Exit

THE ILGA ASIA TRANS* PRE-CONFERENCE – STATEMENT ON GENDER INCONGRUENCE IN CHILDHOOD

Statement on Gender Incongruence in Childhood

 

We are a group of 34 trans*, gender non-conforming, and intersex activists and allies collectively representing 19 countries, gathering at the Trans* Pre-conference at the 6th ILGA Asia Conference held in Taipei, Taiwan.

The ILGA Trans* Pre-conference is an important part of all ILGA Regional and World Conferences, where trans* activists and allies come together to discuss trans* specific issues and matters that affect local, regional, and global advocacy. At this particular Trans* Pre-conference, we held a session on Trans* Depathologisation, which focused on issues of mental health diagnoses of adolescent and adult and childhood gender identities. At this session, we affirm the Cape Town Declaration (dated July 28, 2014), which makes the same calls to action we would like to make in this statement.

As a group, we disagree with the current Gender Identity Disorder diagnoses (Transsexualism and Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood) remaining in Chapter 5 (Mental and Behavioural Disorders) of the current International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), or any comparable diagnoses (Gender Incongruence of Childhood or Gender Incongruence of Adolescence and Adulthood) remaining there in ICD-11.  We voted unanimously on the following statements drawn from the Cape Town Declaration. :

  1. Children are ever changing developing individuals, who explore themselves, their personalities and their potential as they grow. This includes their sense of, and expression of, their gender.

(35 in favour/0 against)

  1. Gender diversity is not a pathology. We therefore feel that no pre-pubertal children should be given a diagnosis based on their gender identity or expression.

(35 in favour/0 against)

  1. The proposed GIC diagnosis makes no clinically utilizable sense for children.

(35 in favour/ against)

  1. Affirmative counseling, information and support should be made available by way of non-pathologising alternatives. This should be made accessible both for a child, parents and other significant persons in the child’s life.

(35 in favour/0 against)

  1. An adolescent or adult diagnosis should not require a previously documented history of a gender-based diagnosis.

(34 in favour/0 against)

  1. We strongly support the proposal to remove the diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood and Transsexualism from Chapter 5 of the ICD-10 because gender diversity is not a mental illness.

(34 in favour/0 against) 

 

The ILGA Asia Trans* Pre-Conference and the Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN) call upon the ILGA Asia Conference and ILGA to adopt this statement as supportive of the global trans* movement against pathologisation. We also call on the WHO to discard the current Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood diagnosis and refrain from replacing it with any new pathologising diagnosis, including Gender Incongruence of Childhood.

Signed,

Anjali Lama
Candy Yun
Joy Cruz
Mikee Inton
Zhan Chiam
Serena Al
Shika Corona
Mira Ofreneo
Tesa Casal de Vela
Honey Tan
Toto Saowakun
Sam Winter
Rena Janamnuaysook
Jimmy Chotidhanitsakul
Nada Chaiyajit
Jack Harrison Quintana
Olivia Tsai
Jack Byrne
Lukas Berredo
Carla LaGata
Phakwilai Sahunalu
Manisha Dhakal
Bhumika Shrestha
Bobby Tamang
Srorn Srun
Ronnapom Samakkeekarom
Nisha Ayub
Yifan Wang
Sunny Khan
Qasim Iqbal
Miho Okada
Shoko Usami
Abhi Ardiansyah
Ruth Baldacchino
Krizia Zeggers
Joe Wong
Omo Amatyakul
Kevin Hallim

Supported by the ILGA Asia Conference:

ILGA North America
The Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines
Tony Lau
Wei Jiangyang
Mumico Lin
Yulita Molyganta
Widya Anggraini
Eman Harundha
Yulianus Rettoblaut
Rainbow Indonesia
Thilaga Sulathireh
Erky Maharini
M. Isnur
Lini Zurlia
Ging Cristobal
Ryan Silverio
The ASEAN Sogie Caucus
Rose Benipayo
Rej Torrecampo
Chua Hee Heng
Ng Jern Siong
Vien Tanjung
Wei Siu Lik
Bruce Portugal Amoroto
Jonas Bagas
Eva Callueng
Nicky H. Castillo