Recognition, but also just a step in the right direction. For example, doctor and board member Maddalena Giacomozzi of Treat it Queer sees the apologies that Dutch psychiatrists have offered for pathologizing LGBTQ+ identities.
Doctor-researcher Giacomozzi, co-founder of platform Treat it Queer that strives for better care for gender and sexually diverse people, initially felt ‘relief and happiness about the recognition’ on Thursday after the Dutch Association of Psychiatry (NVvP) expressed regret for the suffering caused by labeling LGBTIQA+ orientation as pathology. ‘It is good that it is also seen outside the LGBTQ+ community that this has been a problem,’ says Giacomozzi.
Trauma
However, the doctor-researcher, who identifies as gender non-conforming, has a comment. “It cannot undo the damage that has been done. There are older LGBTIQA+ people who have traumas,’ he says. ‘And the earlier attitude means that there is still a lot of skepticism, which makes it difficult to express yourself to healthcare providers. That will not go away immediately because of such a statement.’
Giacomozzi also believes that the LGBTQ+ community needs more than these excuses. ‘There are still many barriers, both in healthcare and legal, to gaining access to gender-affirming healthcare.’ For example, Giacomozzi would like to see DBCs for gender-affirming care not linked to the DSM-5, which classifies gender dysphoria as a medical disorder and “therefore, pathologizing is still in play.” They would rather see the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) of the WHO, which talks about gender incongruity, without classification as a disorder, become the guiding principle for those DBCs. That is more neutral and can also form the basis for coverage by health insurers, says Giacomozzi.
The Treat it Queer board member also advocates that a statement from a psychologist or psychiatrist is no longer required for gender care in the Netherlands.
