What is Gender Dysphoria?

Benvenuto, everyone!

If you’re a returning reader, you probably have seen the word “dysphoria” tossed around. When I talk about dysphoria, I am referring to gender dysphoria. But what is gender dysphoria?

According to the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary, gender dysphoria is defined as “a condition in which someone feels that they were born with the wrong sex.” However, gender dysphoria entails much more than this, and is a key aspect of this blog. This is why it’s so important to understand gender dysphoria and how it affects those who experience it.

The definition that Oxford provides is labeled as medical. This gives the transgender issue an almost clinical connotation, not to mention the verbiage in the definition is, in part, problematic.

I much prefer the description that the American Psychiatric Association includes on their website. “Gender dysphoria involves a conflict between a person's physical or assigned gender and the gender with which he/she/they identify.” This description includes that crucial element of conflict that not all definitions take into account.

The same article from the American Psychiatric Association also explains the difficulty of living with gender dysphoria. I find it better not to paraphrase and simply include a direct quote from the page, as it was said best there.

“People with gender dysphoria may often experience significant distress and/or problems functioning associated with this conflict between the way they feel and think of themselves (referred to as experienced or expressed gender) and their physical or assigned gender.”

People who experience gender dysphoria often experience great distress because of their “assigned” gender or inability to express their identity. I have said before that the voice is often a very big cause of this distress, not having a voice or voice type that coincides with the gender identity.

Of course, this is exactly why I research. If I can help people find their voices and enjoy using them, especially when their voices before caused them pain, discomfort, and distress, I can help the world find its own beauty. The more we understand, the more we can act with humanity.

Remember to love each other.

Cantare!