WHO Says Transgenderism Not Mental Health Disorder, but Ex-LGBT People and Researchers Disagree

The World Health Organization now says being transgender is no longer a mental health disorder.
 
It's the first major shift in a diagnosis in more than 25 years. What the WHO used to call "gender identity disorder" is being changed to "gender incongruence."

 

They define gender incongruence as a condition where a person feels a conflict between their physical or assigned gender and the one that they identify with.

 

Such codes affect how countries determine spending priorities and insurance guidelines. A new WHO report says calling transgenderism a mental disorder can create an "enormous stigma" for those who identify as transgender.

 

"In terms of healthcare provision, we don't expect much change because this category will still have a place in ICD (International Classification of Diseases). In fact, it may even increase access because it will reduce stigma and it will help individuals to seek care more," said Dr. Lale Say, WHO coordinator for the Department of Reproductive Health and Research.

 

In February, the American Academy of Pediatrics published findings that more teenagers are beginning to use "non-traditional gender terms" to self-identify. The study also found that those same students who claimed to be transgender also reported worse mental and physical health than other kids.

 

Dr. Michelle Cretella, president of the American College of Pediatricians, says it's a big problem that the use of the term "gender" has been morphed over time to invent more than 60 different "genders."
 
"Our sex is binary," Dr. Cretella previously told CBN News. "It's an objective biological trait, and that's what we need to get back to. Thoughts and how we perceive ourselves are not hardwired by biology and can be correct and incorrect."

 

Another previous report by two Johns Hopkins University researchers also indicated that environmental factors may be involved in the formation of sexual identity, pointing to scientific evidence that shows LGBT-identifying people are not "born that way."

 

The Johns Hopkins study also concludes there is no evidence to suggest that children should be encouraged to become transgender if they exhibit opposite gender behavior. And it especially warns against any treatments or surgeries on young people who identify with the opposite gender.

 

"Sexual orientation and gender identity resist explanation by simple theories. There is a large gap between the certainty with which beliefs are held about these matters and what a sober assessment of the science reveals," it states.

 

Written by Dr. Lawrence S. Mayer and Dr. Paul R. McHugh, and published in The New Atlantis, the report evaluates data from over 200 peer-reviewed studies.

 

"This report highlights that it does not look like sex reassignment are the best medicine for very many people," he said. "It seems like in many cases this treatment does not provide the outcomes that both the patients and the doctors are hoping for."

 

Meanwhile, people who have come out of LGBT lifestyles say the power of God can help heal sexual identity disorders. Many people who have voluntarily abandoned their LGBTQ lifestyles have participated in events like The Freedom March, or recently protested a bill by California lawmakers who are trying to ban efforts to provide biblical counseling to those struggling with same-sex attraction. 

 

"I am a living example that there is revival in the LGBT community," MJ Nixon, an ex-lesbian and co-founder of the Freedom March, told CBN News. "When I came to Christ, He really showed me the truth of my real identity."

 

Ken Williams and Elizabeth Woning minister at Bethel Church in Redding, California. They describe themselves as "once gay" and know personally that change is possible.

 

"I would never have made it without the ability to go find a counselor that was going to tell me, 'Hey, Jesus cares about this issue,'" Williams previously told CBN News.