->-bleeped-<-: The Infallible Derogatory Hypothesis, Part 1
Filed by: Kelley Winters
January 7, 2009 11:00 AM
http://www.bilerico.com/2009/01/ ->-bleeped-<-_the_infallible_derogatory.php (http://www.bilerico.com/2009/01/%20-%3E-bleeped-%3C-_the_infallible_derogatory.php)
In the Third Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1980, the American Psychiatric Association explained the reasons for removing the diagnostic category of homosexuality: [1]
"The crucial issue in determining whether or not homosexuality per se should be regarded as a mental disorder is not the etiology of the condition, but its consequences and the definition of mental disorder." [2]
This marked a significant shift in diagnostic policy toward the consequence of a condition rather than speculation of its cause. Two decades later, the APA discarded this principle by emphasizing the controversial and inflammatory theory of " ->-bleeped-<-" in the supporting text of Gender Identity Disorder diagnosis of the DSM-IV-TR: