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We are mental health and medical professionals, clinicians, researchers
and scholars concerned about psychiatric nomenclature and diagnostic criteria
for gender-variant, gender-nonconforming, transgender and
transsexual people to be specified in the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), forthcoming from the
American Psychiatric Association.
There are numerous issues and concerns about the Gender Identity Disorders and Transvestic Fetishism diagnoses in the DSM IV-TR, and there is a great opportunity now for professionals to have an organized and consistent voice to assist in the revision of the DSM V. The APA is committed to maintaining an "open" process for feedback from the professional communities and this website can serve to outline some of those concerns and provide a vehicle for professionals to respond to the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group.
Call to Action
The most pressing issue concerning the professional communities at this time is that the membership of the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group does not represent the diversity of clinical perspectives of professionals working with gender-variant, transgender, and transsexual people. There have been numerous criticisms in the professional literature and popular press that researchers and practitioners who are affirming of gender diversity and gender-variant people are under-represented in the current work group. It is essential that the APA recognize this limitation and open up the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group to include other professionals representing broader clinical and research perspectives. Therefore, we ask trans-affirming professionals and clinicians to write the APA with specific recommendations for nomination to the Sexual and GID Work Group and advisory committee. We have provided a number of sample letters to the American Psychiatric Association DSM-V Task Force.
Contact Us
If you have questions, feedback or need more information, please contact Arlene Istar Lev at
GIDreform@gmail.com.
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