Trans News/ Issues

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by DMW

Don't really wanna start a can of worms. This could be a real catch 22

Don't have a label to your problem sometimes = no help.
I have never really liked the particular word or the label.
But, if i have a disorder with my body not matching my brain since my brain
is fine and you can't get in there to fix my brain cause it isn't broken ...then help me change my body since you have recognized there is an issue.

Ok, trans issue health care coverage for me ...thanks

I understand what you are saying here. If there is no diagnosis, then an insurance company won't "treat" the illness by paying for surgery.

However, they ARE still keeping a form of gender identity in the DSM V. They are simply calling it "Gender Dysphoria". This should meet the requirments for therapy (if the person wants some). If their insurance company will pay for SRS surgery, this diagnosis will meet the requirments for this, as well.

What is different about calling it Gender Dysphoria is that the APA is saying it is not a "mental illness" per se.

I see all this as them finding the loophole we all wanted (both those in the trans community and those of us who are gender therapists)... the DSM is not saying it is a mental illness, but it is still saying that SRS is the TREATMENT for Gender Dysphoria (therefore, insurance companies should pay for any surgery the person may want).

As a gender therapist, I am pleased with this change. As a gender variant individual, I am happy with it, as well.

[Nadeest]

I am happy with the change in the DSM, as well. Now, we won't be charactized as having a mental illness, when we, in fact, do not have one. Our brains and gender identities simply do not match our bodies. The only possible fix, these days, is to remodel our bodies and our lives.

[Tony]

Been reading through this thread. Very interesting & nice to see the exchange of thoughts & experiences. I definately want to contribute as soon as I have enough time. Just hoping to keep the thread going.

[EnderD_503]

I can't help but get frustrated over these whole "x trans person has it worse than y trans person" discussions. Over in my city its manifested itself in some circles as transwomen constantly hating on transguys acting as though there is only one kind of transguy with one experience. One prominent transwomen activist here even ranted on about transmen as part of her speech at Slut Walk. Meanwhile, there's quite a number of homeless or incarcerated transguys out there with few places to turn for support because most the orgs focus on transwomen. So you end up with situations where transguys are placed into women's shelters because someone decided to designate a woman's shelter as "the trans shelter," yet fail to recognise the issues that transguys face in those shelters (being denied access to health care facilities because they are "women only" and no effort by the shelter to organise something for transmen staying at the shelter, being harassed, people trying to get them kicked out of the shelter etc), to the point where what little statistics exist (thanks to one transguy activist in the city, who sadly recently committed suicide) point to the fact that the majority of homeless transmen prefer to sleep outside than in shelters. These are things both transmen and transwomen face. And yet, neither can transguys (just as transwomen as well) go to male shelters safely because of the violence and harassment they face there.

So why can't there be more inclusive resources? I feel the idea that transwomen face more issues than transmen can create this imbalance where there aren't really inclusive resources, so that transmen "can stay here too" but there's not the same level of organisation to provide them with support, health care etc.

I don't mean to always bring it back to shelters, streets and prisons, but that is where a huge amount of the abuse of trans people occurs...so we shouldn't really be looking at as much at the experiences of trans people in office jobs or something as the way of saying "oh such and such has it so easy."

It becomes frustrating. I think all trans people should be equally considered, and there just seems to be so many barriers wedged between transmen and transwomen right now.

And it feels like no one ever thinks of people's experiences depending on their choices or situations as far as hormones/surgery etc. A lot of trans people who are low income, suffer from depression, have a history of substance abuse or incarceration are denied hormones or surgery because therapists decide they aren't "stable enough"...and the more they deny them what they need, the more "unstable" they appear to the therapist or health care professional. That happens equally with all trans people in those situations.

And what are those people having to go through? How many transguys have had people abuse them to try to "make them acknowledge" their "femaleness," especially when they're not on T...but that's one thing I've noticed talking to friends and such is that there seems like there's little space to talk about that, and partially because some people feel it will detract from their identities as men. So how to get over that... And I also feel that because a lot of transguys who are not on T are frequently mistaken for female, when it happens there's just zero visibility statistically.

Everything that happens to vulnerable transwomen, there's a flip side for transguys in similar situations, whether its visible or not...and especially since there are very few statistics that include transguys who are in more vulnerable living situations.

But then there's this fucked up feeling that every time these discussions occur, someone is being left out. Like transguys feeling left out when a lot of the resources out there are for transwomen, but then you also get transwomen feeling left out when things focus on transguys. How do you strike a balance?

Edit: and I think it stems too from the fact that everyone is struggling for space. Because society in general doesn't leave much space for trans people, especially certain trans people, its like we struggle among each other to create more safe space for ourselves or to get our struggles across...but again how to strike a balance?

Blah...

[DapperButch]

Hi, Ender. I enjoyed your whole post. Very thought provoking.

