In 1973, after years of pressure, homosexuality was removed from the DSM, and no longer classified as a disorder. There are numerous clear parallels between DSM's pathologization of sexual orientation and of gender.
Psychiatrists have shifted away from the disease model (one that says "I'm distressed because something is wrong with me") towards a model that says "I'm distressed because there is a common perception that something is wrong with me". This shift in focus has only occurred for sexual orientation but not yet gender.
The DSM's diagnoses are highlighted here not because I endorse them, but because they have a very real impact on people who must interact with the psychiatry community.
| DSM-III | Transsexualism
/ Asexual [302.51]
/ Homosexual [302.52] / Heterosexual [302.53] / Unspecified [302.54] | Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood (GIDC) [302.60] | Transvestism [302.3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| DSM-III-R | Transsexualism
/ Asexual [302.51]
/ Homosexual [302.52] / Heterosexual [302.53] / Unspecified [302.54] | Gender Identity Disorder
/ of Childhood [302.60]
/ of Adolescence or Adulthood, Non-Transsexual Type (GIDAANT) [302.85]
/ Not Otherwise Specified (GIDNOS) [302.60]
| Transvestic Fetishism [302.30] |
| DSM-IV | [merged into GID] | Gender Identity Disorder
/ in Children [302.6]
/ in Adolescents or Adults [302.85] / Not Otherwise Specified [302.6] | Transvestic Fetishism [302.3]
/ With Gender Dysphoria
|
| DSM-IV-TR | [merged into GID] | Gender Identity Disorder
/ in Children [302.6]
/ in Adolescents or Adults [302.85] / Not Otherwise Specified [302.6] | Transvestic Fetishism [302.3]
/ With Gender Dysphoria
|
| DSM-V | [merged into GID] | Gender Identity Disorder | Transvestic Disorder [302.3]
/ With Fetishim
/ With Autogynephilia / With Autoandrophilia |
The next revision of the DSM (DSM-V) will be finalized in 2012 and will be published on May 2013.
Ray Blanchard is one of the 27 taskforce members who oversees the DSM-V. Blanchard is heavily criticized (among the trans community, though at least one trans scientist gives conditional support).