International Stop Trans Pathologisation Day took place yesterday with over 100 actions for trans depathologization taking place in over 45 cities around the world. Demanding the removal of the categories of “gender dysphoria” / “gender identity disorders” from the diagnosis manuals of both the American Psychiatric Association and the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organisation - manuals that have previously categorised homosexuality as a mental disorder. This year the Stop Trans Depathologisation campaign is specifically fighting to stop gender diverse children and youth being labelled with the diagnosis “gender incongruence in childhood” - a diagnosis that stigmatises diversity. The campaign also aims to claim state-funded access to a trans health care of the highest attainable quality. International trans organisation Global Action for Trans* Equality (GATE) stress the urgent need to identify pathologisation as a specific human rights violation against trans people, and against all of those whose gender identity or expression vary from socio-legal norms. They say “We will not rest until we depathologize our identities, our right to have those identities legally recognised, and our right to make self-determined decisions about our bodies. “We will not stop until we depathologise our diverse experiences, including gender diversity in infancy, childhood and, adolescence.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 25th October 2015 - 5:02pm