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Gender Dysphoria and Disorders of Sex Development pp 331–346Cite as

Identity: A Historical and Political Reflection

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Part of the book series: Focus on Sexuality Research ((FOSR))

Abstract

In the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5, American Psychiatric Association 2013), published by the American Psychiatric Association in May 2013, the former diagnosis “Gender Identity Disorder” (DSM-IV, American Psychiatric Association 1994) was replaced by the diagnosis “Gender Dysphoria.” Prior to the diagnosis “Gender Identity Disorder,” the respective diagnosis in the DSM was “Transsexualism,” for the first time included in the DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association 1980) and still used in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10, World Health Organization 1992).

In the course of the process of revising DSM-IV and preparing DSM-5 and in the still ongoing course of the revision of the International Classification of Diseases (from ICD-10 to ICD-11), all three diagnoses were challenged by many authors arguing that neither transsexualism nor various forms of gender identity and gender expression qualified as psychiatric disorders and that their inclusion automatically contributes to the discrimination of gender-variant individuals.

This chapter reflects on the history of the terms identity in general and especially on the terms sexual and/or gender identity as well as political implications of their use in the context of psychiatric diagnoses.

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Acknowledgements

Earlier versions of this chapter were published under the title “Sexuelle Identität ins Grundgesetz?” in the German journal Recht & Psychiatrie 28, 2010, 123–131, and under the title “Remarks on the history of the terms identity and gender identity” in the International Journal of Transgenderism 13(1), 2011, 13–25.

We would like to thank the International Journal of Transgenderism, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, and Friedemann Pfäfflin for their financial support of this reprint.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ulm University Clinic, Ulm, Germany

    Friedemann Pfäfflin M.D., Ph.D.

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  1. Friedemann Pfäfflin M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Friedemann Pfäfflin M.D., Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Department of Medical Psychology, VU University Medical Center, ...., Amsterdam, 1007 MB, Netherlands

    Baudewijntje P.C. Kreukels

  2. Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Department of Medical Psychology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, 1007 MB, Netherlands

    Thomas D. Steensma

  3. Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Department of Child and Adolescent Psych, VU University Medical Center, P.O. Box 7057, Amsterdam, 1007 MB, Netherlands

    Annelou L.C. de Vries

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Pfäfflin, F. (2014). Identity: A Historical and Political Reflection. In: Kreukels, B., Steensma, T., de Vries, A. (eds) Gender Dysphoria and Disorders of Sex Development. Focus on Sexuality Research. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7441-8_17

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