Emily's Cat
Rarely prone to hissy-fits
I think it would be persuasive to people who only consider it shallowly.Don't recall whether this write-up has been shared at some point in the last few years of this thread, but it's a new year so here goes:
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Being Trans Is Not A Mental Illness - NeuroLogica Blog
On the current episode of the SGU, because it is pride month, we expressed our general support for the LGBTQ community. I also opined about how important it is to respect individual liberty, the freedom to simply live your authentic life as you choose, and how ironic it is that often the people...theness.com
I'd be interested in hearing whether anyone finds Novella's take persuasive.
Perhaps the largest gap in Novella's take is that they're discussing mental illness solely from the perspective of whether it causes challenges to the individual. It's all about whether being trans in and of itself causes the trans identifying person distress or difficulty.
In reality, however, most diagnoses include a clause relating to the illness representing a problem for other people as well. For example, yes my sister's bipolar disorder has caused a lot of hardship for my sister - it's made it difficult for them to have a healthy relationship, or a good job, and it's strained their relationship with their children. But it also has caused problems for other people. It's caused problems for me when my sister was in the midst of an episode and wouldn't stop calling me at work, sent me 40 texts, and started accusing me of conspiring behind their back
An even more extreme illustration can be made when we talk about psychopaths. Being psychopathic doesn't actually cause the psychopath any meaningful distress or challenges... but it represents a significant risk to everyone else around them.