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APA’s revision of DSM
On May 1, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) appointed members of a task force for revising its Manual for Diagnosis of Mental Disorders. This manual includes the listing for Gender Identity Disorder.
Some trans* activists have begun to express concern about some of the people appointed to this task force. In particular, the person who has been named as the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Chair is also someone who has used ‘reparative’ (‘ex-gay’) therapy to ‘cure’ gender-variant children.
If you would like more information about this situation, check out:
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/05/uh_oh.php
Emails of concern are already starting to be written. There is also talk that an open letter with research citations to the APA should be written, co-signed by trans organisations, supportive health professionals and other individual trans* people.
If you would like to write to the APA to express your concerns, it does have a ‘Public Interest Directorate’ which staffs its Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns Office (no ‘Transgender’ in this title though). The email address is lgbc@apa.org
There is also a group called APA Division 44, which is The Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Issues. They bill themselves as “psychology’s focal point for research, practice, and education on the lives and realities of LGBT people” and, amongst their activities, they liaise with the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns Office of the APA. They have a Committee on Transgender and Gender Variance Issues (see http://www.apadivision44.org/who/#leadership).
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2 Replies
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Hi Mari
This topic is a super economy size can of worms, especially when you read the blogs posted on the link. Two things are apparent to me when reading this, firstly; science in general loves to think that they understand everything and if they don’t they will research it until they do. Medical science especially refuses to accept anything unless it is based on empirical research. Whilst this is important especially in areas of drug research it tends to have an air of ‘god’ syndrome about it. Whilst research can be constructive it can also be very destructive especially if undertaken from the viewpoint of ‘normalising’ something instead of accepting harmless differences. As an example a new thinking is emerging with regard to Aspergers Syndrome. The view is to look at those with AS as different rather than looking for a cure as such.
The second point that stands out is the good old human trait of labelling and the need to be seen as better than someone else. In one post from a fully transistioned M to F she takes a rather belittling view of crossdressers or transvestites labelling them as ‘weekend thrill seekers and fetishists. Obviously a martyr for the cause.
Ultimately all that is required is acceptance regardless of the imposed label. If someone crossdresses and sees it as a problem then let them seek counselling or whatever they need. If like the majority of us who see no problem with it then live and let live. It is all just indicitive of how far society is from true acceptance of any marginalised group.
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Ok, the real problem with this is that if Gender Identity Disorder GID is taken out of the DSM, there is a distinct possibility that the standards of care, much as I have issue with them, can and will be abused by governments and health professions, or indeed, completely ignored, along with the benefits that come from Medicare covering GID as an illness, leaving us aussie trans much in the position of our sisters around the world who have to try to transition with little or no assistance at all, along with the humungous medical costs that go with it.
While WPATH, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, may be a bunch of less than enlightened medicos, their intentions are admirable, what power they have to help trans people will disappear, along with guidelines to help trans people in their quests.
Or, even worse, should GID be classified the incorrect way, ‘cures’ such as the ‘gay cure’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_therapy could become much more mainstream, a disaster not just for trans people, but the whole, non-heterosexual community.
