This article discusses issues regarding the pathologization of transsexuality in order to provoke a reflection on the possibility of its depathologization in Brazil, keeping in view the need for comprehensive health care for transsexuals. If to medicine and the psy sciences (psychiatry, psychology, psychoanalysis) transsexuality is a mental disorder, for some authors who think about trans experiences, particularly in the social sciences, humanities, and community health, the living experiences of trans persons question the gender norms that govern our concepts of sex, gender and, ultimately, humanity. However, despite scholarly criticisms and the global movement in support of the depathologization of trans identities, in Brazil a pathological interpretation of trans not only sustains its definition as a psychiatric disorder, but also guides public policy towards this segment.
transsexuality; depathologization; public policy; comprehensive health care