We want the American Psychiatric Association to remove all psychiatric gender diagnoses from the DSM and transfer with no gaps in services to the alternative of getting medical services for gender affirmation available through biomedical pathways.

Please read our FULL petition letter to the APA. There are many details there to further explain our reasoning behind this position.

The Report of the American Psychiatric Association Task Force claims to reflect a 'consensus'. We continue to demonstrate otherwise with each new signatory.

To read a copy of the APA's recent position statements alongside Erica J. Friedman's critique of how current APA policies and practices contradict these statements, please click here.

Change begins at home. We urge the American Psychiatric Association to make the changes needed to bring their own policies, task forces, diagnostic manuals, and practices in line with these recent statements.

We urge all medical and mental health professionals to make any similar changes needed to reduce access barriers and to ensure that their research, policies, and clinical practices promote non-discriminatory services.

Thank you!

Main Authors:

Y. Gavriel Ansara, MSc, PhD Candidate, 2012 American Psychological Association Division 44 Transgender Research Award recipient, 2011 UK HEA National Psychology Postgraduate Teaching Award recipient

Erica J. Friedman, MA, PhD Student, 2011 Social Psychological Study of Social Issues Clara Mayo Award recipient

Contributing Authors:

Markie L. C. Blumer, Ph.D.,LMFT., LMHC., Assistant Professor, 2007 National Council on Family Relations Student/New Professional Award and 2011 National Council on Family Relations, Family Therapy Section Best Research Paper Award recipient

David Fryer, B.A. Hons., M.A., Ph.D., C.Psychol., F.B.Ps.S., F.S.C.R.A. Professor & Head of Research, Australian Institute of Psychology, Professor Extraordinarius, University of South Africa, Honorary Associate Professor, University of Queensland, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, University of Stirling, Scotland, President, European Community Psychology Association, 2009-2011, Former Co-Editor, Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, Former Chair, British Psychological Society College of Fellows

Brόna Nic Giolla Easpaig, B.Sc.(Hons) Psychology, Doctoral Researcher, Charles Sturt University

Kate Richmond, PhD, Muhlenberg College

Sandra Samons, PhD, LMSW

Signatories by self-designated region as of 9th December, 2012:

Argentina

Mauro Cabral, Co-Director of GATE - Global Action for Trans* Equality

Dr. Laura Mónica Cantore, PhD in Law and Social Science. Professor of Philosophy of Law, General Theory of Law and Family Rights and gender equity, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba-Argentina 
I am against the pathologizing of intersexuality or any form of gender identity. Pathologizing is stigmatizing and increases discrimination. It's just good business for laboratories.

Australia

Bree Schembri, Mental Health Worker

Sex and gender diverse people are not mentally ill, and so should not be stigmatized any further. Signify now please to the world that we are ok as we are!

Gina Wilson, President OII Australia

The pathologising of people who have non conforming bodies and reject birth sex assignments further pathologises and stigmatises already medicaly traumatised people. The DSM places the blame for medical bad practice on the victim. The primary mental anguish suffered by folk who are Intersex is that caused by social marginilisation and abuse it has little to do with gender.

Austria

Dagmar Fink, Board Member Association of Feminist Scholars in Austria

Dr. Esther Hutfless, Philosopher, Candidate in Psychoanalysis

Waltraud Schlögl, Mag.a.

Ingrid Wahl, PhD

Dr. Mag. Bettina Zehetner

Gender Dysphoria is not a disease, it is a very healthy reaction to the pressure of suffocating social norms!

Brazil

Ms. Fatima Lima

Tatiana Lionço

Canada

Tia Guinness, JD/ PhD/ MBA/ CPT/ MENSA

Gayle Roberts, B.Sc., M.Sc., teaching diploma
Homosexuality was removed from the DSM roughly forty years ago. You would think by now, this issue (depathologizing gender-variance) would be long in the past. The APA is losing credibility for this (and numerous other) issues. They need to base their policies on curent science not past and unsubstantiated biases.

France

Dr Lara Cox

Le Braz Mael
Musician, gender studies, painter
My body is as it is, a part of Nature's diversity and I chosed to respect that, instead of listening to medical pressures. We exist, no matter what's said about us.

