On Wed, 22 Nov 2000, Nicole Zimmerman wrote:
> It's an autobiography chronicling her time spent in mental institutions
> diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder (as well as family issues). Anyone
> else read it?
Yup. Actually, someone gave it to me after I wrote an article for a 'zine
about lesbians and mental health institutions (mostly going over what I
knew and the documentation of non-lesbian specific issues in psychiatric
institutions and the lack of documentation about lesbian-specific
issues). She said it was too intense for her, and gave it to me -- and I
read it in one night. There's this phenomenon I've noticed -- some things
I have to read *because* they are so disturbing to me. I refer to it as
the 'rubbernecking thing' -- after people who rubberneck to see car wrecks
on the side of the highway. I think it's a similar thing, at least.
> Or have comments about "Gender Identity Disorder"? In the
> appendix of the text, she includes the textbook definition (and diagnosis)
> of Gender Identity Disorder, which is QUITE scary.
I think GID has as much right to be in the DSM-IV as homosexuality.
In other words, none.
> good you look, wow". Do these people realise that there is NOTHING more
> damaging to your self esteem, or no better way to tell you in your regular
> clothes, you're ugly??
It's only damaging to your self esteem if your self esteem is tied up, at
least partially, in your looks. Unfortunetly, in a lookist society,
(almost) *everyone's* self esteem gets tied up in their looks. We live in
a lookist society.
> on several girls who are super-tomboyish. They are going to watch the
> girls all the way into adulthood to find out if they end up lesbians or
> bisexual. (!!) Scary stuff.
agreed. otoh, it's nice to know that someone is at least trying to
prove-or-disprove the (often cited, rarely questioned, but to my
knowledged never supported by real evidence) theory that tomboyish girls
and 'sissy' boys grow up into homosexuals (or bisexuals). Of course, it
still doesn't question the idea that growing up to be a homosexual (or
bisexual) is bad, nor does it prove that forcing girls to be feminine and
boys to be masculine 'solves' for the 'problem' of growing up to be
homosexual.
> Just some thoughts. This was an *excellent* book.
agreed.
Incidently, another good book is _Gender_Shock_ by Phyllis Burke. It also
goes into gender identity disorder, and analysis the arguments for and
against it, and provides a number of case studies of kids being treated
for it.
It's also a disturbing book.
I have Kate Millet's address, and keep meaning to write her (I read
_The_Last_Time_I_Wore_a_Dress_ last february, and it's been on my todo
list since then..bad vinnie). She also has written quite a bit of feminist
analysis that I keep meaning to read. Ah well.
V.
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