This American Life Broadcast: "81 Words" how the American Psychiatric Association decided in 1973 that homosexuality was no longer a mental illness
This American Life, the public radio program that does in depth stories on various topics, is featuring an audio program on how the American Psychiatric Association changed its view on homosexuality in the DSM. The story is fascinating in how it tells the story of how the APA slowly made their change, how gay activists helped that move, and, mostly, how courageous APA members and interested parties actually changed the APA’s view from inside the APA itself. It wasn’t so much pressure from the outside as it was a realization from within that being gay was not a disease.
You can listen to the teaser promo here: “81 Words”
Here’s a synopsis:
Act One.
In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) declared that homosexuality was not a disease simply by changing the 81-word definition of sexual deviance in its own reference manual. It was a change that attracted a lot of attention at the time, but the story of what led up to that change is one that we hear today, from reporter Alix Spiegel. Part one of Alix’s story details the activities of a closeted group of gay psychiatrists within the APA who met in secret and called themselves the GAYPA … and another, even more secret group of gay psychiatrists among the political echelons of the APA. Alix’s own grandfather was among these psychiatrists, and the president-elect of the APA at the time of the change. (24 minutes)
Act Two.
Alix Spiegel’s story continues, with a man dressed in a Nixon mask called Dr. Anonymous, and a pivotal encounter in a Hawaiian bar. (30 minutes)
You can listen to This American Life broadcast here: “81 Words: The Story of how The American Pyschiatric Association decided in 1973 that homosexuality was no longer a mental illness“.
Male & Female Interpretations
THINGY (thing-ee) n.
female: Any part under a car’s hood.
male: The strap fastener on a woman’s bra.
VULNERABLE (vul-ne-ra-bel) adj.
female: Fully opening up one’s self emotionally to another.
male: Playing ball without a cup.
COMMUNICATION
(ko-myoo-ni-kay-shon)n.
female: The sharing of thoughts & feelings with one’s partner.
male: Scratching out a note before suddenly taking off for a weekend with the guys.
BUTT (but) n.
female: The body part that every item of clothing manufactured makes “look bigger.”
male: The organ of mooning and farting.
COMMITMENT (ko-mit-ment) n.
female: A desire to get married and raise a family.
male: Not trying to pick up other women while out with one’s girlfriend.
REMOTE CONTROL (ri-moht kon-trohl) n.
female: A device for changing from one TV channel to another.
male: A device for scanning through all 75 channels every 2 minutes.
TASTE (tayst) v.
female: Something you do frequently to whatever you’re cooking, to make sure it’s good.
male: Something you must do to anything you think has gone bad, prior to tossing it out.
(From Dr. Dialtone’s Amazing website (and it really is amazing!))
Lahey Clinic article on Transgenderism
There is an interesting artilce on Transgenderism (gender dysphoria) in the Lahey Clinic Fall 2005 Journal. The clinic actually features this article, and you can read it at this link here. I was referred to it from doing some reading at Andrea Jame’s outstanding TS Roadmap.
The article does a good job of outlining the potential sources for our being transgendered as well as the ethical issues in intervening in children who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria. There are other good insights in the article as well, such as the authors opinion that psychological issues (such as depression, fairly common in the trans-community) are really a result of not dealing constructively with a person’s gender dysphoria.
Click here for this excellent article, from this well respected medical institution in New England
4-2-2008 Update
There is a nice Q&A Interview on the author of this Lahey Clinic article, Dr. Norm Spack. It was done in Boston.Com. You can reach the Boston.com Article by clicking here.
NDRI: The Transgender Project
If you live in the New York Metro area, you might want to consider being a part of the Transgender Project.
The project, funded by the NIH, is designed to:
describe the economic, social and personal, family and workplace experiences of male to female trans-persons, how these experiences change over the course of our lives, and the impact of these experiences on our mental and physical health.
This sounds like a worthwhile study that will produce some very valuable information on the transgendered community. If you live in the NY Metro area, go have a look, sounds like you could be a part of history if you do!
Gay rights bill passes in Washington State
Over at Scobelizer, there is a terrific, peaceful, comment debate on the Gay Rights bill in Washington State. The bill passed (see link here) but the debate on the comments section is both respectful and thought provoking, regardless of which side you are on.
Have a lookie at the link and the debate by clicking here.
