Scaremongering

by Mercedes Allen

Dr. Marshall Forstein, Chair of the Work Group on Practices Guidelines on HIV Psychiatry for the American Psychiatric Association (not to be confused with the American Psychological Association), has written a reply to the drive to have Drs. Kenneth Zucker and Ray Blanchard removed from the Work Group developing the revisions for "Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders" for the planned DSM-V. In it, he writes: "I hope that what I have written makes us pause a bit before we do something to ... Read More

Categories: Trans, activism, autogynophilia, gender dysphoria, gender identity, health care, mental illness, trans health, transgender needs, transyouth

Update on Zucker, Blanchard and the Revision of the DSM

by Mercedes Allen

For those who are concerned about the establishment of an adherent to reparative therapy (Dr. Kenneth Zucker) and another seeking to entrench "autogynephilia" (a pathologization of treatment of non- "homosexual transgender" transfolk) in the DSM-V, there have been some new happenings. One letter writer reports receiving an email from the APA which states that: "The Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group, chaired by Kenneth J. Zucker, Ph.D., will have 13 members who will form three subcommittees: * Gender Identity Disorders, chaired by Peggy T. ... Read More

Categories: Bailey, Intersex, Trans, activism, autogynophilia, gender dysphoria, gender identity, health care, mental illness, trans health, transgender needs, transyouth

Destigmatization Versus Coverage and Access: The Medical Model of Transsexuality

by Mercedes Allen

In recent years, the GLB community has been more receptive to (and even energized in) assisting the transgender community, but regularly asks what its needs are. One that is often touted is the “complete depathologization of Trans identities” (quoting from a press release for an October 7, 2007 demonstration in Barcelona, Spain) by removing “Gender Identity Disorder” (GID) from medical classification. The reasoning generally flows in a logic chain stating that with homosexuality removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM, the ... Read More

Categories: gender dysphoria, health care, mental illness, politics, trans health, transgender needs

HRC3 ≠ Bright Future For Transgenders

by Vanessa Edwards Foster

“This is a story of the lives and loves, and hopes and dreams, of young Batswana [sic] in the context of the changing cultural norms and values of modern times. Each of the dancers are shaped and challenged by the forces upon them: love, power, money, lust, and authority. They must choose their [...]

“This is a story of the lives and loves, and hopes and dreams, of young Batswana [sic] in the context of the changing cultural norms and values of modern times. Each of the dancers are shaped and challenged by the forces upon them: love, power, money, lust, and authority. They must choose their destiny by making difficult choices and search for what they truly believe in.” — plot summary for the documentary, Re Bina Mmogo (2004) It’s been a ... Read More

Categories: ENDA, HRC, Transpolitical, gender identity, hate crimes, politics, transgender needs

Can You Ever Leave Behind the Evil Twin?

by Mercedes Allen

Don’t you just love that phrase, “used to be a man?”
GARRICK Jacobson was in custody at Sydney’s Surry Hills police station when he apparently discovered his girlfriend used to be a man.
Within hours of being released on bail, he went to her apartment and started “belting the hell” out of her, Downing Centre Local Court [...]

Don't you just love that phrase, "used to be a man?" GARRICK Jacobson was in custody at Sydney's Surry Hills police station when he apparently discovered his girlfriend used to be a man. Within hours of being released on bail, he went to her apartment and started "belting the hell" out of her, Downing Centre Local Court heard yesterday. Read More

Categories: Trans, activism, gender, gender binary, gender identity, hate, hate crimes, transgender needs, transphobia

Metro DC Needs Assessment

by Marti Abernathey

Why is it crucial to protect transgender individuals?
Every person in our state deserves an equal opportunity to make a life for him or herself free from discrimination and violence regardless of the chromosomes with which they were born, the hormones to which they were exposed in the womb, or the medical procedures they’ve undergone since. [...]

Why is it crucial to protect transgender individuals? Every person in our state deserves an equal opportunity to make a life for him or herself free from discrimination and violence regardless of the chromosomes with which they were born, the hormones to which they were exposed in the womb, or the medical procedures they’ve undergone since. In Maryland, transgender people are not included in state laws prohibiting discrimination. Only Baltimore City has a civil rights ordinance covering gender identity and expression. When unchecked, ... Read More

Categories: transgender needs