GLMA President Henry Ng, MD, MPH, and GLMA Executive Director Hector Vargas, JD, issued the following statement today:
In a move that would forever change the landscape for LGBT people, nearly 40 years ago to today, the board of the American Psychiatric Association ( APA ) voted to declassify "homosexuality" as a mental disorder.
The removal of "homosexuality" from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual ( DSM ) wasn't just a symbolic action… it had real effects on real people. The removal reduced stigma and helped pave the way for social acceptance of LGBT people and the incredible strides we've experienced toward equality.
A growing number of states and localities have adopted nondiscrimination laws inclusive of LGBT people, gays and lesbians can serve openly in the US military, public figures increasingly feel at ease being "out" and the President of the United States regularly includes LGBT people in his public remarks and public policy priorities. These are all signs of the change we've seen, in part because lesbian, gay and bisexual people are no longer seen as having a mental disorder.
At this remarkable point in the history of the LGBT movement, we pause to look back with appreciation for the APA's move and for the incredibly brave men and women who worked so hard to remove "homosexuality" from the DSM.
At the same time, we must look ahead and recommit ourselves to ensuring all within our LGBT community can be free from the stigmatizing weight of being considered as having a mental illness or disorder.
The recent reclassification of "gender identity disorder" as "gender dysphoria" in the DSM-5 is a significant step toward that vision. While there is still more to be done to ensure stigmatizing labels are not associated with transgender people, the terminology and definitions used in the DSM-5 represent a shift toward recognizing that transgender people, like lesbians, gay men and bisexuals, should not be pathologized simply for who they are.
With the progress and momentum we have gained over the past 40 years, GLMA pledges to continue to collaborate with health professionals and their associations to address the health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in ways that improve our health and well-being and advance acceptance of and equality for our community.