Silencing Thought: A Conversation with Heather Brunskell-Evans

Heather Brunskell-Evans is a philosopher and sociologist who studies the intersection of medicine and culture. She joined me and Sasha on this episode to trace the ways in which queer theory evolved in academia and moved into the broader culture, including the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) in the UK. Explaining how a social justice angle is key to the ‘affirmative model’ of care for gender dysphoria, Heather recounts a few key moments when she realized there were authoritarian elements at play in silencing thought and conversation around the topic of transgender, even for parents trying to protect their children.