Ask Matt: Not Trans Enough for the Textbooks?
November 5, 2012 by Matt Kailey
http://tranifesto.com/2012/11/05/ask-matt-not-trans-enough-for-the-textbooks/A reader writes: "I am trying to puzzle out some things about my own body dysphoria and would like to ask you this question about dysphoria in general. Do you think it stems from a physical misrepresentation in the brain or a learned response?
"By physical misrepresentation I mean that the brain is wired in its neurons to perceive one set of genitalia but the body winds up with another set. By learned response I mean that the person perceives their gender as one way (socially and privately) and because their body is not aligned, they eventually develop confusion and despair over their body.
"I am asking because it seems many 'documentaries' and such about trans people feature a young child explaining how they wish their penis was gone or something. But how much of that is strictly physical and instinctive and how much is psychological? What would happen if a trans child wasn't taught about the difference between male and female anatomy?
"I'm sure many people here, like me, feel 'not trans enough' because they didn't display that textbook notion of insistent gender dysphoria at a young age. Does it matter?"
