trans*denken: Perspektiven aus Psychotherapie, Geschichte und Gesellschaft

Lecture and discussion with Annette Güldenring

7 pm, Lecture Hall 1, Stromstraße 2, 3rd floor, 10555 Berlin

—  The lecture sheds light on the history of gender variance—a history that has long been denied and exoticized. It tells of an aimless search for identities and physicalities for which there were no terms, no role models, and no recognized ancestors. This search was a tentative exploration of one's own inner self, an often stammering communication that was met with confused, overwhelmed, or ignorant looks—looks that solidified into judgments, often unjust and hurtful. Encounters and conversations were nipped in the bud. Decades passed and gender issues became the subject of gossip and whispering in pubs, marriage beds, and government benches. There, they talked past the possibilities of gender diversity, toasting with champagne and beer to the tried-and-true, protective dress code. But here and there, people began to pause and question themselves about being gendered differently from others. Taking oneself seriously in one's own gender is a balancing act, fraught with the risk of shame and exclusion, which is testimony to how crudely the world treats its gendered treasure without seeing what it is gambling away. Today, people talk more openly about gender. Some are experimenting, forming their own words for themselves, for their gender, for their feelings and perceptions, words for which there is no dictionary definition. For others, gender diversity is an almost existential threat, with fronts forming around a “correct or healthy” gender across all age groups. These fronts harbour conflict and violence and are becoming increasingly threatening. Since we all have a gender, we are all involved. There is a lot at stake – for all of us.

The lecture spans from a historical review to current controversies, highlighting different positions: the struggle to

be allowed to live gender in its individual form of expression – or to destroy it. It invites you to think, listen, feel, ask questions and seek answers. Every gendered self is warmly welcomed as a unique and valuable existence.

Lecture and discussion with Gisela Fux Wolf

7 pm, Lecture Hall 1, Stromstraße 2, 3rd floor, 10555 Berlin

— Trans* people come to psychotherapy with a variety of specific concerns: some trans* people need psychotherapy because of distressing symptoms that have arisen in a social context in which they are marginalized. In addition, the structural conditions (guidelines of the medical service of health insurance companies) for trans* people on the path to gender-affirming medical treatment require accompanying psychotherapy, which is problematic due to the associated interference with self-determination. This event will present the processes involved in psychotherapeutic support for trans* people and explore questions such as: How can psychotherapists shape the therapeutic relationship in a way that is respectful of the contextual framework of trans* people? What does professional psychotherapeutic support for trans* people look like, and what does it not look like? What rights do trans* individuals have in psychotherapy? How can one identify a suitable psychotherapist? What can trans* individuals do if they do not feel respected in psychotherapy? What does the current diagnosis F64.0 in ICD 10 mean in practice, and what further developments are expected with the new diagnosis HA 60 in ICD 11?

Safe the Date: 

20 November 2025

XX. Dezember 2025

— More information coming soon.