The American Psychiatric Association has approved major changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, including the removal of the term “gender identity disorder,” in favor of the more neutral “gender dysphoria.”
Transgender activists have long claimed the term “disorder” is stigmatizing, and equate the change with the removal of homosexuality as a mental illness. The request to change the terminology was made over the summer, though it was just officially approved on Saturday.
DSM-5, the first major overall of the APA guide, will be released in May 2013.