The World Health Organisation has declassified gender dysphoria as a mental health disorder and renamed it gender incongruence. It has been reclassified as a condition relating to sexual health. 

Yesterday, the World Health Organisation released the first look at ICD-11, an updated edition of the International Classification of Diseases for the 21st Century. The organisation describes ICD as “a common language used all over the world by doctors, nurses, policymakers, researchers, and many others to classify diseases and conditions so they have the best possible picture of everyone’s health”. They released this video accompanying the announcement:

WHO describes gender incongruence as being “characterised by a marked and persistent incongruence between an individual’s experienced gender and the assigned sex”. WHO have stated the rationale behind the move: “While evidence is now clear that it is not a mental disorder, and indeed classifying it in this can cause enormous stigma for people who are transgender, there remain significant health care needs that can best be met if the condition is coded under the ICD.”

It is not a mental disorder, and indeed classifying it in this can cause enormous stigma for people who are transgender

This marks a huge step towards global destigmatization for those in the LGBTQ+ community experiencing gender incongruence, namely those in the trans community.

The Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) welcomed the changes made by WHO.

TENI CEO Stephen O’Hare has said in a statement: “The decision of the WHO to remove defunct references to gender identity disorder in ICD 11 marks a turning point in the global perception of gender identity. The UN’s directing and coordinating authority on international health has finally confirmed what has long been recognised by trans and gender variant people everywhere – that being trans does not mean having a disorder of the mind.”

“Being trans does not mean having a disorder of the mind.”

“While there remains significant work to fully de-pathologise the lives of trans and gender variant people, today’s announcement marks a significant, if long anticipated, step forward,” he added.