Gender Dysphoria

Transgender means having a gender identity that does not correspond to the sex that is on the person’s birth certificate. A transgender woman means that she identifies as a female, but her assigned sex is male. Many people do not know that there is a difference between gender and sex. Gender is what someone inwardly feels that they are more like male or female. Some people are gender fluid, meaning that one day they might feel more like a male and one day they might feel more like a female, or they might feel like they don’t fit on the traditional gender spectrum and have a specific gender. Sex is what is what you are assigned at birth and is on your birth certificate. Most people identify with the same sex they were given at birth, which means that they are cisgender (Blythe B.2).

Perhaps, you are asking yourself this question, what is gender dysphoria? I have the answer. Gender dysphoria is “ the diagnosis typically given to a person whose assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify.” However, let’s not confuse this with sexual orientation, this does not mean they are homosexual, this means they do not identify who they are as their given birth

Relevant Terminology: Gender identity: refers to an individual’s sense of gender, may be different from one’s assigned gender at birth

According to the Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences of Monash University, “Gender describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine.” (Nobelius, Ann-Marrie, med.monash.edu.au). Sex, says Ann-Maree,“ refers to biological differences; chromosomes, hormonal profiles, internal and external sex organs” (med.monash.edu.au). Sometimes people use these terms interchangeably. Sex has to do with you being biologically male or female, and gender has to do with being masculine, or feminine and is determined by society depending in the culture. The reason these terms are often mistaken is because, usually, if one is born male they are assigned a masculine role in society, and there is a difference in expectations with the masculine and feminine roles. These genders were created by society. There are cases where neither roles apply for a group of people or individuals. These ideals of gender roles being assigned are being challenged by individuals. For example a family member of mine is one of the individuals whom the

There was not much research going into the topic of gender dysphoria compared to other disorders in children, however, there is evidence that researchers are becoming more and more interested about gender dysphoria and seeing the benefits in putting research into it. There could be a possible connection between depression and gender dysphoria in a way that outside factors influences the onset of depression on adolescents with gender dysphoria, outside factors being gender norms in society, possible events that happen in childhood, and so on. It is not to say that individuals with gender dysphoria automatically have depressive symptoms caused by the disorder itself, but rather it is the outside factors that cause depression to occur in adolescents with gender

One's gender identity is someone's brain gender, it does not always match their biological sex. A common misconception is that transgender people choose their gender identity. This is wrong; gender identity is just one piece of each individual’s unique make-up, much like their hair colour or skin colour. Just as a person cannot choose what traits they are born with, a person cannot choose to be

However many individuals interpret masculinity and femininity in very different manners. Along with different interpretations of acceptable gender behavior, people usually relate to this elements in a multitude of ways. However an individual can identify with a gender that does not match their biological sex. These individuals are often referred to as transgender, binary gender, or gender nonconforming. However the inability to establish an identity based on gender can cause serious insecurities in an individual.

According to Ms. Paige, “Generally, people want to see you as male or female. Nothing in-between seems to be acceptable.” However, there are currently 63 genders which people around the world may identify as. Furthermore, according to Kinsey’s Seven point continuum, people may not even be solely homosexual or heterosexual. According to him, there is no clear-cut distinction between homosexuality and heterosexuality. This is because his scale relies on both sexual behavior and feelings of attraction. Therefore, even though one might think of themselves as heterosexual, they may be ambisexual (not solely homosexual or heterosexual). As seen in this aforementioned case, the society someone is placed in may heavily influence their identification. Additionally, there seems to be a lot of misinformation about biological sex. Although many people in western cultures will state or acknowledge the presence of two sexes, this is also not true. As a result of various hormone imbalances prior to birth, a person may have primary sex characteristics that do not fit into one of the two previously mentioned categories. These individuals are termed intersex, as a result of their incomplete sexual differentiations. Ultimately, there end up being six common karyotypes, with XX and XY being the most common.

Traditionally speaking, most people view sex and gender as interchangeable, synonymous, and biological. As more studies and research are done, more professionals are realizing the vital difference between the two terms. Sex, according to sociologist Doctor Zuleyka Zevallos, is the “biological traits that societies use to assign people into the category of either male or female, whether it be through a focus on chromosomes, genitalia, or some other physical ascription”. She goes on to say that the definition of gender is “the cultural meanings attached to men and women’s roles; and how individuals understand their identities including, but not limited to, being a man, woman, transgender, intersex, gender queer, and other gender identities” (Zeyallos, 2014). We see sex as something we are assigned at birth due to the body parts we are born with, and we see gender as the way one identifies with their assigned sex. In the majority of cases, assigned sex and gender identity line up, but less often it does not. In these cases, we see individuals who are transgender, gender queer, gender fluid, and more. More people are coming forward about these different ways they are experiencing gender, so many people assume these ways of experiencing gender are new.

Prevalence – Approximately 1 in 4,000 males and 1 in 8,000 females in the United States. Also, about four times as many females as males are carriers of the altered gene. Fragile X Syndrome is the most common

Both women and men regardless of age can develop the disease, but risk increases after

When someone is subjected to gender roles and they are having problems with their gender identity it can because something called Gender Dysphoria. This is when someone’s gender identity does not connect with the gender roles of their assigned sex. These roles feel virtually unreachable, sometimes they might not even want to fit these roles.

Physical: Female patients with the disorder are generally shorter than one who does not have the disorder. They also have a stocky build, arms that turn out slightly at the elbow, a receding lower jaw, a short neck, and a hairline at the back of the neck (Genetic Science Learning Center, 2014).

According to Hagg and Fellows (2007:4), sex generally refers to anatomy and biology such as male or female, whereas gender refers to the qualities and behaviours society expects from a boy or girl, a man or woman. The definition of transgender refers to a person having no identification with, or no presentation as, the gender one was assigned at birth (Hagg and Fellows 2007:4). The definition of transsexual in Hagg and Fellows (2007:4) refers to a person who had undergone a sex change operation or a person identifying with the opposite sex.

Living a life feeling out of place, with the wrong feelings, and in the wrong body, for a person with Gender Identity Disorder, this is how they feel day to day. According to the DSM-IV-TR, Gender Identity Disorder is characterized by a strong, persistent cross-gender identification, persistent discomfort with his or her sex or sense of inappropriateness in their gender role of that sex. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), children, adolescents and adults who exhibit a preoccupation with getting rid of or losing their primary and secondary sex characteristics, associated with different mannerisms and actions of the opposite sex; while holding a belief that he or she was born the wrong sex are believed to be classified