The American Psychiatric Association is currently in the process of putting out their new Diagnostic Statistical Manual which deals with all aspects of psychiatric disorders and issues. Currently transgender people are unfairly labeled as having "Gender Identity Disorder" even though the research goes to show that this is not a disorder but yet a variation of the human condition.
UPDATE: There is more information about who will be on the panel over at Trans News.
Please contact the APA about this and demand trans-friendly and LGBT friendly individuals be put on the panel discussing Gender Identity:
Good news? Not so much.
Apparently one of the people on the committee has been quoted as saying "This is not waving a magic wand and a man becomes a woman and vice versa," he says. "It's something that has to be taken very seriously. A man without a penis has certain disadvantages in this world, and this is in reality what you're creating. -- Ray Blanchard, Ph.D
Is this the kind of sensitivity and expertise we want addressing trans issues?
Head on over to GID Reform Advocates, an organization dedicated to reforming the classification of trans people as being mentally ill. Posted by Queers United at 7:16 PM
2 comments:
I have to remind myself that people are sexual every time something like thsi comes up. Because otherwise I'm sitting there going "How would people know?! Who brings that up in casual conversation?" Is that in reference to MtFs (who are women and seem to have decent surgery) or FtMs (the surgeries kind of suck)? Because you really aren't "Creating" a guy without a dick. The mom's uterus did that well enough.
Queers United said (May 6, 2008):
You pose an interesting question, I am unsure if he is referring to M2F's or F2M's. Perhaps someone more closely connected with this story or the comments made by this psychologist knows?