TELL THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION: CROSSDRESSING IS NOT A DISORDER!

[MarieDelta]

TELL THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION:
CROSSDRESSING IS NOT A DISORDER!

To: The Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Workgroup of the DSM-5 Development Task Force of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the APA Board of Trustees, officers and membership.

Re: Pending revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

We, the undersigned, call for the complete removal of so-called "Transvestic Disorder" (302.3) as a diagnostic category from the next DSM.

In support of our request, we note that:

1. Crossdressing involves no inherent harm to the individual engaging in it, to other people, or to society. Its presence in a psychiatric manual (whether for reasons of diagnosis or for research) is anachronistic, trivializes the DSM, and diminishes the psychiatric profession;

2. By the 1980s, laws against crossdressing were abolished virtually everywhere in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe with almost no controversy as they were recognized to be anachronisms, unworthy of attention by law enforcement officials. The psychiatric diagnosis, however, remained in place;

3. In many other countries around the world, crossdressing is still a criminal offense, and the continued presence of this diagnosis in the DSM promotes the oppression of gender diverse persons by local authorities;

4. The mere grouping of crossdressing alongside criminal behaviors that can cause grave harm to non-consenting persons needlessly stigmatizes people who engage in harmless gender-diverse behavior;

5. The application of this diagnosis only to male persons is obvious evidence of sexism;

6. The arbitrariness of this diagnosis is compounded by its proposed extension to cover gay and bisexual men who were explicitly exempted in the past, and by the questionable reasoning given to justify the change;

7. The proposed "Transvestic Disorder" diagnosis would no longer be limited to crossdressers. It also now targets many transsexual women with the new specifier of "autogynephilia," a pejorative label implying that transsexual women transition for reasons other than harmony with their gender identity. This mischaracterization of transsexual women is already being exploited by political extremists to undermine their civil rights and human dignity.

8. The psychiatrist and former chairman of the DSM-4 Task Force, Allen Frances, M.D., recently wrote in the Psychiatric Times, "As psychiatrists, we have our hands full taking care of the suffering and distress caused by real mental disorders. There is no need for us to expand our purview to cover sexual thoughts and behaviors that are private and harmless."

9. In February 2010, the Norwegian Directorate of Health, following the earlier lead of Denmark (1995) and Sweden (2009), invalidated the diagnostic code for "Fetishistic Transvestism" in the standard Norwegian psychiatric manual. The Directorate of Health observed, "There have been no changes in these diagnoses for over 100 years... At best these diagnoses are completely superfluous. At worst they are stigmatizing minority groups in society."

Please note that other forms of sexuality have been removed from the DSM (I.E. BDSM and Homosexuality) as long as they pose no threat to the individual or others. The link to the petition (http://dsm.ifge.org/petition/ )


Brought to you by International Foundation for Gender Education(IFGE) (http://www.ifge.org/) and FtM International (http://www.ftmi.org/) , Lynne Conway, PHD (http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/), and GID Reform Advocates (http://www.gidreform.org/).

[Donkey_burger]

Good idea, Maria! I've looked at the DSM myself, it's a bit disturbing what qualifies as a psych disorder.

DB :bipride:

[*jeannie*]

transvestism (crossdressing) is a sexual fetish but i would not consider it as a psychiatric disorder.

transvestites (crossdressers) somehow get sexually aroused by wearing the clothing of the opposite sex.

i do not consider transexuals as transvestites (cds) because they dress as what they really are. in their case, the sexual identity of their innate personna differs from their physical sex. since the self is within a person and not outside the person, they are merely dressing according to what the self is.

likewise, intersexed people dress according to what the sex of their innate persona is also and thus only dressing as what they really are.

anyways, i don't believe transvestism (crossdressing) is a disorder. a weird sense of what is sexually arousing maybe but not a disorder.

[MarieDelta]

6. The arbitrariness of this diagnosis is compounded by its proposed extension to cover gay and bisexual men who were explicitly exempted in the past, and by the questionable reasoning given to justify the change;


7. The proposed "Transvestic Disorder" diagnosis would no longer be limited to crossdressers. It also now targets many transsexual women with the new specifier of "autogynephilia," a pejorative label implying that transsexual women transition for reasons other than harmony with their gender identity. This mischaracterization of transsexual women is already being exploited by political extremists to undermine their civil rights and human dignity


So sign the petition already!

[*jeannie*]

i just signed it. i meant to do so earlier but had to go unexpectedly. just waiting on my verification e-mail.

