So what is gender dysphoria?
Where does it come from?
And what is it actually like to experience gender dysphoria?
I'm Stephan, I'm a trans man,
and I'm here to talk to you today about everything gender dysphoria.
[Gender dysphoria]
Dysphoria comes from the Greek word dysphoria,
which means a state of discomfort or unease.
Gender dysphoria is when a person feels distress
because their gender identity
does not match up with the gender they were assigned at birth.
There are three main kinds of dysphoria:
physical dysphoria, social dysphoria,
and mental dysphoria.
Physical dysphoria is one of transfers and feels distress
because that body doesn't match up with the gender they truly are.
For example, trans men often have dysphoria about our chests.
This is because this physical trait doesn't align with our true male genders,
and this can cause us to feel discomfort and stress.
We can fix that by having top surgery,
which is a procedure that removes breast tissue
and creates a more masculine appearing chest.
The second type of dysphoria is social dysphoria.
This is when a trans person feels distress in social situations
because it might be misgendered
or mistaken for the gender they were assigned at birth
rather than their true gender.
This is made worse when other people don't make the effort
to use a trans person correct name or pronouns.
Being referred to with the correct pronouns
is a great feeling
because it shows you'll recognize as how you feel on the inside
by people on the outside.
Someone uses your old name is called dead naming,
and it can feel horrible as a trans person.
Dead naming makes social dysphoria even worse for trans people.
Lastly, we have mental dysphoria, also called emotional dysphoria.
This is when a trans person feels too stressed
because of their worries about transitioning
and the disconnect between their true gender and assigned gender.
This can be the hardest kind of dysphoria to escape
because it's something that's always lingering in your mind.
Trans people can be badly affected by dysphoria mentally as well.
If left untreated, dysphoria can loop to social isolation,
poor mental health,
and in some cases, self-harm and suicide.
One way trans people help lessen their dysphoria
is by altering their appearance to reflect their true gender.
This can be done by changing their hair,
wearing more gendered clothes,
or binding or padding their chests.
Gender dysphoria can also be alleviated by medically transitioning.
This includes taking hormones and having gender affirming surgeries
to make our bodies match our gender identities.
Not all trans people have surgery or take hormones.
It's not a required part of being transgender or non-binary.
If you or someone you know is struggling with dysphoria,
check the link in the description below
to find a list of organizations
that can help.