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SLP Series: Queer Embodiment

As Pride month draws to a close, we want to celebrate and support our LGBTQIA+ community. We hope your Pride month was fulfilling, and we stand alongside our fellow Lesbian, Gay, Trans, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Agender, and beyond individuals, not just in June, but throughout the year. In this newsletter, I will introduce the concept of queer embodiment.

SLP Series: Queer Embodiment
By Sophie Shekarchian

Before exploring queer embodiment, it is vital to acknowledge and honor the diverse continuum of identities encompassed within the LGBTQIA+ community. It is essential to understand that not all individuals in this community identify with the term queer. Furthermore, it is crucial to recognize the profound impact of different forms of trauma, including those rooted in racism, heterosexism, classism, and sexism. These traumatic experiences can have far-reaching consequences, leading to a diminished sense of self, psychological dislocation, devaluation, complex grief and loss, feelings of rage, a mindset focused on survival, and an intense longing for dignity and a sense of belonging.

It is especially important to consider this in the current climate, where there has been a surge in legislation aimed at restricting the rights of transgender and nonbinary people. In 2023 alone, over 500 bills have been introduced in the United States with the intention of curbing these rights. Many of these measures have already been enacted into law, imposing restrictions on crucial aspects such as gender-affirming medical care, name and gender marker changes, restroom access, and participation in sports and public performances.

It is critical to approach the topic of queer embodiment with an understanding of these broader contextual and psychosocial factors. In addition to this understanding, the following insights are offered from my personal, psychological, and academic perspectives, which have inherent limitations. However, my hope is that they may still serve as a source of inspiration to explore your own sense of queer embodiment.

So, what exactly is embodiment? It refers to feeling deeply connected to the physical sensations in our body, mind, and spirit, as well as feeling connected to those around us.

When we use the term queer, we are reclaiming a word that has historically been used pejoratively. In the context of queer embodiment, queer represents an alternative way of living, deviating from conditioned heteronormativity. It encompasses an embodied identity, sexuality, behavior, and a unique way of living and navigating the world. As bell hooks once stated, queer is about being at odds with everything around you and finding a place to speak, thrive, and live authentically.

Queer embodiment is a way for us to be curious and explore the way systemic constraints have been internalized and the ways in which our full somatic presence can be freeing. By connecting with others and ourselves, not solely for the pursuit of productivity and societal ideals but as a form of resistance to them, we can tap into the profound sense of aliveness, life force, and love that is inherent within us. By centering queer joy as well as metabolizing and releasing dominant narratives and doctrines, we nestle space between joy and pain, allowing us to be there. Feeling seen through camaraderie and taking risks through a shared desire to rest, here are some ways to find both bite-sized and expansive moments to embody queerly:

Immersing oneself in nature through hiking, appreciating the beauty of the clouds, and being mindful of the soles of our feet as they touch the ground outside.
Engaging in creative activities like preparing nourishing foods, creating collages with old magazines (example pictured) and uninhibitedly dancing to nostalgic songs.
Connecting with others and cultivating chosen family through sports leagues, classes, events, shared humor, and laughter.
Practicing internal attunement by implementing breath-work and yoga into our life practice.
Engaging in a conscious practice of distancing ourselves from our devices by deliberately leaving our phones in another space during our sleep and making an active effort to stay away from them for about one hour before going to bed and one hour after waking up.
Cultivating healthy dependency dynamics by engaging in the potentially nurturing process of caring for animals through fostering or rescuing.
Being emotionally mirrored and validated through reading, sharing, and listening to the personal stories and testimonials of LGBTQ+ individuals.
Advocating for trans rights by supporting gender affirming care and other trans issues by reaching out to your senators and letting them know the harm these anti-trans laws are causing. As well as, never assuming a person’s pronouns and correcting ourselves, apologizing, and quickly moving on when getting it wrong.
Integrating humility by practicing curiosity and non-judgement when relating to others and self.
Experiencing intimate human connection through consensual erotic intimacy and practicing effective communication of wants, needs, and desires.

Some of these practices may help us normalize the nonlinearity of queerness and life, tap into our inner wisdom, and cultivate a deeper sense of connection and embodiment.

Psychotherapy itself has the incredible potential to align with queer embodiment. It provides a dedicated space that becomes uniquely ours, where we can openly navigate the challenges we face and discover a sanctuary to express ourselves, flourish, and discover our authentic identities. Through therapy, we are empowered to cultivate self-awareness, embrace the complexities and contradictions within ourselves, and foster meaningful connections within our own being, our community, and the world around us.

By fostering connections in therapy and with nature, animals, and kindred beings, we can defy societal judgments and false-self pursuits based on heteronormative expectations. I in no way intend to downplay the struggles of surviving within our societal frame, but by embracing queer embodiment, we have the potential to center our capacity to live authentically and uncover profound meaning in the fabric of our daily lives.

