Have you asked yourself any of these questions before? If so, then continue reading to gain some valuable information that will help clarify things.
Defining Gender Dysphoria
There is no need for a formal definition to define gender dysphoria because the idea is quite simple to understand.
In the last post, I mentioned briefly about some of the details of gender dysphoria and said that I would follow up with the next post. Well, here we are with the next one. If you want to catch up on the tea featured in that post, then click this link down below:
A simple definition that I came up with is that gender dysphoria is the disconnect between gender identity assigned at your birth and the one you identify with. In addition to that, typically there are a host of other problems and symptoms resulting from it that can lead to pain and suffering if not addressed.
Symptoms/problems experienced
Keep in mind, my experiences are from my MTF perspective. It may be different than what you are going through, however, the general concepts and core ideas most likely will remain the same and be applicable.
Here's a list of some of the general symptoms and problems that I struggle with:
- Sex characteristics
- Voice
- Overall body image, structure, etc.
- Mannerism
To me, each one of these represents collections of dozens of challenges to overcome. Some are more minor than others. Some, on the other hand, have challenged me for the past several years and require extensive changes.
Take, for instance, my voice. Many people hate their voice and so oftentimes, this gets overlooked by people who are not familiar with gender dysphoria. This is a poor way to look at it because voice truly does matter for many.
It's important because the way people view you is dependant on how they perceive your voice. If they perceive your voice as masculine, then they will likely use he/him pronouns and misgender you unless you spill the tea. What people consider a feminine voice, on the other hand, will likely view you as a woman and us she/her.
Training my voice to sound more feminine so I can pass is a long struggle and requires months and perhaps even years of dedicated time and effort. Hormones do not change the voice for MTF and mainly can only be done through practice.
A more extreme and vital challenge would be my body image and characteristics. I go through feminizing hormone therapy to help lessen the effects of my male puberty that I went through. Testosterone is quite literally poison in my body. Fortunately, being 6+ months on HRT now, my testosterone levels have dropped considerably while my estrogen levels have risen.
This is a life-changing treatment. It's not a simple process you go through for a bit. It's something you do for the rest of your life as part of the process towards reducing the effects felt by gender dysphoria. Once again though, keep in mind that it differs from person to person. Some people don't experience exactly what I experience and may not undergo HRT, change their voice, etc.
The Correlation Between Gender Dysphoria and Being Trans
One idea that I have come to perhaps explain the ties between gender dysphoria and being trans is that gender dysphoria is what being trans is all about. It's a somewhat controversial take depending on how you look at it but my idea is that, if you're suffering from gender dysphoria, you would usually want to alter certain parts of yourself, e.g. voice, appearance, etc.
When you do so, you're taking part in transitioning. Transitioning is the very process of changing yourself to be more comfortable with yourself or to change how others perceive your gender. Conflict occurs with this idea when the realization comes about that not all transgender people experience gender dysphoria.
Gender dysphoria is not a requirement to be transgender. It just so happens to be so deeply rooted within it that it feels as if they are one of the same.
So What's Next?
Gender dysphoria is quite a complex topic to cover about. At the same time, it's one of the most important to fully understand and realize the gravity of the concept. There is much that I haven't covered yet or even understand myself (after all, I'm still going through transitioning myself).
Exactly why gender dysphoria is experienced by some and not by others requires further discussion that is fit for another post on some other day that I'll get to in the future. Soak up the tea, think about it, and draw your own conclusions from what you've read.
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