The Politicized Practitioner

It's the last week of Asian Heritage Month, but we thought now would be a good time to remind folks that there are fantastic Asian-owned bookstores in Canada to support not only this month, but year-round!

We've added a few new stores but if we've missed any, please let us know in the comments!

An award-winning poet and writer, Ocean Vuong and his family came to the U.S. as Vietnamese refugees. Much of his work explores complex aspects of Asian-American and q***r identities, including relationships, war, family, and immigration.

We celebrate Ocean and his work this AAPI Heritage Month.

📚 RESEARCH: S*x Positivity or S*xual Objectification? A Content Analysis of *xPositivity Posts on Instagram 📚

“The s*x positivity movement promotes diverse s*xual expression as valid and healthy and has gained increasing attention from global health organizations and within online discourse. However, concerns that the s*x positivity movement is being exploited to reinforce harmful norms that objectify women have emerged. Research is needed to understand how s*x positivity is discussed publicly. In this cross-sectional study, a content analysis of 500 Instagram posts that used the hashtag *xpositivity was conducted. Posts were coded systematically based on visual characteristics, appearance and objectification of people, and the messages communicated. Rather than *xpositivity posts reflecting messages promoted by the s*x positivity movement, most posts featured s*xually objectifying images of young adult women who met Western beauty standards, were White, small-bodied, and wore revealing clothing. The hashtag *xpositivity was primarily used for marketing purposes, such as advertising s*x toys or lingerie, or for promoting an individual’s personal brand or an Instagram profile. Instagram posts that use the hashtag *xpositivity appear to reinforce the objectification of women and promote narrow beauty ideals, rather than fostering diverse expression of s*xuality or promoting messages aligned with the ethos of the s*x positivity movement. These findings may inform the efforts of public health practitioners, educators, and mental health professionals, as they strive to promote healthy messages about s*xual empowerment that do not reproduce and reinforce narrow views of s*xuality and beauty standards that objectify women.”

Read full text here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-026-01653-2

I was humbled by the words and perspectives of my fellow panelists (, , ) at the NYC launch of ; and touched by the audience participation and expressions of gratitude from individuals during the signing.

A big thank you to and for helping us make this event happen 🥰🥰

LOVE.
FEAR.
ENVY.
SHAME.
UNCERTAINTY.
CURIOSITY.

The Politicized Practitioner Series () had its official launch in Toronto yesterday at ! With three panels comprised of contributors from all three volumes, we had some of the richest and most meaningful clinical conversations I’ve had in years.

We asked:

How do you understand the relationship between politics and intimacy? Political unrest and mental health? Being a therapist that shares a similarity of nonprivilege with clients/patients?

What does it look like to access your own empathy for a homophobic parent when you’re triggered, but must see the family unit as the client? How does anti-fatness show up in therapy; and why might a fat therapist’s mere presence disarm a client’s shame around s*xual dysfunction?

Why do we assume love is good when it can be used to regulate citizenship? And assume envy is bad even though it can make structural inequity visible and lead to coalition building?

We talked about all the things. And there was still energy for more!

If you haven’t gotten your books, check out in Toronto, or another independent bookstore.

Celebrating the launch of “Queer and Muslim”, a powerful collection works by and for LGBTQ+ Muslims.

Eventbrite link in bio :)

Please join us, along with co-editors Rahim Thawer and Maryam Khan, as they launch their new book “Queer and Muslim”.

Talkback guest David Lewis Peart will be in conversation with Rahim, Aaron El Sabrout, and El-Farouk Khaki to celebrate the essays, poems, letters to past and future selves, and more, that make up “Queer and Muslim”. The book explores the emotional and spiritual dimensions of q***r Muslim life and challenges the perception that faith and q***rness are inherently incompatible.
elsabrout

Books will be available for purchase and signing.

This event is free and open to the public. Eventbrite link in bio.

Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Time: 7:00 PM EDT

Place: Glad Day Lit, 32 Lisgar Steet, Toronto, ON

Between The Prayer Rug And The Afterparty
What’s the difference between a prayer rug at dawn and a dance floor at 2 a.m.?

April 22nd, 2026
Written By Rahim Thawer

Between The Prayer Rug And The Afterparty - Gaysi I used to tell myself it was social. Harmless. A way to take the edge off after long days of holding other people’s stories. When I finally admitted to my psychoanalyst that the first sip of red wine immediately calms my nerves and opens me up to connect with others, he paused and said, “What if...