Germany

Thamar Klein, Ph.D.

Hungary

Andrea Zsófia Szabó, PharmD, PhD

Israel

Nora Grinberg, Gender counseling and support

Dr Gal Wagner Kolasko, MD

Jo Oppenheimer,  MA Clinical Psychology, License #2448 in Israel

Italy

Alessandra Frigerio, Ph.D. Student

PAOLO VALERIO, prof Clinical Psychology, Naples University Federico II Medical School

México

Karla Alegría Martínez Roa, Licenciada en Ciencias Políticas y Administración Pública

Netherlands

Jantine van Lisdonk, Ms

Riley Shoemaker, MSc Psychology

J. Vreer Verkerke, transgender and intersex advocate, gender educator

New Zealand

Michelle O'Brien, BA, DMA, MSc, CTHE

Occupied Palestine

Ola E. G. Musleh, MSc. Social Psychology

South Africa

Sally Gross

Spain

Carmen Romero Bachiller, Ph. D., Associate Professor in Sociology at Complutense University in Madrid (Spain)

Dr. S. G. Dauder

Taiwan

Ai-Chih, Chiu (Hiker Chiu), OII Board Member, Oii-Chinese founder, MA, PhD Candidate, Human Sexuality, Shu-Te University, Taiwan

United Kingdom

Simone Abel, BA/LLB

Dan Allen, BSc

Dr. Sandeep Bakshi

Dr Martyn Barrett, MA, DPhil, CPsychol, FRSA, FBPsS, AcSS, Professor of Psychology

Mr. Sebastian-Eric Bartos

Israel Berger, PhD Candidate, Psychology, University of Roehampton

Ms. Imogen Brooks

Samuel Collins

Polly Conroy

Long story short...my primary problem with being gender variant is dealing with the myriad 'experts' determined to treat it as a disorder instead of as part of nature's rich diversity. It has been alleged health practitioners that pushed me to illness with their total lack of patient centred care. Listen to us...

GIRES- Terry Reed, OBE, JP, BA(Hons), MCSP, SRP, GradDipPhys, Representing Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES)

GIRES wishes: to end the practice of operating on children to artificially assign sex; to drop language of 'disorder' in relation to atypical gender experiences and expressions; to remove all forms of gender nonconformity from DSM; to reposition and rename 'transsexualism' in the up-coming ICD11; to recognise that variable gender experiences, including non-gender, are not psychiatric conditions in origin, and should not be subject to automatic psychiatric assessment and control.

Ms Alexandria Hassett

Natacha Kennedy

Mr Barry Kent

Jennie Kermode

Philip Kwok, MA, MSc

Ms. Jane Layton

Sarah Lennox

Ms Jacqui Lovell, BScHons, RGN, PhD Candidate, Parent

Ms. Lucy McAlister

Ms. Michelle O’Brien

Marie Paludan, PhD student, MSc social psychology

Dean Peters, MSc (Medical Biochemistry), PhD candidate in Philosophy

Ms. Selina Postgate

Dennis Queen
There’s such a difference between a disorder and a state of mind.

Paige Reeves

Leo Robinson, Expert on my own gender

Mr. Benjamin Thom
A lifetime of stigmatization - don't consign others to the same fate - remove GID from the DSM

Ms. Sapphira Thorne
It is simply unnecessary to refer to those who wish to transition as having a "mental disorder". It should not be classified as a problem but rather we should accept the fluidity of gender. Calling it a "problem" only makes way for further discrimination. In order for the world to move forward and become more accepting of other social groups we have to stop seeing them as a "problem" but embrace their differences.

Dr Carol Uren
I would have thought that with the increased knowledge and awareness into the etiology of transgenderism, this classification would have been dropped a few years ago now.

Nina R Weissman, Ba 1st Hons; Bsc 1st Hons; Oxford Scholar

Jessica Worner, MSc Social Psychology

Name Withheld

United States

Arizona

Joshua G. Kellison, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate

California

Dr Sheila Addison, PhD, LMFT; clinician and teacher of human development and human sexuality

Kade Aris

Dr Marvin Belzer, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, USC Keck School of Medicine

I am fully supportive of your APA response letter. It is time to get GID out of the DSM and into a medical condition where it belongs. I would like Gender Dysphoria not to be placed in the new DSM-5. GD is a medical condition and only the adjustments or reactions to or discrimination to the medical condition are psychiatric in nature.Thanks for taking on this work!

