Ask Matt: Are There Different Ways to Be Transgender?
July 9, 2012 by Matt Kailey
http://tranifesto.com/2012/07/09/ask-matt-are-there-different-ways-to-be-transgender/A reader writes:
"Is it normal to feel transgender but not really have body dysphoria?....Can people psychologically deal with their transgendered state in different ways?"
The answer to both your questions is yes, but it depends on how you define "transgender." Transgender is not a diagnosis – it is a label applied to a condition, personal identity, and/or group, depending on who is doing the defining.
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I think that there are a couple of pitfalls to avoid for people questioning their gender identity or their identity as trans (or even the possibility of a GID diagnosis). Those pitfalls are: 1) taking specific sets of criteria too seriously, and 2) not taking specific sets of criteria seriously enough.
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Transition is a medical necessity for many people. It's not something that we do for fun. It's something that we have to do in order to survive. But transition is not the answer for others. There are many ways to deal with a gender/sex mismatch, depending on the amount of psychological anguish and discomfort it is causing.
