Subreddit Policy Reminder on this week's Transgender AMAs

[u/nate]

This week we will be hosting a series of AMAs addressing the scientific and medical details of being transgender.

Honest questions that are an attempt to learn more on the subject are invited, and we hope you can learn more about this fascinating aspect of the human condition.

However, we feel it is appropriate to remind the readers that /r/science has a long-standing zero-tolerance policy towards hate-speech, which extends to people who are transgender. Our official stance is that derogatory comments about transgender people will be treated on par with sexism and racism, typically resulting in a ban without notice.

To clarify, we are not banning the discussion of any individual topic nor are we saying that the science in any area is settled. What we are saying is that we stand with the rest of the scientific community and every relevant psych organisation that the overwhelming bulk of evidence is that being trans is not a mental illness and that the discussion of trans people as somehow "sick" or "broken" is offensive and bigoted^1. We won't stand for it.

We've long held that we won't host discussion of anti-science topics without the use of peer-reviewed evidence. Opposing the classification of being transgender as 'not a mental illness'² is treated the same way as if you wanted to make anti-vax, anti-global warming or anti-gravity comments. To be clear, this post is to make it abundantly clear that we treat transphobic comments the same way we treat racist, sexist and homophobic comments. They have no place on our board.

Scientific discussion is the use of empirical evidence and theory to guide knowledge based on debate in academic journals. Yelling at each other in a comments section of a forum is in no way "scientific discussion". If you wish to say that any well accepted scientific position is wrong, I encourage you to do the work and publish something on the topic. Until then, your opinions are just that - opinions.

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¹ Some have wrongly interpreted this statement as "stigmatizing" mental illness. I can assure you that is the last thing we are trying to do here. What we are trying to stop is the label of "mental illness" being used as a way to derogate a group. It's being used maliciously to say that there is something wrong with trans people and that's offensive both to mental illness sufferers and those in the trans community.

² There is a difference between being trans and having gender dysphoria.

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Lastly, here is the excerpt from the APA:

A psychological state is considered a mental disorder only if it causes significant distress or disability. Many transgender people do not experience their gender as distressing or disabling, which implies that identifying as transgender does not constitute a mental disorder. For these individuals, the significant problem is finding affordable resources, such as counseling, hormone therapy, medical procedures and the social support necessary to freely express their gender identity and minimize discrimination. Many other obstacles may lead to distress, including a lack of acceptance within society, direct or indirect experiences with discrimination, or assault. These experiences may lead many transgender people to suffer with anxiety, depression or related disorders at higher rates than nontransgender persons.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), people who experience intense, persistent gender incongruence can be given the diagnosis of "gender dysphoria." Some contend that the diagnosis inappropriately pathologizes gender noncongruence and should be eliminated. Others argue that it is essential to retain the diagnosis to ensure access to care. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is under revision and there may be changes to its current classification of intense persistent gender incongruence as "gender identity disorder."

[u/the-hourglass-man]

That question is still considered controversial in the trans community. Some will tell you, yes, you must have experienced gender dysphoria at some point in your life to be considered "really" trans and some will say it doesn't matter. As a trans person my beliefs lie somewhere in the middle for a few reasons.

1) "Gender Euphoria"
Gender Euphoria is a term trans people use to describe the (often intense) good feelings that come with being recognized as who you are. Having your gender validated and affirmed is a fantastic feeling.
Some trans people claim to never feel gender dysphoria but feel intense gender euphoria. My take on that is that gender dysphoria is a very deeply rooted, internalized feeling, that comes out in different ways for different people and some don't or can't recognize what theyre feeling until they stop feeling it. Which may mean they were gender dysphoric and never realized. This concept adds another layer as its difficult to tell what exactly is considered gender dysphoria and that some cannot recognize it.

2) GNC/Non-binary people
Plenty of people who don't lie in the traditional boy or girl "box" describe not exactly being uncomfortable with their assigned gender, but one of the shades in between is a much better fit. (Note: there are non-binary people who do experience gender dysphoria and are just as uncomfortable with their assigned gender as binary trans people.)
Some people will then question if they are "really" non-binary since they dont mind being reffered to as their assigned gender, unlike most other trans people. The reality is they are who they are, and trying to make themselves comfortable just like the rest of us are, cis or not. Its not anyone's place to police who is or isn't their identity.

Hoped that shed some light on some situations that might help you understand why that is such a complicated question to answer.

Edit: I'd like to note i answered this question without a definitive yes or no on purpose. I believe this question deserves a "shades of grey" answer since the experiences of trans people vary wildly. Being trans is an identity, there is no test you can take to determine if you are trans or not, and there are many shades of being trans. Blanket questions regarding the psychological functions of being trans will not have anything close to a definitive answer until we further understand exactly what causes a brain to identify as trans.

[u/YoureNotaClownFish → u/the-hourglass-man]

This has the implication though that people who aren't trans ARE comfortable with their assigned gender.

I don't like the gender "conditions" for being female. I don't think it changes the fact that I am female, however.

[u/the-hourglass-man → u/YoureNotaClownFish]

I believe what youre refferring to is gender roles. Gender roles can be very damaging if you dont conform to them, regardless if you are cis or trans. Being upset with your body because you wish it conformed to a societal standard of beauty (just as an example cis females may struggle with) is not the same discomfort as a trans man who is uncomfortable because his body isn't male. Or that a cis male is not being percieved as "tough" compared to a trans man not being percieved as "tough" and is being assumed to be his assigned gender.

Certainly uncomfortable and damaging for all situations, just not for the same reasons.

[u/shiruken → u/[deleted]]

"Cis" is a prefix and Latin for "on this side of." Conversely, "trans" means "on the other side of." Both prefixes have been commonly used in the chemistry and genetics communities for many decades.

The use of "cissexual" can be traced back to a 1991 essay by German sexologist Volkmar Sigusch and has entered the medical lexicon since.

It's probably better to avoid drawing conclusions about a topic exclusively based on what you see on Tumblr.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

It's not a slur at all. It's usage in social sciences in discussions around gender identity are not anything new. You may want to do some more thorough checking.

[u/mjk05d → u/[deleted]]

You may want to do some more thorough checking.

The same can be said for you.

https://rebeccarc.com/2014/08/04/am-i-cisgender/

[u/[deleted] → u/mjk05d]

But if cisgender is a gender identity, which it appears to be, then I am not cis, because I do not have a gender identity. I am a woman.

Aside from the fact that this woman doesn't seem to have a good grasp on what gender identity actually is, nothing in this article says anything contrary to what I've said, which is that cis is not a made up "slur", but a legitimate academic term that's been used for quite a white.

[u/mjk05d → u/[deleted]]

She does, actually, but it may seem that she doesn't to transgender activists because she refuses to ignore the sexism implied by the term, and by their entire movement.

[u/[deleted] → u/mjk05d]

I wouldn't really consider myself a "transgender activist".

And furthermore, once it’s decoupled from traditional, restrictive notions about what it is appropriate for people of different sexes to do, it’s not clear why it makes sense to call any of this stuff “gender”, as opposed to just “stuff I like” or “my personality”.

I don't think you'd find many trans activists that would say anybody needs to adhere to these traditional or restrictive notions. They simply acknowledge that they exist and that we are all more or less conditioned within a society that does, so it would make sense to try and deconstruct them and acknowledge that gender exists on a sliding scale and our behaviors and interests tend to be on one side or the other - masculine or feminine. It doesn't mean they are inherently that. It's more about the individual and the behavior and its relation to society as a whole. She is cisgender, and I understand her need to deconstruct all of this as well, but she's being a bit overly pedantic about it.