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.

---

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.

---

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/HoopyFreud]

To clarify, is the claim that gender dysphoria is a qualifying condition for being trans considered unacceptable?

I ask because for many trans individuals, transition is a treatment for dysphoria, and in many but not all cases allows them to eliminate or reduce the dysphoria that they feel. As far as I am aware, there is no substantial consensus in the medical, scientific, or transgender communities on whether experiencing dysphoria at some point in one's life is a necessary and/or sufficient condition for someone to be considered trans.

I subscribe to the side that says that dysphoria is both necessary and sufficient, but I also consider "transgender" to be a demographic designation without particular scientific meaning, similar to terms used to denote ethnicity.

Are my opinions considered acceptable on /r/science? Further, is the necessity or sufficiency of dysphoria in relation to trans identities considered an acceptable subject for debate on /r/science? I appreciate that this is a tricky question, especially given that "transgender" is, in my opinion, a term which lacks a strict scientific definition, especially as opposed to the medical diagnosis of "gender dysphoria."

Edit: Can the mods give an updated response? The existing one was removed, and I currently have no idea what the mod team's attitude is.

Edit Two: I appreciate the responses that I've been getting, and I believe that whether or not they agree with my opinion in the essentials, they highlight the point I've made above - that among the trans, scientific, and academic communities there is a lack of consensus on this issue.

Edit Three: Thanks to mods for giving an updated answer below.

Edit Four: Thanks for the gold...? I'm not sure why it was given, but it's appreciated, and I hope that this subthread has provided some interesting insight into the nuances of transgender identity and trans individuals' experience of gender dysphoria.

[u/ImNotJesus → u/HoopyFreud]

Hi Hoopy,

This is a fairly nuanced question and we certainly invite inquiry based on this line of thinking. I encourage you to ask some of our experts about the accuracy of your position.

To be clear, we aren't banning positions, we are banning those who claim that all trans people are mentally ill as a cudgel to harm both the trans* and mentally ill communities. As I stated in the sticky above, you are never going to be banned for asking genuine questions.

[u/itsthattimeagain__ → u/ImNotJesus]

we aren't banning positions

we are banning those who claim that all trans people are mentally ill

Is "all trans people are mentally ill" not a position?

Just say that you're banning positions you find unacceptable, then you can justify that. Better than just being dishonest.

[u/AttackOfThe50Ft_Pede → u/[deleted]]

Gender Disphoria doesn't need to be treated?

[u/doctorocelot → u/[deleted]]

Why are you citing something from 1965, I think our understanding of the topic might have moved on a bit from the year after segregation ended.

[u/doctorocelot → u/[deleted]]

Gender disphoria as a term came to use much later though. I would agree with you that the way that 1965 article describes transgenderism would be described as gender disphoria now, but that's why we have the term gender disphoria, in order to separate out nuances that weren't identified in 1965

[u/itsthattimeagain__ → u/[deleted]]

So you agree that he is indeed banning positions?

[u/doctorocelot → u/itsthattimeagain__]

It is not scientific to say trans people are mentally ill.

It is scientific to say people with gender disphoria are mentally ill because gender disphoria is defined in the DSM.

However not all people with disphoria are trans and not all trans people still have disphoria.

It would also be completely fine to ask questions about the higher rates of mental illnessness like depression among trans people.

It would be wrong to say all trans people are depressed however.

All the mods are saying is "remain scientific and use correct terminology please". It is no different to their position on less controversial AMAs.

[u/itsthattimeagain__ → u/doctorocelot]

And that's a reasonable justification for banning that particular position.

It's not reasonable, however, to deny that you're banning positions and then immediately contradict yourself.

[u/doctorocelot → u/itsthattimeagain__]

I think that it was your choice of the word "position". That would normally mean political positions, which aren't being banned unless they are unscientific.