Events

Thinking with transsexuality: Gender, disability and the ethics of transableism

Humanities and Social Sciences Strategy lecture series

Public lecture from Dr Dan O’Connor, Head of Humanities and Social Science, The Wellcome Trust.

Event details

Information

In this open lecture Dr O'Connor provides a historicised reading of the ethical debates surrounding transableism, or Body Identity Integrity Disorder (BIID), the condition in which an able bodied person identifies as disabled and actively seeks medical intervention to become disabled (typically, although not always, an amputee).

This historicised reading is framed by the history of transsexuality. During the history of transsexuality the use of medical technologies has changed along with ethical norms. Those changes only happened because of sustained strategic campaigning on the part of transsexual people and their allies.

Dan will argue that the contemporary transabled community is using the same strategies in their own attempts to change ethical norms. This, Dan concludes, is a living demonstration of the ways in which ethical norms are made rather than found.

About Dr Dan O'Connor

Dan O'Connor is head of humanities and social science at the Wellcome Trust. He directs the trust's funding of bioethics research and was formerly a member of faculty at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics.

Programme

Time Activity Speaker 
17.30 Introduction Professor Mark Jackson, Professor of the History of Medicine and Research Theme  Leader for Medical Humanities
17.35 Thinking with transsexuality: Gender, disability and the ethics of transableism Dr Dan O’Connor, Head of Humanities and Social Science, The Wellcome Trust
18.15 Question and answer Session  
18.30 Drinks reception  
19.00 Close   

Further information

Read here for more information on our Medical Humanities Theme.

Transableism is following in the footsteps of transexuality. Are ethical norms made, or are they found?