HP-02-007 Stigma perception and controversies among gender dysphoric individuals in a portuguese outpatient unit

Abstract

In the last 20 years gender identity questions have been under greater media scrutiny and transgender individuals are socially more visible as these issues have received growing attention by the human rights activists and LGBT associations. In Portugal, the same tendency has been noticed and in the last 10 years more medical services are available to address this population needs. In 2012, identity gender disorder law was published, allowing name and civil sex change whether or not surgery is performed. This process implies an evaluation and a clinical report exclusively performed by certified sexologists. Although this law was considered a breakthrough on this field, facilitating the sex reassignment process, it also has shown some fragilities, raising controversy within transgender communities. The main fracturing questions concern self-determination rights and depathologization of these conditions. We aim to collect the opinions regarding the diagnosis itself and treatment process as well as the stigma perception in individuals with gender dysphoria diagnosis.