Contemporary Sexuality - March 2009 - (Page 5)

“There is no rigorous science behind the inclusion of GID in the DSM, as there was not for the inclusion of homosexuality,” writes Vanderburgh. “There is also no rigorous science behind the movement to remove GID from the DSM. There is, however, the clinical experience of those who work with significant numbers of transgender people and witness their blossoming after facing their true selves, whether that means physical transition or not.” As of this writing, Drescher says the GID subwork group is still “very early” in the process and has met just three times. Drescher didn’t discuss likely scenarios or delve into specifics about the group’s discussions, but he did hint at one area the sub-work group might consider altering. “One of the things that is important is how do you distinguish between non-pathological gender variance versus expressions when a child wants to be the other sex and is distressed,” Drescher says. “We have to make sure the writing is narrower. Most people believe these are not very common conditions.” Paraphilias The DSM-IV lists nine paraphilias as mental disorders: exhibitionism, fetishism, frotteurism, pedophilia, sexual masochism, sexual sadism, transvestic fetishism, voyeurism and paraphilia not otherwise specified. In 2003, Moser challenged the inclusion of paraphilias in the DSM at the annual meeting of the APA when he presented a paper titled “Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders: Questions for DSM-V.” (The paper, co-written with Kleinplatz, a human sexuality professor at the University of Ottawa, was published in 2005 in the Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality.) Moser and Kleinplatz argue that there are no objective criteria for determining which specific sexual acts qualify as mental disorders. Instead, paraphilias are socially unacceptable behaviors. “All societies attempt to control the sexual behavior of their members,” write Moser and Kleinplatz. “Which sexual interests are proscribed often changes; masturbation, oral sex, anal sex, and homosexuality were once considered mental disorders or symptoms of other mental disorders but are now typically accepted as part of the spectrum of healthy sexual expression.” That observation leads Moser, Kleinplatz and others to ask, “Which paraphilias currently listed in the DSM don’t cause harm when practiced by consenting adults?” An increasingly vocal SM-leather-fetish community asserts that the sexual masochism, sexual sadism and transvestic fetishism designations continued on page 6 Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group The Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group is chaired by Kenneth J. Zucker, PhD. The work group includes three sub-work group of four members each. Gender Identity Disorders Peggy T. Cohen-Kettenis, PhD, chair, gender development and psychopathology professor, University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands Jack Drescher, MD, clincial assistant professor, New York Medical College Heino F. L. Meyer-Bahlburg, Dr rer nat, professor, College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University Friedemann Pfäfflin, MD, PhD, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany Paraphilias Ray Blanchard, PhD, chair, psychiatry professor, University of Toronto Martin Kafka, MD, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass. Richard Krueger, MD, psychiatrist, Sexual Behavior Clinic at New York State Psychiatric Institute Niklas Långström, MD, PhD, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm Sexual Dysfunctions Irving Binik, PhD, psychology professor, McGill University, Montreal Lori Brotto, PhD, director, University of British Columbia’s Sexual Health Laboratory, Canada Cynthia Graham, PhD, research fellow, Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction Robert Taylor Segraves, MD, PhD, psychiatry professor, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine “[Transgenders have] no doubt about their gender identity; it just does not match their genitalia or social expectations.” — Charles Moser March 2009 Vol. 43, No. 3 | www.aasect.org Contemporary Sexuality 5 http://www.aasect.org

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Contemporary Sexuality - March 2009 Contents Member Profile AASECT Conference Registration Form and Information Quick Hits: Sex in the News Book and Media Reviews Educational Opportunities

Contemporary Sexuality - March 2009

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