Transgender and gender-variant people have a variety of concerns for which they may seek the assistance of psychologists. In addition to the usual problems that may bring any individual to therapy, transgender and gender-variant people often seek professional help in understanding their gender identities and patterns of gender expression and in addressing the complex social and relational issues that are affected by these.
Transgender persons not uncommonly seek medical services to make their bodies more congruent with their gender identities; involvement of mental health professionals is often necessary or desirable in arranging such services. Moreover, many transgender and gender-variant people experience stigmatization and discrimination as a result of living in a gendered culture into which they often do not easily fit. They may not only experience an inner sense of not belonging but also discrimination, harassment, sometimes lethal violence and denial of basic human rights. These issues, too, often bring transgender people into contact with mental health professionals.
Report by the Task Force on Gender Identity and Gender Variance
The six-member task force spent more than two years reviewing the scientific literature, as well as APA policies regarding transgender issues. It was also charged with developing recommendations for education, professional training and further research into transgenderism, and proposing how APA can best meet the needs of psychologists and students who identify as transgender or gender-variant.
APA Resolution Supporting Full Equality for Transgender and Gender-Variant People
Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration DIRECTIVE 2011-024
Providing Health Care for Transgender and Intersex Veterans
June 9, 2011
This Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Directive establishes policy regarding the respectful delivery of health care to transgender and intersex Veterans who are enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system or are otherwise eligible for VA care.
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health Issues Identity Recognition Statement, June 16, 2010
Statement: No person should have to undergo surgery or accept sterilization as a condition of identity recognition. If a sex marker is required on an identity document, that marker could recognize the person's lived gender, regardless of reproductive capacity. The WPATH Board of Directors urges governments and other authoritative bodies to move to eliminate requirements for identity recognition that require surgical procedures.
For more information and press release concerning the statement, visit WPATH.
New Policy on Gender Change in Passports Announced by the U.S. Department of State, June 9, 2010
Beginning June 10, when a passport applicant presents a certification from an attending medical physician that the applicant has undergone appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition, the passport will reflect the new gender. The guidelines include detailed information about what information the certification must include. It is also possible to obtain a limited-validity passport if the physician’s statement shows the applicant is in the process of gender transition. No additional medical records are required. Sexual reassignment surgery is no longer a prerequisite for passport issuance. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad can also be amended with the new gender.
Other Resources
Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, Feb. 3, 2011
The National Transgender Discrimination Survey was conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Transgender Day of Awareness and Transgender Day of Remembrance
The 2012 Transgender Awareness Week is Nov. 12-20. It is a time for transgender people and their allies to take action by educating the public and advancing advocacy to bring attention to this community and the unique challenges it faces.
New Gender Dysphoria Criteria Replace GID Psychiatric News, April 5, 2013
New criteria for gender dysphoria will emphasize the individual's felt sense of "incongruence" with natal gender, rather than cross-gender behavior. This article is part of a series on the differences between DSM-IV and DSM-5. The series will run through May, when the manual will be published.
