Overcoming ‘Gender Dysphoria’

Artwork by Nicole Jones.

The pairing of the words “gender” and “dysphoria” is an insidious and anti-feminist one. Gender, a hierarchical construct understood by feminists as oppressive, is inherently distressing. Women and girls, especially, are absolutely right to feel uncomfortable with gender. It has never been something that women should strive to feel at ease within. Perhaps this is why referrals for girls to the Tavistock’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) have increased by 5,337% in under a decade.

In 2013, the term “gender dysphoria” was added to the DSM-5, replacing “gender identity disorder” in the editions before. In this edition, the term “gender” all but replaces “sex”, which is said to be “assigned”. Similarly, in the ICD-11, the World Health Organisation (WHO) removed references to “disorder” and reclassified “gender incongruence” as relating to sexual health, rather than mental illness. Such revisions are in part due to pressure from lobby groups to de-medicalise transition and are part of a larger trend that has resulted in policy capture and a push for new legislation in many countries. Through subtle linguistic changes, over time, the reality of transition as relating to the body has been obscured and sanitised. Many are not told of the risks and are left without the appropriate follow up care. Some even realise after transition that it is impossible to actually change sex. Threshold…