Originally Posted by EnderD_503

So why can't there be more inclusive resources? I feel the idea that transwomen face more issues than transmen can create this imbalance where there aren't really inclusive resources, so that transmen "can stay here too" but there's not the same level of organisation to provide them with support, health care etc.

I agree with you around the lack of inclusive resources. I am wondering why that is. I see your thoughts about how it serves as a way to keep transmen back, so to speak, but do you think this is actually conscious?

Could it be simply about funding and how what gets funded in society is based on the individuals' interests who are setting up the programs/organizations?

Assuming that transwomen worked as males at some point and that transmen worked as females at some point, is it useful to consider that the higher salaries of males assigned at birth could create this difference? Meaning, transwomen have more money than transmen, so they create programs for themselves, while transmen don't have the same cash flow? This doesn't speak to the inclusive issue, however. <thinking>


I don't mean to always bring it back to shelters, streets and prisons, but that is where a huge amount of the abuse of trans people occurs...so we shouldn't really be looking at as much at the experiences of trans people in office jobs or something as the way of saying "oh such and such has it so easy."

Yes, that is where a huge amount of the abuse occurs, but I believe that the majority (by, how much I don't know), of trans people don't live in those places. And I tell you what, I would MUCH prefer to be a transman in our society than a transwoman. There is a MUCH better chance of passing, especially on hormones, and I don't think transmen get half as much shit as transwomen. At least in my world.

Or, in all of this were you only talking about programs FOR homeless/prison/etc. transpeople?

More questions than answers for me. Very interesting topic.

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

I agree with you around the lack of inclusive resources. I am wondering why that is. I see your thoughts about how it serves as a way to keep transmen back, so to speak, but do you think this is actually conscious?

Could it be simply about funding and how what gets funded in society is based on the individuals' interests who are setting up the programs/organizations?

Assuming that transwomen worked as males at some point and that transmen worked as females at some point, is it useful to consider that the higher salaries of males assigned at birth could create this difference? Meaning, transwomen have more money than transmen, so they create programs for themselves, while transmen don't have the same cash flow? This doesn't speak to the inclusive issue, however. <thinking>

It's not conscious in the sense that anyone is "conspiring" or something to not grant transguys services...but I think it should be recognised that transguys are often not seen as legitimate by institutions. Transguys are usually not what pops into people's heads when they think of "trans." I think there are definitely far more transwomen who advocate for disadvantaged transwomen or for themselves than transguys who do the same. Some services are set up by well off middle/upper class transwomen for low income/homeless transwomen or transfemale sex workers. But often, especially in the case of sex workers, these services are started by organisations trying to work with transwomen in these situations to provide those services. However, because they are organisations (often lgbtq) doing the funding and service creation, they have a very set view of what they think trans people need. Transguys are often not on their radars because even in the lgbtq community we're often forgotten.

I think a lot of it has to do with competing life experience and the assumptions people make about "what it means to be a man." Transguys were coercively assigned female at birth and wrongly perceived as female for a good chunk of our lives. When we are the victims of harassment or assault and especially sexualisation we often remain silent of it both because of the way we were brought up to think that we should remain silent about it and also because of insecurities about maleness/masculinity and the idea we shouldn't talk about it also silences us. As such, any statistic that might have existed, our experiences are often recorded in the "woman" category. No accurate statistics for us exist and its not because of a lack of experience, but because of silence. We don't often end up trying to advocate for ourselves or represent ourselves the way many transwomen do, and especially low income, homeless or incarcerated...or even transmale sex workers who are frequently forgotten or deemed non-existent because of stereotypes around sex work. Slowly transguys are starting to advocate more for each other and creating visibility, but there is still a long way to go. Organisations won't start paying more attention until we break the silence and start helping each other out and reaching out to others for help.

Originally Posted by DapperButch

Yes, that is where a huge amount of the abuse occurs, but I believe that the majority (by, how much I don't know), of trans people don't live in those places. And I tell you what, I would MUCH prefer to be a transman in our society than a transwoman. There is a MUCH better chance of passing, especially on hormones, and I don't think transmen get half as much shit as transwomen. At least in my world.

Or, in all of this were you only talking about programs FOR homeless/prison/etc. transpeople?

More questions than answers for me. Very interesting topic.

I really don't care much about what a "majority" is or isn't. It's a moot argument, imo, because there are no accurate statistics about trans people. It's pretty hard to gather any accurate statistic about any queer or trans identity because certain people will always be more likely to respond than others. Trans people with class privilege already have too much attention to begin with. A massive chunk of trans people are in low income situations or worse and that's what I care about.

As far as more of this "transwomen have it worse than transmen" generalisations...that's the kind of divisive thing I really think the trans community needs to move beyond. Ultimately this hierarchy competition doesn't mean shit to a homeless transman or transwoman being denied their basic rights.

