Definitions
Gender
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The behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex
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Dysphoria
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An emotional state characterized by anxiety, depression, or unease
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Euphoria
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A feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness
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Diseasification of being socially non-conforming
Gender Dysphoria is the feeling of discomfort or distress that might occur in people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth or sex-related physical characteristics.
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Here are some relevant quotes from Wikipedia:
DSM-V has generated controversy and criticism, including ongoing questions concerning the reliability and validity of many diagnoses; the use of arbitrary dividing lines between mental illness and "normality"; possible cultural bias; and the medicalization of human distress.
From Wikipedia again:
ICD was more often used for clinical diagnosis while the DSM was more valued for research.
ICD tends to put more emphasis on clinician judgement and avoiding diagnostic criteria unless they are independently validated. That is, the ICD descriptions of psychiatric disorders tend to be more qualitative information, such as general descriptions of what various disorders tend to look like. The DSM focuses more on quantitative and operationalized criteria; e.g. to be diagnosed with X disorder, one must fulfill 5 of 9 criteria for at least 6 months
Let's pause for a second here and note the common unconscious and subtle bias. Mayo Clinic: Their url has "diseases" to the Gender Dysphoria reference. The DSM has "Mental DISorders" in its title. The D in ICD is "Diseases".
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Reading the description of "Gender Dysphoria" in the DSM is depressing. It's full of references to self-harm and self-hatred.
Society induced
Gender Dysphoria is a "mental disorder" caused by society.
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Gender Dysphoria is caused by the Karens and Chads having an opinion about how an individual presents themselves. Gender Dysphoria is arguably NOT a mental disorder at all. If society stopped imposing gender expectations, Gender Dysphoria would disappear.
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Gender Dysphoria is emotional trauma inflicted on transgender people by others' indifference. Indifference around pronouns. Indifference around the trans person's chosen name. It is that extra bit of space that is created to separate oneself from that "odd person".
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Gender Dysphoria is the end result of years of emotional trauma inflicted by society.
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As a member of society, you have the ability to help heal a trans person. Keep reading to hear how.
Insurance requirement of Gender Dysphoria aka pain-as-proof-of-transgenderness
My experiences with navigating the health care system are inline with this quote:
Both historically and in the present day, trans people seeking gender-affirming medical care have often felt the need to selectively narrate their experiences in a way that is legible to care providers operating in a medial model. This has often meant emphasizing dysphoria and distress over other aspects of experiences of gender (Bolin 1988; Davy 2015; Johnson 2015; shuster 2021). This pervasive focus on distress has detrimental impacts on the lives of trans people. Budge, Orovecz, and Thai (2015, 422) argue that the overwhelming emphasis on dysphoria and distress in trans narratives “fuels anxiety and anticipatory negative emotional processes” for trans people and limits their ability to experience and express positive emotions. Relatedly, Westbrook (2021) describes how activists working to raise awareness about violence against trans people through campaigns such as Transgender Day of Remembrance have argued for the protection of trans lives primarily by focusing on the unjust violence they face, and in the process have constructed trans lives as inherently vulnerable and victimized. An unintended consequence of this strategy is an increase in feelings of fear and hopelessness among trans people, who see themselves as in constant threat of violence. To position trans lives as worth living, Westbrook (2021, 175) argues that we must not only focus on the violence trans people face, but also the joyful lives they live: “narratives about transgender lives should highlight gender euphoria, not just dysphoria, as well as transgender joy, not just risk for violence.” Westbrook and Budge, Orovecz, and Thai’s research demonstrate how transnormativity—and in particular, the overemphasis on trans distress and dysphoria—restricts the emotional expression of trans people.
Let me deconstruct this.
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Society decides gender roles based on the existence or nonexistence of a dangly bit that no one sees;
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An individual in the course of self-discovery realizes that they are more comfortable with interacting with the world in a different gender role than society has imposed on that individual;
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Gender Dysphoria is a measure of the amount of societal pain inflicted;
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An individual can only be transgender if they can tolerate a certain amount of society inflicted pain. Anyone who taps out is not transgender;
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If an individual is in a loving supportive area and thus not experiencing constant Gender Dysphoria then that individual is not transgender;
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Allowed pain formats:
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Marriage breakup
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Rejection by society
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Friend rejection
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Denial of medical care
Therefore
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all transgender people are in pain,
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all transgender people need rescuing as a downtrodden minority (smacks of "white noble progressives rescuing POC" narrative doesn't) (Yes I am white progressive ex-male)
Personal impact of "must-have-pain-to-be-transgender"
I am in a loving relationship. My extended family accepts me. I am doing pretty good in general. I am white, fairly well-off. I can afford a lawyer to deal with illegal rejection by ex-employers.
