THE INTENSIVE
Relationships - Sexuality, Gender, Identity - more than female and male -"There are as many genders as there are people" (Volkmar Sigusch)
The Eighteenth International Intensive Workshop on
Systemic Resolutions
Sunday Evening, April 28 - Sunday Morning, May 5, 2019 in Southern Germany
Female, male, both or none of these? Until recently transgender people have been classified - according to the international catalogue of illnesses - as "disturbed". In June 2018 The World Health Organisation moved to end the description of trans identities as mental illness. This is a historic achievement for the global trans-community and for all humans.
Traditional role definitions and gender relations are on the move. Many women and men have questioned previous ideas about given and fixed gender constructions. In some places the binary division into two genders has already been abolished and some people just do not want to be clearly identified with a gender anymore. There is much more than man and woman, hetero and homo. New categories have arisen as people attempt to define with greater precision where they feel a sense of belonging - transgender, crossgender, non binary, genderless or gender-fluid. "Gender Fluidity" stands for the permanent renegotiation of one's own gender role. Identity markers such as "female" or "gay" are perceived as states on a wide spectrum.
This change on a societal and individual level, with all its challenges and questions, must surely also be addressed in family constellations. I am curious about the potential variety of suggestions and the richness of the talks and workshops during the Intensive 2019. I'm looking forward to the discussion on the current gender debate, queer theory as well as the many related topics that will be evoked.
Lutz Bessel, July 2018