*

Your Petition Signature was received on Saturday, March 20 at 4:33:33 PM
jeannie , by law, for your electronic signature to count, we have to verify that you really signed and that someone did not use your email address frauduently
We have sent you an email, please click on the link in the email to verify your signature

In the mean time why not refer someone else to sign this petition? Click HERE to refer someone else.

*

from what that list states, they are out to get anyone they see as an "abnormal man" as they are targeting transvestites (crossdressers), gays, bisexual men, and MtoF transexuals.

[Billys_gurl]

I signed Marie! So did my hubby as he is a cross dresser!

[Long Duck Dong]

I need to question something here... as I am a lil confused....

now I have dysthimia which is a low level depressive disorder and the understanding for me under NZ guidelines, is a disorder is a issue of a nature that can interfere in the leading of a daily life in a unrestrictive manner as required by treatment, therapy, medication or self changing techniques or mannerisms

in english, it means that I can not lead a daily life without difficulties that would require me to change aspects because of the disorder

now are they saying that the Transvestic Disorder is one classed as the inability to lead a daily life without the wearing of certain clothing, cosmetics and such like....
cos in a lot of cases, that would be correct..... not wrong....

IE if I was not able to go outside of the house unless I was dressed as a female, then it is impeding on my daily life....
however if I was able to walk outside of the house dressed as a male or a female and I had the freedom in myself to dress freely without causing myself issue, then it would not be a disorder.....

I get the impression they are applying the term " Transvestic Disorder " equally and across the board and to many people that do not has a disorder....

[*jeannie*]

now are they saying that the Transvestic Disorder is one classed as the inability to lead a daily life without the wearing of certain clothing, cosmetics and such like....
cos in a lot of cases, that would be correct..... not wrong....

crossdressing (transvestism) is a sexual fetish. it is not something a person needs to do in order to lead a daily life. it is something that sexually arouses them.


IE if I was not able to go outside of the house unless I was dressed as a female, then it is impeding on my daily life....

then you would be a MtoF transexual or female intersexed, not a crossdressing male.


I get the impression they are applying the term " Transvestic Disorder " equally and across the board and to many people that do not has a disorder....

it seems that way to me also.

[Lonewolf76]

Hugs and Kisses Marie from Wolfie in Colo Spgs. I signed the petition. As a nurse who works with individuals who DO have legitimate mental health issues, it saddens me to hear that we are wasting valuable time and resources attacking indiviuals who clearly DO NOT have mental issues, they simply have life choices. We have come so far in psychiatric medicine, but then someone comes along and zaps us back to the dark ages. I am so weary of the one step forward, two steps back dance. To all the tranvestite,transgendered, cross dressing individuals out there... Be yourselves and be happy and know that a great many fine people support you and your decision to be yourself! Love to all. Wolfie

[MarieDelta]

I need to question something here... as I am a lil confused....

now I have dysthimia which is a low level depressive disorder and the understanding for me under NZ guidelines, is a disorder is a issue of a nature that can interfere in the leading of a daily life in a unrestrictive manner as required by treatment, therapy, medication or self changing techniques or mannerisms

in english, it means that I can not lead a daily life without difficulties that would require me to change aspects because of the disorder

now are they saying that the Transvestic Disorder is one classed as the inability to lead a daily life without the wearing of certain clothing, cosmetics and such like....
cos in a lot of cases, that would be correct..... not wrong....

IE if I was not able to go outside of the house unless I was dressed as a female, then it is impeding on my daily life....
however if I was able to walk outside of the house dressed as a male or a female and I had the freedom in myself to dress freely without causing myself issue, then it would not be a disorder.....

I get the impression they are applying the term " Transvestic Disorder " equally and across the board and to many people that do not has a disorder....

Thus the petition.

Certain members of the psychiatric community have real issues (see Bailey, Blanchard and Lawrence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanchard,_Bailey,_and_Lawrence_theory)) with the trans community and some of these individuals are involved with the revision of the DSM. (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/objection-to-dsm-v-committee-members-on-gender-identity-disorders)

Again it should be noted that:

These people do not believe in bisexuality in males.

They do not believe that transsexuals do so to create harmony in themselves.

They believe that a fetish which harms none should be pathologized.

They are responsible for damaging children who's only problem was that they were born with a gender Identity disorder through the use of reparative therapy.(http://www.brainchildmag.com/essays/fall2001_wilkinson.htm)

Therefore I am urging all of you , whether you are crossdressers, transvestites, transsexuals, bisexuals or simply queer to sign the petition. It doesn't even matter if you are in the Americas.

