(This is one of the reasons that Pride is so wonderful, especially for those of us who feel invisible or marginalized in other areas of our lives.) Gender euphoria is the psychological state of bliss and comfort that happens when our gender expression is aligned with our identity. It’s the invisible rainbow over our heads that glitters when we own our true selves. It’s the rosy light inside us that we feel when we are seen and loved. If gender dysphoria is the dark cloud over our heads, gender euphoria is the sunbeams that warm our skin. There is so much emphasis on gender dysphoria that it’s easy to forget that gender euphoria is just as vital and present for us. ![]() Just as our trans ancestors did, we adapt, love, and thrive. The good news is that acknowledging our identity, working with providers who understand, and living authentically can resolve gender dysphoria. Experiencing this level of constant stress for years can be very painful and lead to other mental health issues, substance use problems, and depression. This psychological distress can also come from being called by a name or pronouns that don’t fit. Constantly feeling like you have to blend in can create dysphoria. Gender dysphoria can show up in unexpected ways in many areas of our lives. Body Dysphoria: This one is the most well known, and has to do with discomfort with the person’s body, which can include a variety of things from height to genitals.Social Dysphoria: discomfort occurs when being perceived by others, this can be caused by being misgendered by others, and being titled incorrectly, and is extremely common in nonbinary folk.Cognitive Dysphoria: In which a person’s mind/thoughts are against their gender identity, this is slightly less known, and can involve misgendering oneself or referencing their past self as a separate person.Em Murphy wrote that there are three kinds of gender dysphoria: ![]() Gender dysphoria might cause you to dress in a particular way, to camouflage the parts of your body you can’t stand or to try to fit in with other people of your assigned or assumed gender. It can be a feeling of distaste or disassociation from certain body parts. (Some transgender people don’t ever experience gender dysphoria.) It can manifest as a feeling in your body: the sense that you’re wearing a costume, or that your body doesn’t “fit” correctly. Why define yourself by what you are not, instead of what you are? Gender dysphoria can be dramatic in some people and subtle in others. However, coming to gender with a negative definition doesn’t work for all of us. A diagnosis of gender dysphoria is sometimes required for many gender-affirming treatments, such as hormone therapy or surgery. It is an expansive term that goes beyond the DSM-IV definition: “psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity.” This definition is often used to identify a transgender person. Gender dysphoria is a medical term that describes the feeling many of us have of not belonging. Even when the dominant culture didn’t want to acknowledge us, we took care of one another and survived. Transgender and gender nonconforming people have always existed. However, it’s not the only sign that our identity doesn’t square with binary gender. Gender dysphoria can be a physical sensation or a psychological one. In our culture, anyone who doesn’t fit into standard gender categories might feel this way. ![]() Some people describe gender dysphoria as a sense of displacement. For those of us who identify as nonbinary, transgender, genderfluid, gender non-conforming, agender, or genderqueer, the binary just doesn’t work. Blue for boys, pink for girls, and strictly segregated single-sex spaces are some of the first ways we experience the gender binary. The moment we begin to know who we are, we start to experience how binary gender is normalized. Beyond Gender Dysphoria and Why Your Joy MattersĬlaiming your identity is a powerful, political act in a culture that wants gender to be simple.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |