Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo appeared to be taken aback recently when Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) referred to transgenderism as a “mental illness.”
Burchett’s comments came during a dialogue focusing on President Biden’s designation of Trans Day of Visibility on Easter Sunday. “You know, this thing is, it’s, it’s a mental illness. We just gotta address it. It’s it’s not a, it’s not a normal type lifestyle, and and, I can’t… be more… against what the president did. And I think it shows, too. He is just trying to secure his base—” Burchett said.
During Burchett’s remarks, Bartiromo acted shocked. “Mental illness?” she interrupted incredulously. After allowing Burchett to finish his thought, Bartiromo said, “And I don’t know what you’re saying in terms of mental illness. I have no idea what you’re talking about in that regard.”
Transgenderism — known clinically as gender dysphoria (GD) — was previously recognized in psychiatry and psychology as a mental disorder called gender identity disorder (GID). GD replaced GID as the preferred term in 2013 with the publication of an updated Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. According to the American Psychiatric Association, “Mental Illness…refers collectively to all diagnosable mental disorders.”
WATCH:
GOP Rep. Tim Burchett describes being transgender as "a mental illness," which goes too far even for Maria Bartiromo.
"I don't know what you're saying in terms of mental illness. I have no idea what you're talking about in that regard," she says. pic.twitter.com/13OhNARS7G
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 1, 2024