This Month, IN THE LIFE examines the controversy raging over the inclusion of Gender Identity Disorder in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling and political theorist, Paisley Currah, discuss legislation designed to protect trans-people from discrimination at work and in gender-specific public spaces. We conclude with The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a global collective of queer performance artists who defy expectation using the power of parody to promote human rights, respect for diversity, and spiritual enlightenment.

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Looking Back, Pushing Forward

The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) - the "bible" of mental illness - is currently being reviewed in preparation for its fifth release. Among its nearly 300 entries is Gender Identity Disorder (GID), a diagnosis applied to every transgender person who enters the healthcare system. IN THE LIFE looks at the battles being waged within the psychiatric and transgender communities over whether to reform or eliminate GID as a diagnosis, and the implications for transgender healthcare.

A Conversation With... Mara Keisling and Paisley Currah

Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, and political theorist, Paisley Currah, discuss the future of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and how legislation designed to protect trans-people from discrimination in public spaces, such as restrooms, is currently under attack from the religious right.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

Since their first appearance in San Francisco on Easter Sunday in 1979, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have used the power of parody to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency, and guilt. Today, The Sisters are a global collective of queer performance artists devoted to promoting human rights, respect for diversity, and spiritual enlightenment. An Order of many faiths and spiritual beliefs, The Sisters are unified by an irreverent wit and a dedication to "promulgating universal joy."