Remove SM and fetish diagnoses
Stigmatizing minorities by diagnosing their sexual orientation is as disrespectful as discriminating people because of their race, ethnicity or religion. Photo by Svein Skeid, Europride 2002 in Cologne.
| Get involved! The purpose of the ReviseF65 project is to remove Fetishism, Transvestism and Sadomasochism as psychiatric diagnoses from the International Classification of Diseases published by the World Health Organization. Contact ReviseF65 Join the discussion group What's new? To the main page Revisef65 is not responsible for links to external internet sites. We do not have any control over their contents that can be changed by others. Please tell us if you find racist, nazi, bareback or illegal links, and we will remove them. |
The purpose of this site is to get SM/leather/fetish groups and mental health professionals all over the world involved in the work to remove Fetishism, Transvestism and Sadomasochism as psychiatric diagnoses from the ICD, the International Classification of Diseases published by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The views of psychiatry on the subject of SM, fetishism and Transvestism, have hardly changed in the last 100 years. These sexual preferences or orientations have been classified as "diagnoses" in the ICD since 1948.
Even though the paraphilias in question are very rarely used, the stigma of being diagnozed in this way can serve to justify the harassment of sexual minorities.
The U.S. Leather Leadership Conference documents that between one-third and one-half of the leather/SM population suffer discrimination, violence or persecution because of their sexual orientation and identity. As with other forms of assault, women are the chief sufferers, losing their jobs, or even their children, because of their SM love, lifestyle and self-expression.
The Revise F65 project group is of the opinion that stigmatizing minorities by diagnosing their sexual orientation is as disrespectful as discriminating people because of their race, ethnicity or religion.
We consider SM and Fetishism as positive and healthful parts of peoples lives. To accept one's SM orientation, preference, sexuality and love is essential for a healthy life, identity and decisive for the ability to protect oneself against sexually transmitted diseases.
Among others, the official appointed british Law Commission (No 139 1995 paras 10.38) establishes that such harassment and low self-esteem seriously impair the ability to practise safer sex and prevent hiv-transmission.
The Revise F65 project work to abolish Fetishism, Transvestism and Sadomasochism as psychiatric diagnoses was initiated in 1998 after a mandate from the Norwegian National Association for Lesbian and Gay Liberation (LLH).
The project group which works on a national and international level, consists of SM/Leather/Fetish men and women representing organizations of leather and SM lesbians, gays, bi and heterosexuals, as well as professionals in sexology, psychology and psychiatry.
The work is supported by the Norwegian Association of Gay and Lesbian Physicians HLLF, the Norwegian Society for Clinical Sexology NFKS, the 1999 European Conference of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), and the 2000 General Assembly of the European Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (ECMC).
Possible strategies
The initiative of individuals is always very welcome, but the formation of local and national working parties would be even more effective, to approach the professionals in question.
We think that the strategy should be determined either locally or nationally, depending on the professional and political situation in each country in order to remove the diagnoses both from the national lists and from the ICD manual of the World Health Organization.
Denmark removed totally their diagnoses of Sadomasochism in 1995 - a political decision resulting from a single letter from a SM organization.
In the US, the diagnoses of DSM- the Diagnostic & Statistic Manual - were considerably revised in 1994, after pressure from a network of kink friendly professionals. Sadomasochism is considered to be a healthy form of sexual expression as long as it does not impair the daily functioning of the subject, according to the latest edition of DSM-IV.
In Norway we try to get support from sexologist-, psychologist- and psychiatric-federations on a natitonal level, and we request research-results, in order to provide a professional basis for the a government initiative to remove the diagnoses. In addition we try to stimulate the building of a growing international activist and professional network with the same goal as we have.
Join the mailing list
If you have web pages with SM human rights content, we would like to include a link on http://www.revisef65.org. It will be useful if you place a link to us on your web page. To be informed and have your voice heard - join our e-mail discussion group at http://www.egroups.com/group/reviseF65 and inform others about it. Please alert us to positive, negative or neutral stories about alternative sexual expression.
Submit evidence, ideas and support to the ICD project secretariat.
Join the mailing list on http://www.egroups.com/group/reviseF65
Support to the ICD project
The Revise F65 project was established on the initiative of the 1996 and 1998 National Conventions of the Norwegian National Association for Lesbian and Gay Liberation (LLH).
The 21st European Conference of ILGA in Pisa, October 1999, decided to support the Revise F65 project and ask the Board to assist by giving access to channels of information.
The General Assembly of the ECMC in Milano, August 2000 adopted a motion to establish a project group with the same mandate.
The 
Boards of the Norwegian Association of Gay and Lesbian Physicians HLLF (right), and the Norwegian Society for Clinical Sexology NFKS (left), decided to support the Revise F65 efforts in 2003.Organizations involved
The Revise F65 project group consists of SM/Leather/Fetish men and women representing organizations of leather and SM gays, - lesbians, bi- and heterosexuals, as well as professionals in sexology, psychology and psychiatry.
LLH, Landsforeningen for lesbisk og homofil frigjøring - Norwegian National Association for Lesbian and Gay Liberation
SLM-Oslo, Scandinavian Leather Men, Oslo
Verkstedet Smia-Oslo
SLM-Bergen, Scandinavian Leather Men, Bergen
SMil Norge
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