Brent Austin Boeckman

Lindsey Brooks, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist

Ms. Jayme Davis

"Disorder" is not an attribute of those whose birth-assigned gender doesn't correspond to their experience of themselves, but rather it is an attribute of the social contexts and mental health discourses that attempt to pathologize them.

Catherine Forbes

I am a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles who works with trans-youth.

Yetta Howard, PhD, Assistant Professor, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Zander Keig, MSW, ACSW, Clinical Social Worker

Richard LeBeau, M.A., PhD Candidate

Rodrigo Lehtinen

Dr. Michael I Loewy, PhD in Counseling Psychology from University of California

Mr Miguel Martinez, MSW, MPH, Program Manager, Center for TransYouth Health and Development, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)

Johanna Olson, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Carlton W. Parks, Jr., Ph.D. in developmental psychology; Fellow, American Psychological Association & APA Division 44, Professor & Director of Training Hufstedler School of Education at Alliant International University, Los Angeles

Kathleen Ritter, Ph.D., Fellow, Division 44 American Psychological Association, Professor of Psychology, California State University, Bakersfield

Erin Russell, Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology

Lisa Simons, MD

Ja’Nina Walker

Lisa Wilson, BA.  Software Engineer, Retired.

Colorado

Rebecca Klinger, Ph.D.

Matthew Scott

Connecticut

Erich J. Greene, Ph.D. in Psychology from Princeton University, 2003

Florida

Diana Pilkington Armbrust, B. S. Alternative Medicine

Patience Flick, BFA

Nelson Hernandez, B.A.

C. Taylor Rothenberg, Candidate for B.A. in Humanities

Georgia

Alli DeFinis, Ph.D.

Hawaii

Dr. K. Theri Starr, Psy.D.

Thank you for your diligence!

Patrick J.S. Waring, Ed.D., M.S.Psy., M.S.Ed., J.D., LL.M. Hawaii Pacific University Faculty, Ball State Univ student, APAGS Div 44 member

Illinois

Dawn Brown, BA, DePaul University

Dr. Veronica Drantz

The proposed changes to the DSM regarding GID should reflect the scientific evidence about gender identity.

David J. Getsy, Ph.D., Goldabelle McComb Finn Distinguished Professor, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Indiana

Jamie Ramsey, MA Psychology

Julie Walsh, MSW '13

Iowa

Lisa A McDonald, attending college Leadership Scholarship and working on BA's in Human services and Psychology Phi Theta Kappa honors society, Multiple Provost list recipient for GPA above 3.5

I am tired of feeling abused by the mental health Industry and others that claim to support my rights. I am an individual, and have proven myself in many ways to be competent. Yet I'm still forced to endure a stygmatizing mental health diagnosis with no exit strategy.Its time to move away from the mental health industry and into mainstream medical care that allows us to maintain our dignity with full control of our reproductive rights.

Kansas

Jared Moser, Psi Chi Member, Senior Undergrad

Heath Schechinger, M.S., M.Ed. Counseling Psychology Ph.D. student, University of Kansas

Kentucky

Jacob R. Eleazer, BA, doctoral student

Shai Stello, Doctorate

Louisiana

Brandan William Dugan

Kathleen McAuley, Facilitator, New Orleans Free School Network

Maryland

Ms Katherine Howard

Massachusetts

Claudia Castaneda, PhD

Audrey Gill, BA Psychology, Wellesley College

Julia Tomassilli, PhD, Project Director, The Fenway Institute of Fenway Health, Boston

Michigan

Lindsey N. Dollar, M.A. in Counseling and current Counseling Psychology Ph.D. student

Melissa J Grey, PhD

Jane E. Kelley, PhD

Jennifer Marie Marcus, Esq., JD, AB, Human, Civil, & Employee Rights Attorney

Minnesota

James Pate, MD

Mississippi

Lore M. Dickey, PhD

Missouri

David W Greene, Ph.D., Emeritus Prof. of Psychology, Ramapo College (gender studies)

New Mexico

Natasha Yar-Routh

New York

Nadav Antebi, M.A.

