Is Gender Identity Disorder A Disorder?
April 27, 2012 at 10:29 am Natalie Reed
http://freethoughtblogs.com/nataliereed/2012/04/27/is-gender-identity-disorder-a-disorder/Similar debates are now occurring within the transgender community regarding the inclusion of Gender Identity Disorder (or, alternately, Gender Dysphoria), in the current edition of the DSM. So much of the thinking goes, if declassification of homosexuality was such a significant achievement for gay rights, such a significant step in the direction of its normalization and acceptance, and was so deserved by the gay community, why does the trans community deserve any different? Are we, comparably, "sick" relative to the "healthy" nature of gay, lesbian and bisexual people?
But I'm not sure these two issues are comparable. I'm not sure it's wise to assert that Gender Dysphoria is not a disorder. And I'm not sure that any theoretical, abstract benefits of removing it from the DSM would not be outweighed by massive and widespread harm, particularly to the least privileged members of our community, who are most dependent on asserting to the public, the medical community and those in power, that our access to things like hormones and surgery is a medical need, not a "cosmetic" dalliance or "lifestyle choice".
