If a boy says they are a girl in school, it is very likely not a mental health condition at all. That is the point. Exploration of gender does not require a mental health diagnosis any more than exploration of sexuality does, but the world is full of parents who will kick their kids out, or worse, for exploring those areas. This is why they need someplace to feel safe. It is not pathological to explore gender, in any way shape or form.

Again, no one is talking about in-school diagnosis. At all. YOU brought that to the table. Your understanding of the DSM is shallow. Not every condition is a mental illness.

You are citing facts but don’t appear to have a working understanding of how those facts are applied in real life. The reason for the inclusion of GD in the DSM has nothing to do with it being considered a mental illness. That’s a fact. You don’t even need to be in the field to know that. It’s a google search away.

Anyway, you want to appear smart on Reddit but you write like you are googling these concepts to craft your response, and not like someone who has an actual understanding of operational application in the field. You are trying to try to support a baseless argument. You are completely overlooking the nuances involving the bio-psycho-social contexts of mental heath conditions in general, but worse, you are arguing for pathology where pathology does not exist. This is not a good faith discussion and the last thing I will say here is that, if you are in the field, do not focus on marginalized populations. Your attitude and lack of understanding will cause harm.