, I was one of the first to support non-binary approaches to gender exploration, and remain committed to supporting people in whichever way they relate to gender in a loving, non-judgmental way.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, I have many years of training\u00a0in somatic and experiential approaches to\u00a0working with trauma and anxiety. \u00a0Many of\u00a0those who are TNB have experienced\u00a0multiple layers and levels of oppression,\u00a0discrimination, physical threats or violence,\u00a0and even occasionally fear for their lives.\u00a0\u00a0These harmful experiences can sometimes\u00a0lead to trauma, and cause you to remain\u00a0stuck in ways that keep you from living the\u00a0life you\u2019d like to lead.<\/p>\n<p>Navigating the complex intersections of\u00a0these (and other) factors can be confusing,\u00a0scary, exhilarating, lonely and sometimes\u00a0even transcendant. \u00a0I can support you and\u00a0assist you in figuring out what all this\u00a0means for\u00a0you\u00a0as you journey forward\u00a0toward who you are meant to be, and in the\u00a0ongoing process of living your authentic\u00a0gender identity. \u00a0And of course sometimes\u00a0you may just be looking for someone who\u2019s\u00a0aware and affirming to work on non-gender-related concerns with, and I\u2019m here\u00a0for that too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Professionally<\/strong><br \/>\nIn terms of my professional career, in addition to my 30+ years of clinical experience I have attended at this point well over a dozen conferences for working with TNB populations, belonged recently to the Advanced Gender Specialists consultation group led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lisettelahana.com\/\">Lisette Lahana<\/a>,\u00a0and have maintained my WPATH\u00a0membership since 2006. \u00a0While I am\u00a0capable of working within the WPATH\u00a0standards of care guidelines (and often do\u00a0so, especially with surgeons who require\u00a0such for gender-affirming interventions), I\u00a0personally take more of an\u00a0informed\u00a0consent\u00a0approach than WPATH currently\u00a0promotes (though they are getting better),\u00a0and have concerns about the gate-keeping\u00a0role that therapists have historically been\u00a0forced to take in order for clients to receive\u00a0necessary and life-saving medical\u00a0interventions. \u00a0I am here to\u00a0assist\u00a0you in\u00a0finding out for yourself what\u2019s right for\u00a0you, not\u00a0tell\u00a0you what that might be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Although a cis-identified therapist, I have been working with trans clients since the mid-90&#8217;s, making me one of the longer-running psychotherapists to work with Trans and Non-binary (TNB) populations. Since that time, the options and protections for folks have increased dramatically, yet there is still much work to be done in terms of education and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":540,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mylesdownes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mylesdownes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mylesdownes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mylesdownes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mylesdownes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"http:\/\/www.mylesdownes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1471,"href":"http:\/\/www.mylesdownes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53\/revisions\/1471"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mylesdownes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mylesdownes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}