[Beloved]

A friend posted this on Facebook.

http://votingwhiletrans.org/download.html

Excerpt: "Transgender people, the majority of whom have never had problems voting in the past, may now lose their right to vote due to dozens of new voter suppression laws. Over 25,000 transgender people could have their voting rights taken away. In response to these dubious new laws, we have released two resources to help transgender people reclaim their voting rights."

[DMW]

Originally Posted by EnderD_503

So why can't there be more inclusive resources? I feel the idea that transwomen face more issues than transmen can create this imbalance where there aren't really inclusive resources, so that transmen "can stay here too" but there's not the same level of organisation to provide them with support, health care etc.

I don't mean to always bring it back to shelters, streets and prisons, but that is where a huge amount of the abuse of trans people occurs...so we shouldn't really be looking at as much at the experiences of trans people in office jobs or something as the way of saying "oh such and such has it so easy."

It becomes frustrating. I think all trans people should be equally considered, and there just seems to be so many barriers wedged between transmen and transwomen right now.

And it feels like no one ever thinks of people's experiences depending on their choices or situations as far as hormones/surgery etc. A lot of trans people who are low income, suffer from depression, have a history of substance abuse or incarceration are denied hormones or surgery because therapists decide they aren't "stable enough"...and the more they deny them what they need, the more "unstable" they appear to the therapist or health care professional. That happens equally with all trans people in those situations.

And what are those people having to go through? How many transguys have had people abuse them to try to "make them acknowledge" their "femaleness," especially when they're not on T...but that's one thing I've noticed talking to friends and such is that there seems like there's little space to talk about that, and partially because some people feel it will detract from their identities as men. So how to get over that... And I also feel that because a lot of transguys who are not on T are frequently mistaken for female, when it happens there's just zero visibility statistically.

Everything that happens to vulnerable transwomen, there's a flip side for transguys in similar situations, whether its visible or not...and especially since there are very few statistics that include transguys who are in more vulnerable living situations.

But then there's this fucked up feeling that every time these discussions occur, someone is being left out. Like transguys feeling left out when a lot of the resources out there are for transwomen, but then you also get transwomen feeling left out when things focus on transguys. How do you strike a balance?

Edit: and I think it stems too from the fact that everyone is struggling for space. Because society in general doesn't leave much space for trans people, especially certain trans people, its like we struggle among each other to create more safe space for ourselves or to get our struggles across...but again how to strike a balance?

Blah...

Wow, how to come together without excluding others or slowing progress for all people? Or the other trans sex. Tearing down barriers that already exist in the x, y, world to open up doors for trans x,y....without stepping on trans y, so that trans x can get help too. Or vice versa. Very interesting. Cool post.
Thanks.

[MsTinkerbelly]

American Psychiatric Association issues new position on transgender care
By Jacob Combs

ThinkProgress reports that the American Psychiatric Association has published a new official position regarding care for transgender and gender non-conforming men and women. In this year’s edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM-V), transgender status will no longer be classified as “Gender Identity Disorder,” but rather as “Gender Dysphoria.” The APA’s new position reads as follows:

The American Psychiatric Association:

1. Recognizes that appropriately evaluated transgender and gender variant individuals can benefit greatly from medical and surgical gender transition treatments.

2. Advocates for removal of barriers to care and supports both public and private health insurance coverage for gender transition treatment.

3. Opposes categorical exclusions of coverage for such medically necessary treatment when prescribed by a physician.

The American Psychiatric Association:

1. Supports laws that protect the civil rights of transgender and gender variant individuals.

2. Urges the repeal of laws and policies that discriminate against transgender and gender variant people.

3. Opposes all public and private discrimination against transgender and gender variant individuals in such areas as health care, employment, housing, public accommodation, education, and licensing.

4. Declares that no burden of proof of such judgment, capacity, or reliability shall be placed upon these individuals greater than that imposed on any other persons.

The APA’s move is an extremely important one, since it represents the scientific consensus of one of America’s most important mental health groups, and as such is taken seriously by the courts when cited in litigation. In the face of so many who continue to smear LGBT individuals with untrue arguments about the dangers of homosexuality and gender non-conformity, having scientific organizations like the APA on our side gives the lie to those falsehoods. And, as we’ve written about on this site, language matters, so moving away from the negatively tinged “Gender Identity Disorder” is a positive development for transgender Americans

[DMW]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

I see all this as them finding the loophole we all wanted (both those in the trans community and those of us who are gender therapists)... the DSM is not saying it is a mental illness, but it is still saying that SRS is the TREATMENT for Gender Dysphoria (therefore, insurance companies should pay for any surgery the person may want).

That is really refreshing. Kinda been waiting on what the outcome would be and been out of the loop. It is what i wanted. It is nice to hear this, in a concise manner, from someone whom is knowledgeable about the issue. This way, i don't feel the need to go foraging through the DSM now.
Thanks.