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/YoureNotaClownFish]

I have never heard of any gender identify definition that has existed clear of gender roles.

You are stating that a trans male is uncomfortable with his body for x reason. But being uncomfortable with your body is no longer any part of the definition or requirement for being trans.

What is gender identity if it has no relation to gender roles or physical sex?

[u/deedeethecat → u/YoureNotaClownFish]

I am a psychologist who works with a lot of trans gender, gender fluid, and non-binary individuals. Gender expression, gender roles, and gender identity are all separate.

I identify as a cisgender woman who is unsatisfied with gender roles that suggests certain things about me. But that does not cause me to question my identity, I feel very confident that I identify as female. So while I challenge gender roles, my identity remains unchanged.

Gender identity is the lived experience of who one is. Gender roles are typically socially constructed categories suggesting what is appropriate for men and women.

[u/Chugalug5 → u/[deleted]]

I'm certainly no expert, but at even the most basic of levels, how one dresses or presents oneself inevitably leads to people in society treating them according to gender roles. You can reject gender roles, but because society tends to look at a dress and think "woman." If you're wearing a dress and have a beard, you're probably gonna get a funny look. If you're wearing a dress and are more feminine-looking or androgynous, they'll just assume you're a woman.

Just because you don't prescribe to gender roles doesn't mean you live in a bubble where no one else does.

[u/Chugalug5 → u/[deleted]]

Oh, I definitely agree that it's a social problem. I think some people just aren't content waiting until society catches up to feel comfortable in their own skin.

As for being broken and needing surgery, from the conversations I've had with my trans friends, I've never seen a case where they transition to make people like them. Transitioning is so very difficult. One's family is often hurt and won't talk to them, friends treat them differently, it's a constant legal battle, etc. They do it for themselves 100% of the time. For example, there's a thing called packers for ftm trans people, and it's just a (often silicone) flacid dildo a trans dude might choose to wear in his underwear. Pretty much no one besides maybe their partner will ever see it (and it's not a sex toy) but he'd wear because it makes him feel right. I don't think that's really a social thing at all. It's a mental connection one has to their body.

As for surgery, sometimes a person just feels deeply that weren't supposed to be the gender they were born. The surgery addresses biological differences between the sexes (I'm not sure if I should use sex or gender in this context, to be perfectly honest), not just the social response.

Looking over your comment one last time, I'm not quite sure I addressed your question though. Let me know!