Beyond the Binary: My Experience as a Gender Nonconforming Person in Recovery
Eating disorders are stereotypically viewed as illnesses that plague young, upper-class, white females. This idea is perpetuated by a variety of factors, including the media, and prevents other people with eating disorders from seeking or receiving the help they need and deserve. While the research into males with eating disorders has recently begun to gain […]
Navigating Eating Disorder Recovery While Visibly Trans
I’ve been in recovery for my eating disorder for eight, going on nine years now. When I typed that sentence while brainstorming for this blog post, I first felt a sense of intense pride in myself and how far I’ve come from the scared, 18-year-old girl who entered treatment those many years ago to a […]
Providing Better Care for Transgender and Non-Binary Patients
In our work as a public health researcher (Allegra) and clinician (Carly), we have been excited to see growing interest in improving care for transgender and non-binary patients within the eating disorders field. Below we offer some lessons we have learned and suggestions for steps eating disorders professionals can take to begin to provide better […]
Dear Leon: How Can I Develop a Positive Body Image As a Gender Non-Conforming Person?
Leon Silvers is a psychotherapist, founder, and director of Silvers Psychotherapy, a group therapy practice in NYC. He specializes in working with clients with eating disorders, substance abuse, trauma, and LGBT issues. He has worked in various clinics and agencies providing psychodynamic psychotherapy for adults and adolescents; working in outpatient substance abuse; in crisis intervention […]
7 Ways to Make Recovery Communities More Trans Affirming
It’s Transgender Awareness Week, a time meant to raise visibility and acceptance for transgender and gender non-conforming people. As one of the most marginalized groups in America today, transgender people are often denied access to basic human needs like employment, housing, public restroom access, and medical care. Allies must not remain silent as these injustices […]
We Need to Talk About Gender and Sexuality in the Doctor’s Office
Last night, I had the privilege of attending “Gender and Sexuality in the Doctor’s Office: LGBTQ Experiences of Healthcare Across Contexts,” a visiting scholar lecture at CLAGS by Emily Allen Paine, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin. Many of us are aware that health disparities exist […]
How We’re Using Podcasting to Talk About Mental Health
When my friend, Lily Stav Gildor, and I realized that we weren’t aware of any podcasts that specifically focus on discussing mental illness with people our age (18-35), we decided to take matters into our own hands. Last month, we launched our podcast called Mental Health Hangouts, where we interview millennials about their experiences with […]
6 Empowering Ad Campaigns That Are Changing the Way We Talk About Bodies
It’s no secret that advertisers are not always the most reliable when it comes to portraying realistic bodies. However, sometimes a company does get it right and launches a campaign centered on ensuring that very thing happens. We’re celebrating the end of National Media Literacy Week by highlighting six notable examples of body-positive campaigns in […]
Sia Bravely Leaked Her Own Nude Photos—But She Was Still Violated
Women are taught to not be seen. It’s still considered a shameful thing in our society for our natural, naked bodies to be on display. In fact, the general public is so disconnected from real bodies that seeing one can cause shock and inspire heaps of criticism. Public nudity was always a terrifying concept to […]
How I’m Utilizing Social Media for Social Good
I often want to delete all of my social media profiles. In fact, I deleted my Snapchat months ago and it has been great. But I keep my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter alive, and I do this because social media holds a lot of powers. One of them is giving everyone a voice. Social media […]
