Maryland’s recent policy change to cover gender reassignment surgery for state employees reflects a wave of growing understanding and acceptance around what used to be considered a disorder.
In the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), counseling, cross-sex hormones, gender reassignment surgery and legal transition to the desired gender are all listed as treatment options for gender dysphoria—a condition in which there is a marked difference between a person’s expressed or experienced gender and the gender others would assign him or her.
Earlier this year, the AMA wrote that “the only effective treatment of [gender dysphoria] is medical care to support the person’s ability to live fully consistent with one’s gender identity.”
Learn more about the AMA Advisory Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues.