Jean Anyon, Ph.D.

Christin Bowman

Mark Brennan-Ing, PhD

Michelle Brotman, B.A. in Psychology; MSW Candidate

Ursula Campos-Gatjens, MSW candidate 2013

Jennifer Chmielewski, EdM, PhD Candidate

Ms. Emily Dow

Kim Felsenthal, PhD Psychology

Steven Franklin, MA, MS, CAGS, NCSP

Greg Gassman, a nice guy

Transgenderism and intersexuality are not pathological.

Jen Gieseking, Ph.D. Candidate, M.Phil., M.A., Alexander von Humboldt German Chancellor Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellow

Sara Ingram, MPA

Svetlana Jovic, MA, Doctoral Candidate

Juline Koken, Ph.D.
Transgenderism and intersexuality are not pathological and should be removed completely from the DSM just as homosexuality was nearly forty years ago.

Dasha Kouznetsova, MSW, years of working with LGBT population

Velina Manolova, M.A., Ph.D. Student, CUNY Graduate Center

Kristin Moriah, Ph.D. Student, CUNY Graduate Center; M.A. English Literature, McGill Univeristy; SSHRC Doctoral Fellow

Suzanne C. Ouellette, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, The Graduate School, The City University of New York (CUNY).

Eric M. Rodriguez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology, Social Science Department, New York City College of Technology (City Tech, CUNY)

Steven Shmerler

Jama Shelton, LMSW, Doctoral Candidate Social Welfare

Rebecca Spizzirri, BS

Stephanie Urso Spina, Ph.D. psychology

Christina Ventura-Dipersia, MPH

North Carolina

Elisa Boomhower

Leanne Brown, BA - Psychology/Sociology '13, East Carolina University

Danielle Maxon, BFA, LCSW-A

Being stigmatized is not a mental health disorder. It's embarrassing that this is still a conversation for debate.

Ohio

Desiree Nicole Bates, Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies Major

Gina Patterson, Visiting Assistant Professor of English & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Oregon

Allison Cleveland, MA social psychology

Morgan Fitz Gibbon, M.A.

Del Rapier, MA, PsyD Candidate, 2011 Diversity Scholarship recipient

Pennsylvania

Corrine C. Bertram, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology, Shippensburg

Monique Walker, MS, MFT, PhD Candidate, Drexel University, Attic Youth Center (serving Phila LGBTQ youth), AAMFT Minority Fellowship recipient

Rhode Island

Linda D'Ambra, BS, University of RI

Edith Pilkington

Roberta Winkleman

South Carolina

Mr. Douglas Bramlett

South Dakota

Name not displayed, Ph.D. in developmental psychology

Tennessee

Brent Mallinckrodt, Ph.D., LIcensed Psychologist, Professor

Juliet Meggs, M.S., Counseling Psychology PhD student

Joel T. Muller, B.A., PhD Student, University of Tennessee

The Pathologization of gender orientation is a grave abuse of human rights and must be put to an end for the health and well-being of all people.

Texas

Richard Billingsley
This is shameful. You must stop stigmatizing people who are different.

Alexa Madison Teed

Lou Weaver, University of Houston LGBT Resouorce Center Advisory Board

Utah

Tarynn M. Witten, PhD, LCSW, FGSA, Director of Research & Development, Center for the Study of Biological Complexity, Virginia Commonwealth University, Adjunct Associate Professor Emergency Medicine, Adjunct Associate Professor Womens & Gender Studies

Washington

Kelli Callahan, M.F.S., DABFE

Thomas Odegard, BA Davis, MA, Davis, Holistic Health Practioner & Educator in California

We are intersex, a human variation. We are not a disorder. We are gender fluid.

Unspecified

Stacey Gassman, MDiv

Click here to download a PDF of our policy statement. If you wish to become a signatory or you were an original signatory and wish to amend your contact information, please submit the form below.