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ILGA-Europe’s statement on the occasion of the International Day for Depathologisation of Trans Identities (23 October)

ILGA-Europe would like to express its support to the International Day Depathologisation of Trans Identities and the Stop Trans Pathologisation-2012 Campaign.

Trans people across the globe are still being classified as mentally ill and this de-humanising and unjustified situation needs to stop. Last October during the Trans Rights Pre-Conference to the ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference in Malta, representatives from lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex organisations from across Europe, adopted a declaration, which among others, calls on the World Health organisation to de-classify trans identities. ( PDF ) The Declaration states:

We observe with great concern that trans identities are still pathologised and considered a mental health condition. Given its strong implications on the living of trans people in Europe we therefore demand the removal of gender identity disorder from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

·        We call upon the World Health Organisation to safeguarded the human rights of trans people in the current revisions of the ICD 10 and DSM IV.

·        We call for an alternative non-pathologising category in the ICD 11, which establishes quality standards for medical treatments ample to support the gender expression of trans people. No national or international health institution shall render transgender identities as mental health disorders. They should nonetheless enable access to hormonal, surgical and or psychological medical assistance to be provided to those trans-people who seek such assistance.

Until 1993, homosexuality was considered a mental disorder in a similar way as trans identities are regarded at the moment. Rightly, the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its International Classifications of Diseases and it is high time to do the same in regards to trans identities.

ILGA-Europe calls for depatholigisation of trans identities with full assurances that all necessary health provisions remains at the disposal to trans individuals. Depathologisation needs to come along with the adequate considerations of the particular health needs of trans people.

ILGA-Europe
Brussels, 22 October 2010

Earlier this year, ILGA-Europe produced a poster in support of Stop Trans Pathologization-2012 Campaign.