ILGA STATEMENT ON GENDER INCONGRUENCE OF CHILDHOOD

We also say that no pre-pubertal child should ever be given a diagnosis because of their gender identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth. or gender expressionrefers to how a person presents their gender through physical appearance – including dress, hairstyles, accessories, cosmetics – and mannerisms, speech, behavioural patterns, names and personal references.. Indeed, any such diagnosis of children has no medical utility.

We maintain that children are ever-changing and developing individuals, who explore themselves, their personalities and their potential as they grow. This includes their sense of, and expression of, their genderrefers to a social construct which places cultural and social expectations on individuals based on their assigned sex., eventually leading to their identity formation. Children develop best when they are encouraged to grow and explore in loving, supportive environments – not stigmatised or medicalised.

Instead of maintaining a pathologising route, we highly recommend that age-appropriate gender-affirmative counselling, balanced information and support for children, their families and other significant people in a child’s life should be made available. Schools, as well as the media, play crucial roles in leading on this, and should be supported in their work.

We strongly support the proposal to remove the diagnoses of Transsexualism and Gender Identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth. Disorder of Childhood from Chapter 5 of the current version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) and any further versions, because genderrefers to a social construct which places cultural and social expectations on individuals based on their assigned sex. diversity is not a mental illness. We also call on the World Health Organisation to refrain from replacing Gender Identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth. Disorder of Childhood with any new pathologising diagnosis, including Genderrefers to a social construct which places cultural and social expectations on individuals based on their assigned sex. Incongruence of Childhood.

ILGA stands united with the global transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.* movement against any form of pathologisation of children.

Signed:
ILGA Board and Staff
ILGA World Transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.* Secretariat