Additional Resources

Books
The Politics of Trauma by Stacie Haines

Podcast
Healing Intergenerational and Ancestral Trauma with Linda Thai (Series SRIW, Ep 5, 206)
Healing intergenerational trauma and building secure relations within ourselves and our communities with brain & body modalities - Linda Thai
Listen to the episode here.

Articles
Bold. Fearless. Flourishing. Tap into L.A.’s LGBTQ+ scenes

Article written by Sophie Shekarchian

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The 25 Most Influential Works of Postwar Queer Literature

The 25 Most Influential Works of Postwar Queer Literature
By Kurt Soller, Liz Brown, Rose Courteau, Kate Guadagnino, Sara Holdren, Brian Keith Jackson, Evan Moffitt, Miguel Morales, Tomi Obaro, Coco Romack, Michael Snyder and June Thomas for The New York Times
Six opinionated writers debate — and define — the state of L.G.B.T.Q. writing in order to make a list of the most essential works of fiction, poetry and drama right now.

If there’s no single definition of what it means to be queer — a word whose meaning seems to shape-shift constantly, just like the culture around it — then there’s perhaps no consensus on what defines queer literature as a genre either. Still, one thing many queer people share is that we first discovered ourselves on the page. Often furtively, we read novels or recited poems or watched plays that seemed not only to speak exclusively to us, but also showed us a way of speaking about ourselves to others.

But among those works we sought out in school libraries or online, which have been the most influential in making and furthering queer culture?

Discover the list here.

Guest User 6/21/23 Guest User 6/21/23

'Pride' How The Word Became Connected With Gay Rights

“We think of Pride — capital P — in terms of community: Men, women and nonbinary people loudly claiming their existence, their contribution to society and culture, and their ability to love,” he wrote. “But no one will ever know exactly how each of us learned self-acceptance or how to create community from that acceptance.”

A Word That Became a Point of Pride
By Sarah Diamond for The New York Times
Visit the full article here to trace ‘Pride’ has changed throughout the history of the newspaper.

“We think of Pride — capital P — in terms of community: Men, women and nonbinary people loudly claiming their existence, their contribution to society and culture, and their ability to love,” he wrote. “But no one will ever know exactly how each of us learned self-acceptance or how to create community from that acceptance.”

Guest User 6/20/23 Guest User 6/20/23

I Love My Trans Daughter, but I’m Still Struggling

Last summer when my son came home from college, he told my husband and me that he is trans. He said he is a girl, and I am having trouble with this. I’m not conservative. I love and accept her, but I’m worried for her.

Dear Therapist: I Love My Trans Daughter, but I’m Still Struggling
I don’t know how to process what I’m going through.

By Lori Gottlieb for The Atlantic

Dear Therapist,
Last summer when my son came home from college, he told my husband and me that he is trans. He said he is a girl, and I am having trouble with this. I’m not conservative. I love and accept her, but I’m worried for her.

Read the response here.

Guest User 6/19/23 Guest User 6/19/23

Why 'coming out' can take a lifetime

I wouldn't broach the topic of my sexuality with my family until I was 19, at university, and in a long-term relationship with my boyfriend. As I braced myself for that conversation, I told myself that this uncomfortable moment would last just a few minutes, and that I would never have to face it again.

Why 'coming out' can take a lifetime
By David Robson for BBC

”I wouldn't broach the topic of my sexuality with my family until I was 19, at university, and in a long-term relationship with my boyfriend. As I braced myself for that conversation, I told myself that this uncomfortable moment would last just a few minutes, and that I would never have to face it again.

I couldn't have been more wrong: I would have to come out again and again, whenever I started a new job, met a stranger who asked if I had a wife, or go for a hospital appointment that asks for my next of kin. I prefer to be open but at the back of my mind, there is always a slight unease about the possibility of hostility or aggression – and sometimes those fears are justified.”

Read the full article here.

Guest User 6/15/23 Guest User 6/15/23

LGBTQ+ Glossary

Language is an extremely powerful tool. It allows us to generate ideas, share stories, and learn and grow from others. Whether spoken, signed, or written, all languages are constantly evolving, and, despite their imperfections, can help us better understand our world and communicate our perspective with others.

Many LGBTQ+ people use labels to express who they are. These labels can help listeners like you and me understand who that person is and how they wish to identify. Some labels are often used universally by LGBTQ+ people, while others relate to the following concepts specifically:

Read the glossary on It Gets Better here.

Guest User 6/12/23 Guest User 6/12/23

Queer Youth Resilience & Mental Health

Every day, queer teens and young adults are challenged by the politicization of gender identity and sexual orientation and the rise in anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. And the mental health consequences are alarming.

Queer Youth Resilience & Mental Health

This episode explore the unique issues that queer young people face during the adolescent years in-particular.

Listen here.