Are Trans* People Sick? by Zoe R

 There has been a major push lately to remove the term Gender Identity Disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or the DSM. Initially, when the DSM was written, homosexuality was listed as a disorder in this manual. It wasn’t until big efforts led to it being removed in 1973 (Ault, 187). The term was also used to cover people who identified more as a gender different from what they were assigned at birth, because a lot of gay people would share traits with a different gender (Ault, 188). However, this method was presumptuous and ignorant. So they added Gender Identity Disorder to cover the trans community.

            The addition of GID to the DSM has many implications for the community and is symbolic of how the medical community perceives gender. With this inclusion, doctors can advise that the family take one of two paths: accommodation or therapy. In accommodation, the family would accept a child’s deviations from ‘normal’ gender behaviors as acceptable and modify conditions so that they can express their gender how they would like (Dreger, 2009). This could also include prescribing Lupron to delay puberty and allow hormones to be more similar to the gender that they are. People fear that this could be disruptive to the child’s health and too permanent, especially if it is just a phase for some. The other method, therapy, would mean treating the child like he/she is sick, providing tools to help them be more gender neutral or associate with their own sex more (Dreger, 2009). This, as Dreger argues, belittles the child’s desires and puts more responsibility on the family as the environment for taking care of the child.

            Neither method seems to be the most beneficial to the child. A happy-medium clinical method by Peggy Cohen-Kettenis seems to be more effective and justifiable. In this format, a doctor waits to see if the cross-gender behaviors dissipate, and if not, provides support for the child and family to progress through their transition (Dreger). Some people support the inclusion of GID for medical purposes. They can use it to their advantage because if they are diagnosed by a doctor, then they can get insurance to pay for preferred treatments. This could include anything from hormones to reassignment surgery. However, many people are in an uproar because of the stigma that this puts on people in the trans community. It also denies the concept that gender is naturally fluid. These create obstacles to people trying to express their true gender in this society of specific expectations. 

 Ault, Amber and Brzuzy, Stephanie. "Removing Gender Identity Disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: A Call to Action". Social Work Vol 54 No 2. April 2009. Web. 18 March 2012.

Dreger, Alice. "Gender Identity Disorder in Childhood: Inconclusive Advice to Parents," Hastings Center Report 39, no 1 (2009): 26-29.