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Selected Writing

Yann Phesans

"Masc Only by Yann Phesans (he/they) examines how demands for masculinity and “gender legibility” operate as subtle yet powerful forms of social policing. Using the phrase “masc only” from dating apps as a starting point, Phesans shows how such language reinforces hierarchies that privilege normative masculinity while devaluing femininity and gender non-conformity.The essay highlights the psychological costs of these expectations, from internalized shame to the pressure of perfectionism, and situates them in a wider history of queer and trans regulation. Drawing on Édouard Glissant’s idea of “opacity,” Phesans frames the refusal to be fully legible on normative terms as an act of resistance—opening space for identities that resist assimilation.Ultimately, Masc Only calls for rethinking “preferences” as tools of enforcement and advocates honoring the right not to be fully known or made to conform."

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Link to essay: https://publicseminar.org/2025/09/masc-only/

Not Like Them by Yann Phesans (they/he) explores how psychoanalytic concepts like transference must be rethought when viewed through queer, immigrant, and minoritised perspectives. Classical ideals of neutrality and universality often erase the therapist’s embodied identity, positioning difference as deviation. Drawing on Édouard Glissant’s opacity and José Esteban Muñoz’s disidentification, Phesans reframes therapy as a space where refusal, ambiguity, and non-legibility can be honored rather than pathologised.Through a vivid clinical vignette, they illustrate how a client’s transference collided with their refusal to perform normative masculinity, producing both rage and possibility in the encounter. Instead of collapsing into assimilation or opposition, they practiced disidentification—containing the client’s projections without erasing their own queer identity. This approach demonstrates how opacity and disidentification can transform therapy from a site of coercive recognition into one of radical listening and relational possibility.The essay argues that psychotherapy is never politically neutral: every silence, interpretation, and act of containment is shaped by race, class, gender, sexuality, and history. By embracing opacity and disidentification, therapists can resist prescriptive norms, foster environments of ambiguity, and honor the right not to be fully known.

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Link to essay: https://thepolyphony.org/2025/10/02/not-like-them/

Yann Phesans
Yann Phesans

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Couples Therapy, Couples Counselling, Couples Therapy London, Therapy Services, Mental Health Support, Professional Counsellor, Counselling in South East London, Therapy Services South East London, Online Therapy UK, Local Counsellor South East London, Anxiety Therapy, Depression Counselling, Trauma Therapy, Grief Counselling, Illness Counselling Support, LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapy, Kink-Positive Therapy, Sex-Positive Counselling, Therapy for Polyamorous Individuals, Counselling for Sex Workers, Neurodiverse Therapy Support, Counselling for Ethnic Minorities, Therapy for Religious Minorities, Counselling for Foreign Nationals, Nonjudgemental Counselling, Inclusive Therapy, Trauma-Informed Counselling, Empathetic Therapist, Safe and Confidential Therapy, Introductory Counselling Call, Improve Mental Health, Increase Self-Esteem, Manage Anxiety, Overcome Depression, Navigate Life Changes, Queer Counselling, ENM Counselling, Disability Affirmative Therapy
Couples Therapy, Couples Counselling, Couples Therapy London, Therapy Services, Mental Health Support, Professional Counsellor, Counselling in South East London, Therapy Services South East London, Online Therapy UK, Local Counsellor South East London, Anxiety Therapy, Depression Counselling, Trauma Therapy, Grief Counselling, Illness Counselling Support, LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapy, Kink-Positive Therapy, Sex-Positive Counselling, Therapy for Polyamorous Individuals, Counselling for Sex Workers, Neurodiverse Therapy Support, Counselling for Ethnic Minorities, Therapy for Religious Minorities, Counselling for Foreign Nationals, Nonjudgemental Counselling, Inclusive Therapy, Trauma-Informed Counselling, Empathetic Therapist, Safe and Confidential Therapy, Introductory Counselling Call, Improve Mental Health, Increase Self-Esteem, Manage Anxiety, Overcome Depression, Navigate Life Changes, Queer Counselling, ENM Counselling, Disability Affirmative Therapy
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