1992 WHO declassified homosexuality as a mental illness

1992 WHO declassified homosexuality as a mental illness.

The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder on May 17, 1990, during the 43rd World Health Assembly. While the vote occurred in 1990, the change was formally implemented with the publication and adoption of the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision) in 1992. 

Key Details of the Declassification.

• Official Declaration: The WHO General Assembly declared that “homosexuality is not a disease, a disturbance, or a perversion”.
• The Transition (ICD-9 to ICD-10): Homosexuality had been listed as a mental disorder in the ICD-9 (1977). The 1992 ICD-10 update removed it, though it initially retained the controversial category of “ego-dystonic sexual orientation” for individuals who wished their orientation were different.
• Global Impact: This decision was a major milestone for LGBTQ+ rights, shifting the global medical consensus toward viewing same-sex attraction as a natural variation of human sexuality.
• Commemoration: May 17 is now observed globally as the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) to mark the anniversary of this declassification. 

Context and Preceding Events.

The WHO’s move followed similar declassifications by major national professional organizations:

• American Psychiatric Association (APA): Removed homosexuality from the DSM-II in 1973.
• American Psychological Association: Followed the APA’s lead in 1975. 

Legacy and Continued Evolution.

The path toward full depathologisation continued for decades: 

• Ego-dystonic removal: It took until the release of the ICD-11 (adopted in 2019, effective 2022) for the WHO to completely remove all categories that could apply to people based solely on sexual orientation.
• Gender Identity: The ICD-11 also moved gender-related conditions out of the “Mental and Behavioral Disorders” chapter to a new “Conditions Related to Sexual Health” chapter to reduce stigma. 

The 1990/1992 World Health Organization (WHO) declassification of homosexuality was met with a mix of celebration from activists and pushback from conservative psychiatric factions. It served as a global validation of decades of grassroots pressure.

1. LGBTQ+ Community: Celebration and Continued Activism. 

• A “Hard-Won” Victory: For the LGBTQ+ community, the removal from the ICD-10 was seen not as a gift from the medical establishment, but as the culmination of decades of tireless campaigning by groups like the Gay Liberation Front.
• Foundation for Rights: Activists used the declassification as a legal and moral tool to argue for broader human rights. In 1991, for example, Amnesty International officially changed its mandate to support people imprisoned for their sexual orientation, citing the shifting international consensus.
• Establishment of IDAHOBIT: The date of the WHO’s initial vote—May 17, 1990—was later chosen to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), which remains a key global day of action. 

2. Medical Community: Reform vs. Resistance.

• Generational Shift: Younger medical professionals generally welcomed the change, viewing it as a move toward “gay-affirmative psychotherapy”.
• The “Ego-Dystonic” Compromise: To appease conservative psychiatrists who believed homosexuality was inherently pathological, the WHO (and previously the APA) included “ego-dystonic sexual orientation”. This category applied to individuals who were distressed by their orientation and wanted to change it. Community leaders criticized this as a “poorly disguised attempt” to maintain homophobic bias within medical manuals.
• Opposition: Conservative figures, such as Dr. Charles Socarides, vocally opposed the change, arguing that declassification was a result of “political pressure” rather than science. They continued to promote “conversion therapies,” often using the ego-dystonic diagnosis to justify these discredited practices. 

3. Global Legal Ripple Effects.

The 1992 publication of the ICD-10 coincided with a wave of national legal reforms:

• Decriminalization: Countries like Estonia, Latvia, and the Isle of Man decriminalized same-sex activity in 1992.
• Military Service: Canada and Australia removed bans on gay and lesbian people serving openly in their militaries that same year.
• Anti-Discrimination Laws: New Jersey, Vermont, and the Australian Capital Territory enacted protections against sexual orientation discrimination in 1992. 

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