The APA opens the DSM revision committee to open comments from the public in April. We need to stand up and tell them that this is a mistake. Because this affects everyone, whether they live in the US or not, because some countries follow our lead in these maters.

Sign the petition, please!

[TwylaTwobits]

Therefore I am urging all of you , whether you are crossdressers, transvestites, transsexuals, bisexuals or simply queer to sign the petition. It doesn't even matter if you are in the Americas.

The APA opens the DSM revision committee to open comments from the public in April. We need to stand up and tell them that this is a mistake. Because this affects everyone, whether they live in the US or not, because some countries follow our lead in these maters.

Sign the petition, please!

None of the above but I signed it as I believe every signature will help.

[Long Duck Dong]

What if it is in some people?

.
a disorder is generally a issue with a person that makes it differcult to relate on emotional, mental and social levels with mainstream society or deal with themselves and their understanding of themselves..

trans people do understand themselves, they are aware of the differences between who they are and how they appear on the outside.... and their grasp of reality is very sound... most trans people who have transitioned are often more mentally and emotionally stable than your average joe bloggs walking down the street....

now a person like me, that is mentally ill ( and hating that term ) we lack markers in our brains that allow us to maintain a balanced and stable reality that is consistent with the world.....
we are the depressives, the bi polars, the schizos, the asbergers, the autistics... our understanding of the world around us, is not the same as the average person...

when you refer to trans people as having a disorder ( mental / emotional / personal ) you are implying that their grasp of reality also lacks the markers in the brain.... and that their way of maintaining a solid grasp on things, is by way of crossdressing and opposite gender presention...

using that logic, you could say a power dressing woman in a double breasted business suit, has a disorder.... when in fact she is a ceo of a business, of stable mind and emotions and with a solid grasp of reality

but as the petition states, crossdressing and transvestic disorders are seen as a male only aspect and that is because society has embraced female crossdressing ( dressing in tradional male clothing ) is normal behievour....

a person with transvestic disorder is a person that is not able to function normally without aspects of crossdressing, they can become emotionally and mentally unstable if they are not wearing their * stablity * clothing and / or roleplaying their *stable * personality

there is a very big difference between wearing ya wives silk briefs can they feel good, being trans, being a female impersonator, having a crossdressing fetish and having a transvestic disorder

[MarieDelta]

Are they also going to have a Dressing Disorder? I mean what if someone Dresses in their properly gendered clothes , but does it poorly?

Its ridiculous for them to tell anyone what the "proper" clothes are.

They aren't stylists, they're Doctors...

"Transvestic Disorder" , as listed, is only applied to males. This is not only sexist but irrational.

I have known both fetishistic transvestites and crossdressers that only dress for their own comfort (not sexually motivated.) These people were not a danger to anyone. Other than suffering some depression, most were as sane as some of these Drs, and some were more sane.

It is ridiculous in the extreme to label them as "Disordered" , in my opinion.

[Long Duck Dong]

What makes you assume I was talking only about men?

I never assumed at all, I was refering to the article marie posted..... and the part that referred to the males only aspect

cross dressing disorders in females do happen.... its harder to pinpoint as the wearing of males clothes by a female is seen for the most part as normal....
and I do acknowledge that it happens....

I am aware of two females that I know, that could have transvestic disorder.... they are very obsessive about wearing males clothing, they will not wear anything that could be deemed feminine, and they use male deodorants, and go thru the motions of shaving their faces, jock itch etc.....
however they maintain strongly that they are hetero and straight, and not trans.... I have my doubts, but I am not a psychologist

[jamiehue]

Ill write ... too. Understanding why yet mixed in with that is i really dont give a * what anybody thinks :)

[Long Duck Dong]

I have had a few friends post the link around a few sites in nz, and signed it myself.... I wish the trans community good luck with this

[MarieDelta]

Just wanted to tell you all thanks.

You know that its not *all* about the transgendered here. Its about every man who is not conforming to the rigid stereotype of "manhood" ...

[Long Duck Dong]

i remember in the army that wearing stockings helped stop insect bites, and helped with sweat rash and jock itch..... and we never thought anything of it...

sure the co's would have choked on their morning tea and crumpets if they knew there was 30 armed men in full kit, running about in stockings in the bush.....

but to us, there was not a issue, or a question of crossdressing, it served a purpose and a dammed good one....and with a lot of cd's and trans, I see the same thing, its more than just clothing, its functional and serves a purpose for a variety of reasons, and I do struggle to just see it as wearing womens clothing.... but I am the same with my normal clothing, its more than clothing, it serves a purpose for me with my daily life.....