Trans-Danmarks besvarelse den 5. november 2008 af spørgeskema fra TGEU om DSM klassifikationerne.

I forbindelse med den igangværende forberedelse af DSM-5 har TGEU bedt sine medlemsorganisationer om at besvare et spørgeskema om deres holdning til, om GID – kønsidentitetsforstyrrelse – skal forblive i fortegnelsen eller ej.
Trans-Danmark har i sin besvarelse af skemaet anført, at foreningen ønsker GID – kønsidentitetsforstyrrelse – forbliver på listen.
Supplerende til afkrydsningerne i spørgeskemaet og som begrundelse for, at foreningen ikke ønsker GID – kønsidentitetsforstyrrelse – fjernet fra listen anfører foreningen:

Vi ønsker, at myndighederne skal give tilladelse til en kønsskifteoperation. Derfor vigtigt, at der er så klare definitioner på transkønnethed, som muligt. Det giver både myndigheder og enkeltpersoner fælles grundlag at vurdere ud fra.
Det er en politisk beslutning, om behandling vil blive dækket af det offentlige, men det må formodes, at nogle politikere vil forsøge at få ændret lovgivningen, så det offentlige ikke skal betale.
En GID-diagnose er nødvendig for tilladelse til kønsskifte, og da lov om værnepligt og enkelte diskriminationslove indeholder bestemmelser, der er forskellige for mænd og kvinder, har en GID-diagnose væsentlig betydning.

DSM er en amerikansk fortegnelse. Det må imidlertid forventes, at den kan få afsmittende virkning på ICD-10, WHO‘s tilsvarende fortegnelse, som de europæiske lande, herunder også Danmark anvender.

Introduction

As you probably know, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has recently appointed the members of the committees that will review the DSM-IV criteria. The task of the committees is to make recommendations to the APA on changes, which will be based on new scientific evidence and insights.

The subcommittee on Gender Identity Disorders is currently reviewing the literature for this purpose. The committee believes, however, that it is also important to be aware of the opinions of the community on a number of issues, and of the financial and legal impact a DSM diagnosis may have for individuals. This may greatly differ between countries. It should be noted, however, that the questions do not imply that any decisions or changes have been made.

A number of organisations, primarily based in the US, have already voiced their opinions. Also, some individuals have written about the DSM diagnosis and criteria. In order to have an idea how representative the already expressed opinions are for the international community as a whole, we ask organisations from all continents to participate in this short survey.

The committee will also solicit the input of the transgender community in later phases of the process. This is just a first step.

Please return your response by November 5th as a Word format to DSM5@VUmc.nl

Given our limited resources, we can only process one survey respondent per organization, who ideally is an officially designated spokesperson for the organization.

Please note that the opinions expressed in response to this survey will not be released to the public, except in anonymous aggregated summaries.

Questions

1.	Name of Organization.
	Trans-Danmark, Danish National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals.
2.	Country.
	Denmark.
3.	Name of Person Completing Form.
	Karin Astrup.
3a.	Role in Organization.
	President.
4.	Does your organisation believe GID should stay in the DSM?
	X	Yes.
		No.
		Uncertain.
	Arguments for keeping GID in the DSM (use this space only).
	We want the authorities to give permission for sex reassignment surgery. Therefore is it important to have clear definitions on transgenderism as possible. It provides both the authorities and individuals a common base to evaluate from.
5.	If GID was taken out of the DSM, would mental health care be reimbursed in your country?
		Yes.
		No.
	X	Uncertain.
	It will be a political decision if the cost for treatment would be covered by the public health care system, but we fear that some politicians will try to change the legislation so that there will be no reimbursement.
6.	If GID was taken out the DSM, would physical health care be reimbursed in your country?
		Yes.
		No.
	X	Uncertain.
	It will be a political decision if the cost for treatment would be covered by the public health care system, but we fear that some politicians will try to change the legislation so that there will be no reimbursement.
7.	In your country, is a DSM diagnosis of GID used for official or legal purposes? (examples: anti-discrimination laws; marriage; military service).
		Yes.
		No.
	X	Uncertain.
	If yes, how is the diagnosis used in these situations in your country?
	A GID diagnosis is necessary for permission to undergo SRS, and the law on Marriage, the law on mandatory military service and some laws on discrimination are different for male and female, the GID diagnosis has a substantial importance.
8.	If GID remains a disorder listed in the DSM, would you prefer to change the name?
		Yes.
	X	No.
		Uncertain.
	If yes, what name would you favour?
9.	If criteria for GID for children did not contain cross-gender behaviors per se, would you favour keeping it in the DSM?
	X	Yes.
		No.
		Uncertain.
10.	How many registered members does your organization have?
	( Number:) 52 members.
11.	Did your responses to this survey reflect the official, written position of your organization?
	X	Yes.
		There is no official, written position of this organization, but I have consulted with (number:) members of the society.
		No, I gave my personal opinion.
12.	We have had difficulty identifying representative transgender organizations in several parts of the world, such as Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Asia. If you know of organizations in these regions, please list them below, with as much contact information as possible, so that we may solicit their feedback with this survey.