Quote from: Julie Marie on August 06, 2010, 04:47:21 PM
Right now transgender persons are considered to have a mental disorder because they are TG. Right now we are pushing to have ENDA passed including the T.
In the recent ruling on Prop 8 in California, Judge Walker cited a number of reasons why same-sex marriage should be allowed. On page 76, item 47e it reads:
e. Tr 2027:19-2028:2 (Herek: Homosexuality is not considered a mental disorder. The American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association and other major professional mental health associations have all gone on record affirming that homosexuality is a normal expression of sexuality and that it is not in any way a form of pathology.);
Imagine what the proponents of Prop 8 would have been able to say if homosexuality was still recognized as a mental disorder. "We are allowing mentally disordered people to marry!" That alone would have made it an uphill battle.
Our battle for equality, our battle to end discrimination, are tough enough. Having TG listed as a mental disorder will only make it that much tougher.
I don't dispute your supposition but to be fair, that one has an easy answer - as soon as the law bars all people with a mental disorder (such as depression) from being wed, then they can get back to us on our "disorder"
My objection to the idea of it being a disorder is simply a matter of perception - the idea that "disorder" naturally infers "harmful." If it were not for that perception, I wouldn't particularly object to itbeing called a "disorder"
That said, more and more it seems to be more accurate to suggest it is a a mental manifestation of a
physical "disorder"
(and yes I know, in the sense that our plumbing is backwards, it IS a physical disorder but good luck selling the cis-world on THAT definition)
Post Merge: August 11, 2010, 02:22:50 AM
just want to add, looking over the thread a bit it seems to me pretty obvious that however we express it, we're all basically concerned about the negative implications of the "diagnosis"
i am sympathetic to the idea that until (unless) there is ever a physical indicator that can be identified, the logical description of this is as a mental condition.
It's what word is used to describe the condition - "disorder" or something else - that carries with it the baggage of perception.
The ideal word would say "this person needs therapeutic treatment to relieve the dysphoria" but NOT say "this person is sick and needs to be 'fixed'"
I'm not sure I'd pick the right word but I think I'd know it if I heard it.