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Few matters in contemporary psychoanalysis divide and even polarise opinion as sharply as questions of gender, particularly those concerning trans experience in adolescence and young people. We have published some articles on the subject over the years, one of the first of which was the discussion in 2021 between David Bell and Avgi Saketopoulou.
In this issue we have published a revised version of the paper that won the 2025 IPA Tiresias Prize, which highlights excellence in psychoanalytic work on sexual and gender diversity: “The political phantasm underlying questions of gender”, by Chiara Buoncristiani and Tommaso Romani. Alongside this paper, we have published Roberto D’Angelo’s “Trans is not the new gay: How psychoanalytic elitism and the rejection of science are creating a repetition of the past”.
Publishing these two submitted, peer reviewed papers together, with their different angles, reflects my wish to facilitate the expression of difference and diversity across difficult psychoanalytic subjects. We do not expect to resolve these complex issues, but we aim to provide a containing space in which different viewpoints can be voiced side by side.
It is my belief that the International Journal should be the upholder of conversation, even if positions are fiercely held and different, without fear of voices being silenced or closed down. There’s a civility in having a journal where different sides can express themselves. That is the best of a truly scholarly journal.
D’Angelo’s paper, having been published on Open Access, has already attracted attention and critique. The co-Chairs of the Committee on Gender and Sexuality of the American Psychoanalytic Association have submitted a Letter to the Editor expressing their serious concerns. Their Letter is published in this Issue, together with a response from the author, in accordance with our usual practice.
We expect to welcome further correspondence from a range of perspectives on this highly contentious topic. As far