A foreclosed clinic, ‘Tiresian’ clinic, and violence against trans people

Some reflections from psychoanalysis on clinical work with trans people in México

Abstract

This article ponders on reflections from clinical work undertaken with trans individuals in contexts of acute violence and social exclusion, conditions that permeate the vast expanse of Mexican territory. It addresses the importance of a model of clinical work required to support transgender people suffering from social violence, by examining two contrasting clinical positions based on some Lacanian frameworks: a ‘foreclosed’ clinic, and its counterpart, a ‘Tiresian’ clinic. This article explores the implications of the therapeutic setting as a safe space amid the violence suffered by trans individuals, as well as the importance of recognising the consequences of the encounter between identity and life or death decisions in environments of extreme violence.