Following the footsteps of the World Health Organisation, Sweden takes the long overdue decision to acknowledge transgenders with dignity.
Sweden’s main health authority, National Board of Health and Welfare or Socialstyrelsen, announced that it will no longer automatically apply the diagnosis of ‘gender dysphoria’ to transgender people.
According to Indy100, this decision follows the decision made by the World Health Organisation in October 2016 to remove the classification of transsexuals from a chapter on mental illness.
Kristina Bränd Persson, the organisation’s head, said in a press release: “This is a completely reasonable change. Many divisions and categories are obsolete. For us, the decision is uncontroversial. We tend to follow the changes the WHO makes.”
Transgender people took to Twitter to express their anger at the decision being taken so late. A Twitter user, Leo Ringqvist tweeted, “We are not ill, most of all mentally.”
According to The Local, Frida Sandegård, chairperson of RFSL, which fights the rights of gay, bisexual and transgender people said, “This is welcome but no surprise.”
Over the years, transgender people have complained of facing stigmatising treatment by health professions in Sweden.
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