It happened last month, but nobody paid much attention until now: Transsexualism has been removed from a list of mental disorders in France. Time magazine published a piece Tuesday that places the issue into a larger historical context: "Several decades have passed since the West stopped considering homosexuality a mental illness. But for transsexuals, that kind of milestone has been elusive -- until now. Last month, France became the first country in the world to remove transsexualism from its official list of mental disorders -- a major victory when it comes to acceptance of this oft misunderstood condition." Transsexuals and allies in the country—and around the world—are enjoying their moment for now, but they acknowledge that this is just a start. "In practice, the declaration will do little to improve their legal or medical rights in the country,"Time noted. Transsexuals are not legally recognized as their chosen gender until completing a sex-change operation. And a sex-change operation is not an option until passing evaluations by doctors and psychiatrists. "It's a symbolic victory," Georges-Louis Tin, the president of a group that fights homophobia and transphobia, told Time.
Read original story in Time magazine | Tuesday, March 2, 2010
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