Intersex anger over report terminology

Intersex anger over report terminology

Organisation Intersex International (OII) Australia has labelled the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) “arrogant” over new standards of care guidelines for sex and gender diverse people.

WPATH released a revised edition of its Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People in the United States on September 25.
OII Australia president Gina Wilson told the Star Observer the report “pathologises” intersex people by using the term ‘disorders of sex development’ (DSD).

“What WPATH has been doing is protesting very loudly about transsexual [being] seen as a mental disorder, particularly gender identity disorder and they’ve really been fighting vigorously against the idea of trans being somehow a disease or some sort of medical condition,” Wilson said.

“With breathtaking arrogance and hypocrisy WPATH [has] reclassifie[d] intersex as people with DSD and see those of us who reject our birth assignments as being in need of the counsel of a mental health professional.” Standards of Care is used around the world and is considered an important reference for health professionals dealing with sex and gender diverse people.

Wilson said intersex people had not been consulted for input.

“We don’t think trans people should be writing intersex guidelines. We think intersex people should be doing that and we think the word ‘intersex’ is perfectly adequate.”In the guidelines, WPATH deals with the disagreement about labelling but says it uses the terms agreed on during an international consensus conference in 2005.

“In the SOC [standards of care], WPATH uses the term DSD in an objective and value-free manner, with the goal of ensuring that health professionals recognize this medical term and use it to access relevant literature as the field progresses.”

Wilson claimed the 2005 conference did not have adequate intersex participation.

You May Also Like

4 responses to “Intersex anger over report terminology”

  1. Gender dysphoria is a psychiatric disorder that is treated with psychotherapy, endocrinal medicine and reassignment surgery. People with gender dysphoria do not make any sense when they seek a medical solution while denying having a medical problem. intersexuality is significantly different and there aren’t necessarily any overlaps between the two groups. In short gender dysphorics have no basis of claim on which to speak out on intersex issues.

  2. Hi,

    Nothing new just rehashed its allways the same its about what they wont . not about what we …..need…. strange that or is it.

    For my self i’v got no time for these people they dont see people they see a thing that needs to be as they see what they wont to ,

    I wonder how they would get on if they were us,,,,,

    …noeleena…