April, 12 2010, 03:08pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Inga Sarda-Sorensen, Director of Communications
(Office) 646.358.1463
isorensen@theTaskForce.org
Task Force Affirms APA's Refutation of 'Gender Identity Disorder' in New Edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
WASHINGTON
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force today affirmed the American
Psychiatric Association's (APA) refutation of "gender identity disorder"
in favor of "gender incongruence," but calls for the removal of
"transvestic disorder" and expresses concerns about other proposed
revisions to the upcoming 5th edition of the APA's Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual (DSM).
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force affirmed the APA's revision
of its diagnostic category that commonly serves transgender and gender
nonconforming people, changing "gender identity disorder" to "gender
incongruence" in the proposed new volume of the DSM.
"We see this revision as an evolutionary step toward removal of all
diagnoses related to gender nonconformity in the DSM," said Jaime
Grant, director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Policy
Institute. "Gender variance is not a psychiatric problem; it's a natural
human variation that in some cases requires medical attention and
support."
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's in-depth comment on the
proposed revisions, which will be submitted to the DSM-5 Task Force,
also calls for the removal of "transvestic fetishism," which
pathologizes male-to-female cross-dressing, exclusively.
It notes that the "very notion that cross-dressing among female-born
individuals is never pathological, while cross-dressing among male-born
clients has multiple pathological manifestations reeks of a kind of
sexism we find astonishing for psychiatry in the 21st century. It is
well past time for the removal of disorders associated with disfavored
versions of femininity, which call to mind the infamous 19th century
diagnosis of 'hysteria' in women."
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force also commented on the
emergence of "hypersexual disorder" in this version of the DSM.
"While the recent excesses of some prominent heterosexual men have
brought this condition more to light, we continue to be concerned that
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people may be targeted for this
diagnosis by some providers," said Grant.
To add a commentary to the DSM revision process, interested
parties should go to www.dsm5.org by
April 20.
Download the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's
comment to the DSM-5 Task Force here.
The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we've made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. These barriers must go. That's why the Task Force is training and mobilizing millions of activists across our nation to deliver a world where you can be you. Join us!
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