81 Words

December 8, 2011 11:37 AM

Saturday is the anniversary of the passage of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, one of the true landmark achievements of the United Nations, which provided the opportunity for Clinton to challenge other governments to defend gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. She was quick to admit that her own country does not have the best record on these matters — it is worth noting that her speech quiet pointedly did not mention gay marriage — but announced new initiatives by the Obama administration to combat discrimination around the world, including a "Global Equality Fund" that will support human rights groups that protect gay people.

Beginning in 1947, delegates from six continents devoted themselves to drafting a declaration that would enshrine the fundamental rights and freedoms of people everywhere. In the aftermath of World War II, many nations pressed for a statement of this kind to help ensure that we would prevent future atrocities and protect the inherent humanity and dignity of all people. And so the delegates went to work. They discussed, they wrote, they revisited, revised, rewrote, for thousands of hours. And they incorporated suggestions and revisions from governments, organizations, and individuals around the world.

At three o'clock in the morning on December 10th, 1948, after nearly two years of drafting and one last long night of debate, the president of the UN General Assembly called for a vote on the final text. Forty-eight nations voted in favor; eight abstained; none dissented. And the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. It proclaims a simple, powerful idea: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. And with the declaration, it was made clear that rights are not conferred by government; they are the birthright of all people. It does not matter what country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we are human, we therefore have rights. And because we have rights, governments are bound to protect them.

In the 63 years since the declaration was adopted, many nations have made great progress in making human rights a human reality. Step by step, barriers that once prevented people from enjoying the full measure of liberty, the full experience of dignity, and the full benefits of humanity have fallen away. In many places, racist laws have been repealed, legal and social practices that relegated women to second-class status have been abolished, the ability of religious minorities to practice their faith freely has been secured.

In most cases, this progress was not easily won. People fought and organized and campaigned in public squares and private spaces to change not only laws, but hearts and minds. And thanks to that work of generations, for millions of individuals whose lives were once narrowed by injustice, they are now able to live more freely and to participate more fully in the political, economic, and social lives of their communities.

Now, there is still, as you all know, much more to be done to secure that commitment, that reality, and progress for all people. Today, I want to talk about the work we have left to do to protect one group of people whose human rights are still denied in too many parts of the world today. In many ways, they are an invisible minority. They are arrested, beaten, terrorized, even executed. Many are treated with contempt and violence by their fellow citizens while authorities empowered to protect them look the other way or, too often, even join in the abuse. They are denied opportunities to work and learn, driven from their homes and countries, and forced to suppress or deny who they are to protect themselves from harm.
….

I am talking about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, human beings born free and given bestowed equality and dignity, who have a right to claim that, which is now one of the remaining human rights challenges of our time. I speak about this subject knowing that my own country's record on human rights for gay people is far from perfect. Until 2003, it was still a crime in parts of our country. Many LGBT Americans have endured violence and harassment in their own lives, and for some, including many young people, bullying and exclusion are daily experiences. So we, like all nations, have more work to do to protect human rights at home.

(Department of State, Official Transcript of Secretary of State Clinton’s Speech [Video of speech embedded on page, or alternate YT link])

The 'World' Reacts to Clinton's Gay Rights Speech



But, that is all for the future, and how societies (both abroad, and 'at home') choose to act -- or not act -- the future can only be measured in potentiality; in order to draw a path forwards, it might be instructive to examine how our societies got here. What is the history of the ideas involved? What are some of the forces that shaped modern understandings of Sexuality and identity, and their relatively recent intersection with Human Rights? How have they changed with time? What might previous generations have thought of Hillary Clinton's recent speech? What is the context behind her words? Could a short speech, with so few words possibly be important?

Being gay was considered a mental disorder by psychiatry - until 1973 - when the battle lines were drawn. Reporter Alix Spiegel continues the gripping story that spurred a radical rethink. It's the story of a closeted cartel of powerful, gay psychiatrists; of confrontations with angry activists; a shrink dressed in a Nixon mask, and a pivotal encounter in a Hawaiian bar.


