Campaign: Removal of GID from diagnostic manuals

The European Transgender Network “Transgender Europe” (TGEU) supports the annual campaign of the Trans Depathologization Network and calls upon its member organizations and other European trans organizations as well as our allies in other world regions to join the campaign and organise actions in their cities or countries.

We join the main demand of the campaign:

The removal of Gender Identity Disorder from the international diagnosis manuals.

In addition we demand in relation to the campaign:

* The creation of an alternative non-pathologizing category in the ICD 11, recognizing that our gender identities are not mental health disorders while still enabling hormonal and surgical medical assistance to be provided for those trans-people who seek such assistance.

* The funding of hormonal and surgical medical assistance for trans people by national health insurance.

* The creation of processes for changing legal name and gender without compulsory treatment or any form of diagnosis.

Campaign Background:

The campaign “Stop Trans Pathologization: Goal 2012” of the Trans Depathologization Network aims at initiating and monitoring actions directed against the “Gender Identity Disorder” category in international classifications of diseases, especially focusing.
The revision of the DSM IV will finish in 2012 with the publication of the new DSM V. The Network has intensified its actions, and decided to have coordinated demonstrations and other actions demanding the depathologization of trans identities in as many cities as possible around the globe always in October until the year 2012.
A joint action among French and Spanish trans groups in 2007 was the starting point of the Trans Depathologization Network. Since then they have broadened their scope and have continued organizing demonstrations against trans pathologization in every October. In 2008, already 11 European cities participated in joint actions. This year the set date for demonstrations in cities worldwide is October 17th. To date, more than 80 trans organizations and allies from more than 40 cities in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe have confirmed their participation or expressed their support and many more are expected to join in over the next few weeks.

TGEU Call for Action/Support:

Campaign: Removal of GID from diagnostic manuals

Selecting Campaign Demands:

The main demand of the “Stop Trans Pathologization: Goal 2012” campaign refers to “The removal of Gender Identity Disorder from the international diagnosis manuals”. This demand should be expressed in every participating city. There are four further demands, which are optional and depending on the local situation can be modified, extended with other demands or left out.

The Steering Committee of TGEU has adopted three additional demands in relation to the removal of Gender Identity Disorder from the DSM and ICD. We have added these demands because we want trans people to have access to health insurance funded hormones and surgery options without having to be pathologized as disordered in terms of their identity. We also want all trans people to be able to change their name and gender in all documents without requiring any compulsory medical treatment or diagnosis:

* The creation of an alternative non-pathologizing category in the ICD 11, recognizing that our gender identities are not mental health disorders while still enabling hormonal and surgical medical assistance to be provided for those trans-people who seek such assistance.

* The funding of hormonal and surgical medical assistance for trans people by national health insurance.

* The creation of processes for changing legal name and gender without compulsory treatment or any form of diagnosis.

However, every trans organization joining the campaign is free to choose their demands as long as the main demand is supported.
In 2008 the Steering Committee of TGEU already published a declaration, stating “that the stigmatization, which in part is grounded in the mistaken assumption that gender variance is prima facie a medical disorder, is discriminatory” and demanding that “[a]ny revision of the DSM and the ICD must be carried out with full compliance to the Yogyakarta Principles on
the Application of International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” (see Yogyakarta Principle 18 “Protection from Medical Abuse”).

The Steering Committee of TGEU very much welcome and support the position taken by the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, in his Issue Paper “Human Rights and Gender Identity”:
“The first aspect in discussing health care for transgender persons is the existence of international and national medical classifications defining transsexuality as a mental disorder... Such classifications may become an obstacle to the full enjoyment of human rights by transgender people, especially when they are applied in a way to restrict the legal capacity or choice for medical treatment… Alternative classifications should be explored in close consultation with transgender persons and their organisations. From a human rights and health care perspective no mental disorder needs to be diagnosed in order to give access to treatment for a condition in need of medical care.”

TGEU Call for Action/Support

Campaign: Removal of GID from diagnostic manuals