http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/06/13/debate-surrounds-intersex-inclusion-in-the-dsm-v/
by Jennie Kermode
13 June 2012, 11:31am

The DSM, or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is the American Psychological Association (APA) guidebook used by psychiatrists all around the world. It is currently undergoing revisions for a fifth edition, which has sparked controversy in many areas. Among these is its inclusion, for the first time, of intersex people.

"When a child is born with an atypical sex anatomy, often called a disorder of sex development (DSD) or intersex condition, doctors must sometimes make an educated guess about what gender assignment makes the most sense. If the child later decides that the guess was wrong, is that a sign that something is wrong with the child?" asks Anne Tamar-Mattis, executive director of Advocates for Informed Choice (AIC).
....
Holly Greenberry of IntersexUK notes that the Gender Recognition Act expressly excludes intersex people and believes the proposed changes to the DSM would make such problems worse.
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The OII, however, see some positive aspects to the DSM's approach. It represents the first official recognition, at this level, that intersex people may grow up to feel at odds with their assigned genders.

Thinking of a genitally intersexed child as being somehow different from one born with missing fingers or toes as my neice was and putting intersex into the DSM would stigmatise the child as having mental illness for life.

Lots of the DSM leaders are open or closet homosexuals who desperately put up smokescreens to keep the idea that anyone who isn't tall, fit, healthy and macho must be a sexual deviate, pervert and mentally ill and in need of therapy and labelling with something out of DSM.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/05/25/diane-abbott-lands-labour-in-hot-water-with-uk-intersex-community/

interesting link about a black woman's attitude to intersex people.

interesting that she 'forgot' to declare $30K to the tax man.

Quote from: lilacwoman on July 06, 2012, 02:55:42 AM
Thinking of a genitally intersexed child as being somehow different from one born with missing fingers or toes as my neice was and putting intersex into the DSM would stigmatise the child as having mental illness for life.

Lilac, I like so many of your ideas, and I agree with your concerns, but I want to provide a counterpoint here.

Providing standards for care doesn't necessarily stigmatize the one needing care. If I had to go to a counselor, regardless of the reason, I would want the counselor to have access to appropriate guidelines for how to give me what I went there for. I would not need to feel stigmatized for that to happen.

but the DSM is all about mental disorders?

having 'wrong' genitals for the brain can't be a mental disorder except to perfect specimens like the compilers of DSM?

over here in Europe everyone has the right to control or modify their bodies as they wish though this is disputed by the various national health services and as any lesbian can go get a top job at any cosmetic surgeon's we have to ask why an intersex should not have the same freedom to control their own body?

The only reason must be that if between their legs they have some unusual combination of sexual organs then they must obviously have a mental problem despite the fact that the brain and the genitals aren't connected - or are they?