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In other words, I escape a large amount of societal inflicted pain. When I finally went to a gender therapist, I asked her in the first session:
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Can you prove I am not transgender?
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I am not certain I am transgender because I haven't been challenged with adversary.
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Am I just an extreme crossdresser?
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Mind you at this point, :
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Almost all of my clothing was women's,
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I had 36C cup breasts (DIY HRT),
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I was wearing a dress and carrying a purse,
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I had lasered away my beard
You know normal cis male guy behavior.
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I seriously struggled with the "was I transgender" question so so much because I was lead to believe by mainstream society that being transgender required experiencing pain.
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Isn't it twisted that I would have been able to accept I was transgender if my spouse had been a raging Trumper who divorced me?
Gender Euphoria
The conversations with my therapist suddenly changed when I recognized my Gender Euphoria.
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In both medical and mainstream discussions, gender dysphoria is nearly synonymous with transness itself. Transgender people are born in the wrong body, so they experience great distress over their sex characteristics and use hormones and surgery to change their bodies and eliminate their distress—or so the story goes. But increasingly, trans communities and scholars are pushing back against this focus on dysphoria to make space for discussions of more positive aspects of trans experiences. Ashley (2019) has argued that demanding that trans patients present with gender dysphoria is dehumanizing, and that there are other valid reasons a trans person might pursue medical transition, such as gender euphoria or creative transfiguration. Similarly, Bradford, Rider, and Spencer (2019) have called for future research to go beyond deficit and distress-based models of trans identities. Both Ashley and Bradford, Rider, and Spencer use the term gender euphoria to describe positive gender-related emotions that might emerge from transitioning, a term that has become more common in trans communities in recent years. However, very little academic research has been done on the topic.
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We found that gender euphoria refers to positive emotions resulting from affirmation of one’s gender identity or expression and can include a wide variety of emotions and experiences. Given these findings, we challenge pathologizing narratives of transness by illuminating the joys and positive reverberations that can come with being trans.
Gender Euphoria is this amazing feeling of joy. Gender Euphoria happens when a trans person is recognized as their true gender. I still remember the feelings I got when a waiter ask my daughter and I, "What do you two ladies like to drink?" Or when the person at the Goodwill drop off location told me "Ma'am the clothes box is over there." In both cases, I didn't think I was presenting a woman. I was thrilled that I had been "misgendered". I felt I won the spy disguise championship. Looking at pictures of myself from that time, I did not look as passing as I do now. Whatever those two women saw in me, it was the first time I felt gender euphoric.
Proof of my transgenderness
My first experiences with Gender Euphoria were eyeopening. I didn't experience Gender Dysphoria for years. It was only after experiencing Gender Euphoria that Gender Dysphoria kicked in. Being referred to as a man was suddenly painful. Whereas before being called "sir" was just a fact of my existence, now it because a constant reminder that I wasn't being perceived that way I ached to be seen. I couldn't think of going back. No amount of male privilege was high enough.
Quality of life improvement with Gender Euphoria
People die from depression. However, people don't generally died from the lack of happiness. Not being euphoric colored my emotional world in greyscale. I thought that this was normal. I didn't feel suicidal. The world was simply. Grey. Being truly happy was a rare fleeting feeling. I am married to wonderful woman. I had healthy children. I wasn't sad. I was just vaguely lacking ... happiness. I was on a very high dose of Concerta, an ADHD medication.
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Then I discovered gender euphoria. The world was colorful. Not always wonderful but colorful. Things that might have sent me downhill in depression were overcomeable. My Concerta dosage has dropped and I hope to soon be off of it entirely.
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Gender Dysphoria is a listed condition with a DSM code (302.6) and ICD code (F64.2). Listed codes are codes that insurance companies want to see. Everything needs a code in the computer system.
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Gender Euphoria has no DSM code. Gender Euphoria is not able to be listed on an insurance form to justify the Facial Feminization Surgery or any other medical treatment.
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However, my Gender Euphoria has resulted in the greatest quality of life improvement ever for me. I saw my facial surgery a year after my surgery. He commented on how happy I looked. If Gender Dysphoria is listed in the DSM then Gender Euphoria should be listed as well.
Present Day and where YOU come in.
The estrogen softened my face, rounds my body and gives me sexy curves. My facial feminization surgery shaved off the male hard edges on my face. My voice training work has raised and softened my voice. I (rarely) get called "sir" now. I still experience euphoria every time a woman cashier asks about my cute jacket. Or compliments me on my hair. My hairdresser whom I have gone to throughout my transition gets huge tips because she regularly enjoys cutting, coloring and styling my hair. She thrills me each time she gushes over my hair and calls me beautiful.
Complement a trans woman on their clothes. If a trans masc person is presenting male-ish call them “sir”. See us as humans and you will give someone Gender Euphoria.