What´s Gender Dysphoria?

Fifty years ago, nobody could ever have imagined how widely accepted transgender individuals would be in modern times. Countries all around the world had only ever known about the social distinction between men and women, which is known as ‘masculinity vs. Femininity’. However, now it is much more complex than that; as transgender and gender confused individuals are more widely accepted, it has become more of a case of sex vs. gender. “Sex is the biologically based distinction between men and women centring on sexual organs, while gender is the social and cultural rendering of masculinity and femininity.” (Oakley, 1972) And even though transgenders are accepted into society they still face inequalities such as not being accepted into a particular community, ostracised by families and friends,

Kidd and Witten define the term transgender vaguely, stating it “describe[s] people who transcend the conventional boundaries of gender, irrespective of physical status or sexual orientation” (Kidd & Witten, 2007, p. 36). This term is a reference for the ‘other gender’ that is not particularly male or female. Currently, within the American society, there is a growing awareness of individuals who are transgender. Much of this awareness comes from LGBT movements and

In a world moving advancing with near instantaneous publication worldwide the fringe edges of society have become more visible. One group of people that has had the spotlight shined on them is those suffering from gender dysphoria–persons who are not comfortable living in the bodies that they are born with and are often referred to as transsexual. As of 2010, there was an estimated population of less than 1,000 of these fringe members of our society incarcerated in state and federal facilities. (Brown)

The transgender community makes up a controversial, growing culture in America. Promoting the idea of tolerance, self-love and acceptance, the Transgender community helps support a community that is statistically not commonly received well by the American people of 2015. Many view this uprising as a positive, revolutionary movement that aims to not only help the minority groups of America but progress mindset of all people from potentially

Gender dysphoria is one of the characterizing aspects of being transgender, and while not all transgender people experience this, for those who do mental health often suffers; for this reason many consider medical treatment necessary to improve their well-being. Gender dysphoria, as described by the DSM-5, “manifests in a variety of ways, including strong desires to be treated as the other gender or to be rid of one’s sex characteristics” (Kupfer). It’s often accompanied with distress, which can lead to depression, anxiety, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts. In fact, suicide is all too common in transgender people. A survey of over 6,000 transgender people done in 2010 found that 41% had attempted suicide at some point in their lives (Grant 82). This high number is a trend that continues to be reflected in other surveys, such as one in

Inequalities are hard to escape from in today’s society, and all genders and identities have setbacks that need to be sought out and resolved. When most people hear about gender equality, they automatically assume that the speaker is talking about women’s rights, but both men and women have struggles that won’t just go away on their own. On top of that, transgendered people have another weight on their shoulders, no matter which gender they’re transitioning to. The world is constantly moving in different directions, and no matter the gender of an individual, the fact that they deserve the right to equal pay, treatment, education, visibility, and healthcare still stands.

In America today, change is occurring all the time. It seems so simple just to make a change in the world or within ourselves, but in reality, the people of our society are terrified of the idea of change. Change can come in many ways, such as in technology, education, the workforce, etc., but a big change that seems to be an issue in the world today is the idea of change in gender, also known as transgender. Transgender can be defined as, “denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender does not correspond with their birth sex” (Merriam-Webster). People struggle to wrap their head around those who are transgender because it is not what they were taught growing up. Even though being transgender is becoming more and more familiar today, the concept of changing gender is difficult for people to obtain and is negatively impacting society and the workforce today.

The medical and behavioral (DSM) community has chosen to let go of the more shadowy term “Gender Identity Disorder,” in favor of a less charged and hopefully more suitable term, “Gender Dysphoria,” for transgender individuals. This paper will explore conventional clinical perspectives and subsequent changes therein; survey a few theoretical frameworks, both conventional and more post-modern, in order to gain a better understanding of how to effectively work with gender dysphoria. The main body of this paper will be structured under specific headings, beginning with a brief historical description of gender dysphoria, followed a brief discussion on etiology with some clinical implications. Current theoretical frameworks will be presented

On December 28, 2014 Leelah Alcorn, a transgender student, committed suicide after being rejected by her Christian parents and peers. Her parents’ beliefs prevented her from transitioning from a male-to-female, and constricted her from acting among her wishes as a transgender person by sending her to conversion therapy. Although it was a rash decision for her to take away her life in order to obtain rights for the LGBT community as a whole, there are many cases like Leelah’s that continue as of today because transgender people do not feel comfortable in a transphobic society. A large controversy concerning this issue is the bathroom policy which consists if a person should have the right to go to a restroom that they feel like they belong, not concerning their sex assigned at birth. However, this bathroom controversy is not the only thing that Leelah Alcorn or many others died for. Leelah wanted to defy society’s beliefs against their bigotry against transgenderism.

After discussing what the discrimination against transgender people is, the article offers a look into the side of those who support laws to protect the rights of transgenders and those who oppose those same laws, giving the audience plenty of insight into both sides of the issue. Lastly, the article concludes with how the transgender community faces everyday challenges that are sure to continue through time

“Before I knew I was transsexual, I went through years of pain... It’s only now that I’m living as a woman that I finally feel comfortable with myself” (“Real Lives - Three Transsexuals”). This quote, from a male-to-female transsexual individual who was living as a woman while waiting to qualify for gender re-assignment surgery (GReS), shows the pain that those who struggle with gender identity disorders (GIDS) undergoi while “trapped” in the physical and social constraints of living as their original gender, as well as the relief that comes with living as a member of their “true” gender. Some may argue that use of surgery for purposes of treating gender identity disorders is morally unacceptable since trans sexuality does not belong

In general terms, I have never given gender identity much thought prior to this reading. Yes, I saw headlines about various people undergoing surgery to change their gender, but I did not consider all of the implications, and how it affects many people, other than the person who is receiving the surgery. Gender dysphoria affects social, medical, and even cultural perspectives, Yarhouse points out, when a child begins to show behaviors similar to the opposite sex, it places a lot of responsibility on the parents to how they should handle the situation. This leads off into how companies treat their employees who identify as transgender, and at various other places such as schools at all levels of education (Yarhouse, p. 15). As well as to how

There are concerns for the physical and psychological well-being of transgender people particularly for those who identify as transgender at a later stage in life. Many of the issues surrounding the transgender community challenges the current binary assumptions of gender, gender expression, sex, and sexual orientations (Norton & Herek, 2013). According to Budge (2013), there are two reasons transgender clients seek therapy: 1) personal growth and 2) help with gender

In the past decade, the transgender community has grown an immense size, however with the growth in numbers, it leads to a tremendous amount of controversy and injustice surrounding the LGBT community. From the Human Rights Campaign resource article, “Understanding the Transgender Community,” the anonymous author goes over the background of transgender citizens in the United States and guides the reader through all the challenges they can potentially face in their everyday lives. The author’s purpose for this article was to give the audience, which is the general public and also the people who discriminate the LGBT community, an adequate amount of information about the social injustices the transgender community faces. Some main points that

In a lot of places around the world more and more people are coming out as “Transgender.” The term transgender means that the person’s gender identity does not correspond with the gender they were assigned as having at birth. From personally having a transgender boyfriend I have since realized that these people experience a lot of discrimination in and from society. Many people simply just do not understand what the term transgender means and they see it as someone just “wants to be a man” or “wants to be a woman.” While there may be people who present it this way, it is more so that the individual just “feels” different, and “feels” as if they are “in the wrong body.” Some people experience this feeling at a young age as my boyfriend did in his elementary age. We live in a world who put these people down for being who they truly are, and no human being wants or needs that.