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October 31, 2008, 8:49 pm PDT
It's called a psychiatric DISorder for a reason
Quote From: zuzubirdI agree with those knowledgeable ladies who understand that a person is born with her sexual orientation, and should never be cast out or made to suffer because of it, any more than a heterosexual person should be. It is not a choice; I know I did not choose to be heterosexual--I just turned out that way. If a young child displays some gender confusion, we must lay off the God trips and accept the child for who she is at all stages of her life (or his, as the case may be). The idea that God hates certain persons and loves others is a human idiosyncrasy, and it's wrong to frighten a youngster with this stuff. This condition is considered to be psychiatric in nature and is listed as a disorder (gender identity disorder). I'm sure these facts are obvious to most people on the board, but for some reason they have been largely disregarded. If something is considered a "disorder", it is implied that there is something wrong that needs to be treated/corrected. I can't think of any other psychiatric disorder (or any other disorder, period) in which professionals encourage the afflicted person to just cave in to the disorder and refuse treatment because it's "it's okay to be different". Nowadays, homosexuality is no longer considered a disorder (by a large portion of the medical community anyway), but a reflection of a difference. However, the fact that G.I.D. is still considered a disorder rather than a difference should say something.
Not to mention, the fact that gender identity disorder is specifically listed as a PSYCHIATRIC disorder rather than a combination neuro-psychiatric condition further supports this point. If G.I.D. is truly the result of a biological condition, why is it not
listed as a neuropsychiatric disorder, which would imply a biological
base (while also acknowledging the obvious presence of psychological symptoms)? Even so, it's important to know that few psychiatric disorders (relatively speaking) are considered to be completely biologically based; therefore, the argument that people are born with a mental conception of gender that differs from their actual sex is extremely flawed.
It's not that I lack empathy for what people with G.I.D. Obviously, it's rough for anyone to have a psychiatric disorder - especially a disorder that carries such a strong social stigma. However, I don't believe that G.I.D. is something that is completely incurable. I also believe that a lot of the time, there are other events that have taken place which directly caused the disorder (or exacerbated it) that parents might not want to discuss because every parent wants to accept their child. If a child has been abused, no parent wants to think, "Gosh, my child now has a screwed up sense of identity because of the abuse." Parents would rather believe that their child has a biological condition that nothing can be done about....and in a way, I can't blame them for wanting to believe that because I imagine it would alleviate a whole lot of guilt.
Nowadays especially, parents have a tendency to give children far more decision making power than is appropriate (in other words, kids are way too spoiled). I'm sorry, but an 8-year-old cannot make major life decisions. Just because a child really feels strongly about something does NOT mean that that child is right about it, or that what the child wants is in his or her best interest. It's up to the PARENTS to decide that. It's painful for any parent to see their child unhappy, but caving in to a child's requests just because you don't want to see your child unhappy in the short-term is a reflection of lazy, irresponsible parenting.
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