"GENDER IDENTITY DISORDER"
by the International Gay and Lesbian
Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)
In 1974, the American Pychiatric Association (APA) ceased to classify
homosexuality as an illness, yet every year, hundreds of lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender youth are confined to psychiatric institutions and subjected
to "treatment" to change their sexual orientation. One diagnosis
used to justify this "treatment" is Gender Identity Disorder.
According to the current APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, symptoms
of Gender Identity Disorder in girls include "intense negative reactions
to parent expectations or attempts to have them wear dresses or other feminine
attire," preference for "boys' clothing and short hair,"
and identification with "powerful male figures such as Batman or Superman."
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the AMA, and the Child Welfare
League of America (CWLA) have all taken clear positions against pathologizing
lesbian and gay youth. However, the APA continues to stigmatize young
people who do not conform to socially imposed gender roles or heterosexual
norms. The National Center for Lesbian Rights, the International Conference
on Transgender Law and Employment Policy, IGLHRC, and several other organizations
have launched a campaign to pressure the APA to change its position.
Letters should be sent to the APA outlining the following points:
1. The classification of "Gender Identity Disorder" as a disease
presents a major obstacle to accessing health care. Youth who fear being
labeled or incarcerated avoid seeking the care that they may need to cope
with the isolation, rejection and hostility that they confront in their
daily lives.
2. As the leading organization of mental health professionals in the United
States, the APA has a special responsibility to ensure that practitioners
provide competent and non-judgmental care to all clients, including lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender youth. The APA should follow the lead of the
AAP, the AMA, and the CWLA in taking a stand against pathologizing sexual
minority youth. Homosexuality in the adult population is not pathologized,
and it should likewise not be pathologized in youth.
3. The APA should affirm the right of all people to receive competent health
care on demand to achieve and maintain their self-defined gender identities.
Send letters to:
*Dr. Mary Jane England, President, APA 1400 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20005
Fax: 1-202-682-6114
*Dr. Chester W. Schmidt, Chair Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Working
Group, APA Johns Hopkins Bay View Medical Center 4940 Eastern Ave., B3 South,
Baltimore, MD 21224
