Monday, May 5, 2008

Action Alert

As discussed here and here, The group members the APA has chosen to revise GID in the DSM-V include maybe a couple people that are both experienced with trans*folk and are not completely transphobic. The pdf also includes the names of those working on various other things, as I am not familiar with them, disability-rights activists might want to check up on them too.
But on the "Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders taskforce" are both Ray Blanchard and Kenneth Zucker (I refuse to call these frauds doctors).
Zucker being the fucking Chair of the group!

Most of the other members don't even work with trans*folk, but as trans*folk are not the only focus of the group that isn't that bad.

I encourage people to email the apa with their 'concerns' about the apa's poor choices.

Emails cribbed from Bilerico:
"The APA press release states that for further information regarding this, to contact Rhondalee Dean-Royce (rroyce@psych.org) and Sharon Reis (sreis@gymr.com), though it's possible that they may govern the press release only, rather than have any involvement in the decision to appoint Zucker."

It's really sad when laypeople such as myself know better than those folks with Ph.Ds who supposedly specialize in this.


ETA: Dr. Douglas Halderman is on the APA's board of directors.
"Dr. Halderman played a fundamental role in the APA's vocal opposition to "conversion therapies" to "cure" non-normative sexual orientation. It stands to reason that he would have a sensitive ear to our concerns about Zucker's appointment to lead a team on revising the DSM entry for gender identity disorders, when Zucker advocates using the same tactics to "treat" non-normative gender identity.

Douglas Halderman's website lists his contact information. Please write, phone, fax or email your concerns to:

Douglas C. Haldeman, Ph.D.
2001 Western Avenue, Suite 310
Seattle, WA 98121

Phone: (206) 443-4306
Fax: (206) 728-1180

Email: doughaldeman@aol.com"

ETA2: I didn't know that there are two APAs; the American Psychiatric Association as well as the American Psychological Association. Dr. Haldeman is with the Psychological Ass. and the Psychiatric Ass. is the one working on the DMS-V.
After searching I found this: How to contact the Psychiatric Ass.'s board's staff, their advisers, as well as the APA's general contact info.

2 comments:

Queers United said...

Peggy is running the GID task force group and is supposedly TG friendly.

http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com

Drakyn said...

Yeah, but that monster Zucker is still the fucking chairperson. He needs to be fucking gone from the fucking world, not just the fucking committee though.