Ray Blanchard's provisional proposals for DSM-V (controversial)

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've seen this posted here yet. It's Kelley Winters' report on, and analysis of, Ray Blanchard's provisional proposals for "Transvestic Disorder" (his new name for Transvestic Fetishism) in DSM-V, which he presented earlier this month at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research. It makes for depressing reading, but I'd urge anyone affected by the DSM - and that's most people here - to read it anyway. Winters has invited comments, which she intends to forward to the APA and DSM-V Task Force at the APA Annual Meeting in May.

Lowlights include Blanchard's proposed definition of paraphilia as “any intense and persistent sexual interest other than sexual interest in genital stimulation or preparatory fondling with phenotypically normal, consenting adult human partners.” This definition is a great example of unscientific, ideologically-motivated gerrymandering. Apart from the fact that Blanchard steps carefully around the tricky question of homosexuality, and uses medical rather than religious language, it might have been written by St Thomas Aquinas. Sex is for reproductive purposes only, goddamit! Not only does this pathologize, for example, masturbation, or anyone who enjoys erotic literature or art, it also - depending on what is meant by 'phenotypically normal' - implies that anyone who is attracted to a trans or intersex person must ipso facto be mentally disordered.

Specifically, the diagnostic criteria for Transvestic Disorder remain:

A. Over a period of at least 6 months, in a heterosexual male, recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors involving cross-dressing.

B. The fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Winters points out some of the many problems with this, the most important of which to my mind is the victim-blaming conflation (in B) of the distress caused by the "disorder" in itself, and that caused by the transphobia that trans people are likely to meet. There's more gerrymandering in A, too, which, as one of the commenters points out, makes a wholly irrational distinction whereby the same behaviour that would indicate a disorder in a heterosexual male would not do so in a homosexual one.

There's plenty of bad science here, but underneath it there seems to be a strong whiff of old-fashioned puritanism, too. Having Blanchard in charge of the DSM subcommittee on paraphilia is a bit like making Savonarola Chief Executive of Victoria's Secret.

Medical Advise for an Intersexed Lady...

[meclamta-eda.livejournal.com]

Okay...

So I have an inquiry for advise, which I'm hoping some folks reading this who are intersexed, or are educated in intersexed issues, or who are actual medical practitioners, regarding myself relating to the medical community.

My situation, boiled down to the basics, is that I am listed as being born male, eventually came out as m2f, and began engaging western medicine to obtain transition over ten years ago.

I recently discovered, over the course of time, that I actually believe that I am/was intersexed in the first place, making me both trans and intersexed. Largely, what keyed me off to this overlooked detail, was my period starting.

"Huh. No wonder the other boys at school didn't know what I was talking about when I described an occasional stabbing pain in my lower abdomen. Huh. Makes sense, I suppose they didn't have uteri to experience that with. Funny that."
( Read more... )

Legislation and attitudes to transsexual people in Belgium

[vriane.livejournal.com]

Hi all, does anyone know something about what it is like to be a transsexual person in Belgium?

I have been looking for a job there. Coming back from an interview in Brussels, I had a very bad experience with the Belgian police at the frontier. I would like to know how common it is to be harassed by the authorities there, and what is the general situation of TS people in Belgium.

Any pointers welcome. At the moment, I really doubt I will go work in that country. I am also looking for how to make a complaint about the treatment I got from the Belgian police.

(no subject)

[elegancewaves.livejournal.com]

So. I have a question about psychologists this time.

LOL I know I've been posting a lot, but I can't help it it seems.

1) I have a friend who was pretty much diagnosed pretty quickly. Under the three months I read was a common requirement. How many others got diagnosed and sent off for hormones before then?

 

2) How often do you see your psych between getting hormones and getting approved for SRS? Just so I can kind of calculate what to expect to pay over the coming years lol.