On a post to her personal blog, and cross-posted to Bilerico and Transadvocate, Mercedes Allen reflects on the responses to her original Uh-oh post, including several that have been reported here and elsewhere.
I and others have been accused of scaremongering in the ongoing debate(s) surrounding this issue. Dr. Forstein has some excellent points for us to examine. Some of the other aspects and debates, though, I still stand behind.
Mercedes goes on to respond directly to Henry Hall’s comments:
Henry Hall accuses me of scaremongering with regard to my concerns about removing any diagnosis of GID from the DSM, without some better model to replace it…
…I am not fearmongering: I am saying, don’t cut the trapeze rope until we know that the next bar is within reach.
She also acknowledges the importance of Dr. Marshall Forstein’s statement by saying:
I can admit that my own personal panic led me to overlook the fact that the DSM itself does not recommend treatment. I was wrong and my inexperience got the better of me. This is not a small point, and we need to take some comfort in that. Scaremongering? Perhaps, though not intentionally.
Read Mercedes’ thoughtful and comprehensive response here.
Filed under: Commentary, News, Transgender | Tagged: autogynephilia, bilerico, blanchard, DSM, dsm V, Education, gender, gender dysphoria, GID, lawrence, psychiatric gatekeeping, psychiatry, transexual, Transgender, transsexual, zucker |
TRANScend GENDER 
One thing Mercedes continues to show is her humility in genuinely showing concern for the end result in all this, which is for a better treatment for transsexuals by the mental health community. I don’t know her personally, but I certainly admire her thoughtful input in her posts.