Alix Spiegel's introduction, as she walks listeners through two stories at once, one immensely personal to her, and the other, an amazingly researched explanation of one of the most bitter battles of modern academia --

This is the story of a definition. Three single sentences composed of 81 words. It's the story of how this particular definition became another definition, nine sentences composed of 237 words. Now according to some parties this change from 81 words to 237 words liberated an entire category of humanity. According to other parties it undermined the basic family unit, compromised the scientific authority of psychiatry and 'tampered with the basic code and concept of life'.

Now I should tell you that I know this story not because I read it in a book or learned it in any class, but because it's one of those stories that my family uses to explain itself. Like most family stories, or anyway, like most stories told in my family, the version I heard growing up was an exaggeration, the relevant family member cast as a conquering hero. The actual story, the story I hope to tell you, is of course much more complicated -- but I'm getting ahead of myself.

81 Words: the inside story of psychiatry and homosexuality [Part 1 of 2]

Download audio (mp3, right click, download linked file)


81 Words: the inside story of psychiatry and homosexuality (Part 2 of 2)

Download audio (mp3, right click, download linked file)

show transcript "Note: This American Life is produced for the ear and designed to be heard, not read. We strongly encourage you to listen to the audio, which includes emotion and emphasis that's not on the page. Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting in print."

Homosexuality was once labelled a mental disease by psychiatry. But in 1973 the challenge came from within. The American Psychiatric Association had a change of heart. And with the tweak of the 81-word definition of sexual deviance in its own diagnostic manual, lives were reclaimed, and values confronted. Reporter and narrator Alix Spiegel tells the gripping story from the inside, revealing the activities of a closeted group of gay psychiatrists who sowed the seeds of change, amongst them her own grandfather, president-elect of the APA at the time. From Chicago Public Radio's This American Life.

posted by infinite intimation (2 comments total)

Guests:
Alix Spiegel, Journalist (National Public Radio, USA), John P. Spiegel's grand-daughter

Dr John P. Spiegel: Psychiatrist, Former president of the American Psychiatric Association (died in 1991).

Dr Toby Bieber: Psychiatrist, Married to Dr Irving Bieber (now deceased)

Dr Charles Socarides: Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. Died in 2005.

Dr John E. Fryer: Psychiatrist, The American Psychiatric Association John E. Fryer, M.D., Award is named in his honour. Died in 2003.

Adam Spiegel: Son of John P Spiegel, Father of Alix Spiegel

Publications:

A symposium: Should homosexuality be in the APA nomenclature?, Stoller RJ, Marmor J, Bieber I, Gold R, Socarides CW, Green R, Spitzer RL. Am J Psychiatry. 1973 Nov;130(11):1207-16

The Sexual Deviations and the Diagnostic Manual, Charles W. Socarides, American Journal of Psychotherapy, Volume XXXII, Number 3, July 1978

Dr John Fryer (aka Dr H. Anonymous) obituary, British Medical Journal, 2003 March 22; 326(7390): 662.

Homosexuality: A Psychoanalytic Study, Irving Bieber, Toby B. Bieber, Harvey J. Dain, Paul R. Dince, Marvin G. Drellich, Henry G. Grand, Ralph H. Gundlach, Malvina W. Kremer, Alfred H. Rifkin, Cornelia B. Wilbur, Basic Books, 1962

Further Information

More information about the documentary, 81 Words

American Psychiatric Association

Charles Socarides (biography in New York Times death notice)

The Dictionary of Disorder: How one man revolutionized psychiatry. -Article about psychiatrist Robert Spitzer by Ian Buruma published in the New Yorker, January 3rd 2005.

(DSM-V, previously, also previously, previously 3, 4)

various groups suggest that a similar usage of the power of institutions may once again be at risk of singling out and targeting groups based on outdated ignorance, and prejudice, rather than the "hard science" sought by modern Psychology:

"If a man sought therapy due to unhappiness over his attraction to other men, a therapist would likely diagnose him with depression. If a transsexual sought therapy due to unhappiness over his or her biological sex, a therapist would almost certainly diagnose him or her with Gender Identity Disorder (GID). Whereas gay men are diagnosed for how they suffer, transsexuals are diagnosed for who they are. I find the mental illness labels imposed on transgenderism just as disquieting as the label that used to be imposed on homosexuality."

posted by infinite intimation at 11:38 AM on December 8, 2011

Yesterday.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 11:45 AM on December 8, 2011