Understanding Gender Dysphoria

I am responding to a letter May 11 titled “LGBT Propaganda,” which critiqued the recent Valley Parents quarterly supplement article “Gender & Identity.”

First, the author refers to the most recent edition of the Diagnostic & Statistical Manuel of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-V) by quoting the term “gender dysphoria” and then stating that it is a “recognized mental disorder.” This statement needs to be put in context. The DSM-V intentionally dropped the diagnosis of “Gender Identity Disorder” that had appeared in previous editions and replaced it with the diagnostic term “Gender Dysphoria” specifically to emphasize the point that transgender individuals do not have an underlying mental disorder that leads to their transgender identity.

Transgender individuals often do suffer gender dysphoria (including anxiety, depression and suicidal ideations) as a result of the stigmatization, marginalization and hate that they receive from a large part of our society. This dysphoria often does need to be evaluated and treated by mental health professionals.

Second, the writer liberally quotes positions taken by the American College of Pediatrics concerning transgender youth. It is important for the readers to be made better aware of the origins and size of this organization. The ACPeds was started in 2002 by a small group of socially very conservative pediatricians and other professionals who seceded from the American Academy of Pediatrics over the AAP’s support of adoption by gay couples. ACPeds currently is estimated to have about 60 to 200 members nationally, whereas the ACP represents more than 60,000 pediatric medical professionals. The Southern Poverty Law Center has referred to the ACPeds as a “hate group” and the American Civil Liberties Union has stated that ACPeds is a “fringe group” that promotes “unscientific and harmful reparative therapies for LGBTQ students.”

Finally, I praise the Valley News for dedicating the most recent Valley Parents edition to transgender youth issues, since I am confident and hopeful that most people when better educated about transgender issues will realize that the transgender population does not pose a risk to society and that transgender people will finally be able to receive the equal rights and respect they deserve.

Jack Turco, M.D.

Norwich

A Pox on Both Parties

The GOP does get it wrong too often, especially on social issues. However, the recent raucous GOP primary process where conservative journalists and many traditional Republican politicians have fractured the party’s unity should not be a cause for criticism and scorn. Quite the contrary; in fact, the Democratic Party would gain a great deal more credibility, at least in my eyes, if it would stand up to many of the unacceptable within its own ranks.

Rep. Charles Rangel still serves. From Rep. Cynthia McKinney hardly received the condemnation she deserved for blaming Jews for many of the problems of the country, even repeatedly and publicly claiming that Israel and its American supporters orchestrated 9/11. There was hardly a peep out from Democrats when Maxine Waters described the 1992 riots in Los Angeles as “a spontaneous reaction to a lot of injustice.” And in regards to the looting of Korean-owned stores by black residents, Waters maintained: “There were mothers who took this as an opportunity to take some milk, to take some bread, to take some shoes…. They are not crooks.” Waters did not address the 58 people who died during those riots.

My point is simple: The two parties are each deeply flawed and being held hostage to large interests that perpetuate their power. In retrospect, neither is doing much good for any group other than the wealthy and themselves.

Donald Trump might be unacceptable, but he is a genuine outlier and that frightens both parties because they have no control over him. In fact that is the reason (along with his ability to attract the attention of the media) he has succeeded; many people have lost faith in the system and are willing to give anyone, even a Trump, a shot. Hey, who knows, it might turn out to be the very thing to shake up our Congress and executive branch and move it in a better direction.

What’s gone on for the last couple of decades sure hasn’t pleased the majority: immigration and tax reform long overdue, income and wealth disparity getting worse, educational standards plummeting, fears of terrorism rising. Need I go on? 

Robert A. Fox

Quechee

Kim Kardashian’s Nude Selfie

Jamie Seaton’s commentary “Men, Women, and Objectification” (April 30) drew attention to a universal experience that women even in the Upper Valley are not immune to — catcalling. I really liked the article, until I got to the paragraph that began criticizing Kim Kardashian for her social media posts. Why was the author, a fellow female, criticizing Kardashian for her choices, and falling into the same routine as other misogynists on Twitter?

There is nothing wrong with Kardashian’s nude selfie or her choice to put it on the internet. The problem is rooted in people’s reactions to her choice to put her body on display. She is not objectifying herself by putting her body on display. She is celebrating ownership of her body, the very thing that is so often condemned, especially for women. I don’t see how that in itself can be bad.

The human body, contrary to popular belief, is not inherently sexual. Girls especially are bombarded by messages to over-sexualize their bodies. But saying that they must police their own bodies falls into the same logic that victim-blamers use. We must not ask girls to change how they express themselves — we must teach others that under no circumstances are our bodies there for objectification. The author accused Kardashian of “making a career out of exploiting her own body,” but the actual definition of “exploit” is “to use productively.” Kardashian is taking control of and celebrating her body in a productive way.

We can agree that sexualization of bodies contributes to girls having unrealistic and dangerous body standards. But the power of selfies, nudes and the body-positive movement directly challenges that. We can acknowledge our bodies nonsexually, and this is what must be taught to those who believe that the female body is there solely for sexual consumption.

Lucy Danger

White River Junction