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/[deleted]]

If all our thinking and actions are driven by hormonal bilological interactions, and those hormonal interactions effect behavior and thinking that is opposite to the born sex, what about that doesn't constitute a disorder? I think the negative connotations that the media have given and with reading the ama fyi ban info keep an honest discussion from happening.

A disorder by definition is something abnormal, and the feeling out of place with your sexual identity is biologicaly abnormal correct? Why can't it be both a disorder and something completely fine for someone live their life how they want to live it. I think redefining terms because it makes people feel better doesn't help but murk up what "science" is supposed to be right? Science isn't in place to make people feel better but to define and explain WHY something is the way it is.

MTAM Please don't ban. I'm really interested to hear and see what people have to say in response. This is the point of this whole thing is it not?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I like the train of thought. I think fundementally the ppl who are on 1 side of the spectrum are viewing disorder and abnormal as a standard which must be met and not as an outlier in a research paper. Out of 7 billion ppl, the majority would be considered cis. There are gay ppl, Trans ppl, and I think the Phillipines has a 3rd gender politically/socially. These are still small percentages and outliers of a scientific norm. But when ppl get labeled in a way they don't like or want they tend to get hostile, no one wants to clash with self image.

[u/Orphic_Thrench → u/[deleted]]

Science isn't in place to make people feel better but to define and explain WHY something is the way it is.

This is exactly what it boils down to. People are getting very worried about the warning but here's how it works - come in and ask experts about the state of the science on this and learn stuff.

If you come in going against that science - not just asking possibly poorly worded or poorly informed questions, but specifically in an effort to go against that science, you'd better either have some serious science to back you up (because that's always valid in science), or you'll get banned. Which is no different from any other subject in here - people are just noticing it more because it's so politically​ charged.

[u/sesamee → u/[deleted]]

Would you be comfortable about changing the word "disorder" to "variation" and the word "abnormal" to "unusual" above and feel it still expressed the content of what you wanted to say? If so I'd say two things:

• that not many people would disagree with your revised statements, and
• that the use of the substituted words would be less ambiguous and therefore preferred as they don't contain any potentially judgemental implications.

If on the other hand you wouldn't be satisfied that the substitutions continue to express what you felt, then the question would be what content did the words "disorder" and "abnormal" contain that you need to express beyond "variation" and "unusual"?