What Is Gender Identity Disorder And How It Works
A disorder in which a male or female feels a strong identification with the opposite sex. Gender identity disorder refers to individuals who are living as one gender but were born another biological sex and most often are having problems dealing with their situation. Psychiatrists use this term to explain the disorders that are related to issues of transgender identity and transsexuals. This classification is also used to refer to people who call themselves transsexuals, but they don’t necessarily feel that it is a disorder.
Gender identity disorder (GID) is the formal diagnosis used by psychologists and physicians to describe persons who experience significant gender dysphoria (discontent with the biological sex they were born with). It is a psychiatric classification and describes the problems related to transgender identity, and transvestism. It is the diagnostic classification most commonly applied to transsexuals.
Many people who are in the classification of having gender identity disorder state that they have felt like they were in the wrong bodies for most of their lives. Many individuals in these transgender groups have had these feelings from the time that they were children, yet others reported that they did not begin to have these feelings until they were in their teens. Transgender individuals are not always treated as if they fit in. Different cultures do not approve of transsexual behavior and this can cause tremendous stress on the individuals and how they exist in society.
People who are transgender do not really see themselves as having a disorder. Some believe that they have simply been born with the wrong body or as the wrong sex. Those who are within certain transgender groups sometimes question what the norm should be for a person who is experiencing feelings of not having been born as the correct sex. Many argue that gender identity disorders are a product of social construction and are not related to the biological sex or feelings of a person at all.
Over the years, there have been cures that have been reported for this disorder, but the cures have never been substantiated. There has also been the question as to whether to offer counseling to help them deal with their biological sex.
It is very controversial as to whether or not an adolescent or young child should be allowed to explore their transsexual feelings. This has brought up a lot of mixed feelings, both in transgender groups and in mainstream society.
Many individuals do not feel that their issue with gender identity is a disorder at all, but simply the fact that they were not born as the correct biological sex. While many of these people do not feel that this is a disorder, many physicians disagree.
Many physicians would argue that gender identity disorder is a true illness and needs to be treated. Whether it is truly a disorder or not, disorder gender identity issues can cause feelings of not belonging to any one group and can also cause individuals to not be accepted by other individuals.
There is a really helpful and insightful new book that was recently released this past June.
It is called “The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals” by Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper
It has been called “a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind guidebook for the unique challenges that thousands of families face raising children who step outside of the pink or blue box”.
Brill and Pepper describe the process that many families go through after learning that a child is transgender or gender variant and lay out strategies for parents to move from crisis to acceptance. This book covers developmental stages of the transgender child from birth to college, transition decisions, appropriate disclosure, and the educational, medical, and legal issues that parents and therapists need to know.
Here’s what other people have to say about the book:
“The Transgender Child is a ground-breaking book. It is a sophisticated and sympathetic look at a world unknown to many of us. Families with transgender children often suffer because of society’s prejudices. This book opens a door and shines a light on members of society who deserve the compassion and understanding of us all.”
-Peggy O’Mara, Editor and Publisher of Mothering Magazine
“A ‘must read’ for the families I see. I will suggest that parents provide copies to their school nurses and administrators. I will also recommend it to my colleagues in pediatrics and adolescent medicine. As a pediatrician, I find no greater pleasure than helping children grow and develop into happy, healthy, well-adjusted adults. This resource will help me in that goal for gender-variant and transgender youth.”
-Irene N. Sills, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, SUNY - Upstate Medical University, Joslin Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology
About the authors:
STEPHANIE BRILL is the founder of Gender Spectrum Education and Training, which provides education, resources and training to create a more gender-sensitive and supportive environment for all children. She founded and runs the Children’s Hospital Oakland Support Group for parents of gender-variant and transgender children and teens. She also co-produces a national conference, Gender Spectrum Family (genderspectrumfamily.org), for families with gender-variant and transgender children. Brill wrote “The Queer Parents Primer” (New Harbinger Press) and co-authored “The New Essential Guide to Lesbian Conception, Pregnancy, and Birth” (Alyson).
RACHEL PEPPER is the Coordinator of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies at Yale University. An award-winning journalist and an editor at Curve Magazine, she is the author of “The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians” (Cleis Press) and co-author of “The Gay and Lesbian Guide to College Life” (Princeton Review).
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