Articles for tag: fear-and-emotion, film, psychoanalysis, queer theology, Trans*

May 14, 2026

twhoshaw

change or die. 2.2 new thoughts.

Change or Die. 2.2 of The N*ew* Thoughts Podcast

Three horror films. One question: What happens when the world hands you a choice—change or die? Dr. Hoshaw examines Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, I Saw the TV Glow, and Slanted through the psychoanalytic lens of Adam Phillips's On Wanting to Change and R.D. Laing's The Divided Self. Along the way: a personal story about earning a pilot's license, Susan Stryker's landmark Frankenstein essay, and a sharp meditation on privilege, conversion, and the body's refusal to cooperate. *SPOILER WARNING:* This episode contains major spoilers for Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, I Saw the TV Glow, and Slanted. Watch the films first, then come back.

February 23, 2026

twhoshaw

Yet another chapter in Andrew Sullivan's anti-trans story.

Why I Unsubscribed from Andrew Sullivan’s *The Weekly Dish*

Andrew Sullivan gets a few things right: public support for trans freedom has narrowed, and winning elections matters. But when you strip away his reasonable concessions, what remains is not political argument — it is projection. This post applies John Rawls's concept of public reason to Sullivan's anti-trans screeds and finds them wanting. Sullivan's fantasy of gay kids being forced to transition by evil doctors is not a basis for public policy. It is a private obsession dressed up as political commentary. And the real world keeps telling him so.

September 10, 2025

twhoshaw

Sex Changes

In the most recent episode of the New Thoughts Podcast, I argue that Trans* people are figures of change. And it is change that the forces opposed to Trans* loves and lives want to end.

August 15, 2025

twhoshaw

cat woman at coffee shop while reading Judith Butler

Coming Soon

New post on the purposes of theory and two new episodes of The New Thoughts Podcast coming soon! Trans Desire and Social Media are my topics.

April 12, 2024

twhoshaw

The N*ew* in the Un*Holy*

* In a recent dream, I was surprised by the appearance of the Greek word for S/spirit, πνεῦμα. It was a well-planned move, coming just after what was a disturbing scene. Another surprise: the ν and εῦ of πνεῦμα reversed places. A third surprise: the meaning of the new word, πεῦνμα, was explicitly spelled out in the dream. In the lexicon of the dream, πεῦνμα means companionship. ** In dreams, unconscious thoughts are translated into consciously recognizable/acceptable forms. The goal of the dream is not to disturb consciousness (because the purpose of dreams is to keep us asleep). If consciousness