I should disclose that I a m not transgender or non-binary, so I do not speak as someone with direct experience. It is a common assumption that transgenders and non-binary individuals develop desires to be a member of the opposite sex because they are upset about their identities in their current sex. If someone wants to be identified as a member of the opposite sex, it must be because they are upset, correct? Well, that is not always the case. And that incorrect assumptions stems from how we think primarily of transgender people. When we are born, a doctor assigns a sex to us based on our appearance. Babies doctors identify as a male live on as a males, and babies identified as females live on as females. But a transgender woman means the individual was identified by a doctor as a male, but has gone on to live life as a female. A transgender male was identified by a doctor as a female, but goes on to live as a male. Some transgenders identify themselves as neither members of the binary scale, and therefore identify themselves as non-binary. Per the FAQ of the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), transgender realize where they fit on the binary scale the same way individuals identify as gay, or even straight--they just know. Admittedly, the fact they can identify with neither binaries can lead to an identity crises, which could cause some cases of gender dysphoria. But it is not only gender dysphoria that transgenders and non-binaries ponder as they dwell on their identities. The NCTE states that transgenders recognize "who they are and deciding to start gender transition can take a lot of reflection". So, gender dysphoria is a normal dilemma transgender and non-binaries undergo, But it is not the only dilemma. Members of this particular binary face other dilemmas not why they do not identify with one sex, but neither of them. CITATION: “Frequently Asked Questions about Transgender People.” National Center for Transgender Equality, 4 Sept. 2020, transequality.org/issues/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-transgender-people.

**What is gender dysphoria?** • [Transgender and non-binary people](https://transequality.org/issues/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-transgender-people) are people who identify as a different gender to the one they were assigned at birth. Non-binary is often used as an umbrella term for people who experience gender somewhere in between or outside of the male-female binary. • [Gender dysphoria](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/) is a feeling of extreme distress and discomfort in relation to one’s gender identity. Often, people with gender dysphoria feel uncomfortable with the gender they were assigned at birth (usually in correspondence with their biological sex). Gender dysphoria has at times been considered a mental disorder, but many now argue [against](https://psmag.com/social-justice/take-gender-identity-disorder-dsm-68308) this label as they consider it stigmatising and harmful towards transgender people. • For many people, experiencing gender dysphoria leads them to realise that they are transgender. [Transmedicalists](https://lgbta.wikia.org/wiki/Transmedicalism) argue that you must experience gender dysphoria in order to be transgender – some believe that being transgender is caused by gender dysphoria, rather than the more commonly regarded view that gender dysphoria can be a by-product of being transgender. • Others disagree with this opinion and argue that [many transgender people do not have gender dysphoria](https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/is-suffering-from-gender-dysphoria-necessary-to-be-transgender-c6de811f89c). Whilst transgender people often feel a mismatch between their gender identity and their biological sex, many do not experience extreme distress about this, and feel comfortable in their bodies and self-expression.

You don't have to hate part of you to be something others don't see.

**While common among the transgender community, gender dysphoria is not a requisite.** [Gender dysphoria](https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2019/1/18/do-you-need-gender-dysphoria-be-trans) is a medical term for when an individual doesn’t feel at home in their own body due to the discrepancy between their biological sex and their gender identity. This often leads to anxiety, stress, and depression. For a lot of individuals, the transition from one sex to another stems from them having gender dysphoria. However, emotional factors, political reasons, and societal influences are also linked to an individual’s desire to begin the transition process. For the latter, they become transgender without ever having to experience gender dysphoria. The commonality here is really the fact that an individual identifies as transgender or non-binary. Life altering decisions, or [affirmations](https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria), apply to the entirety of the transgender and non-binary community, but can additionally be beneficial to those combatting gender dysphoria. These affirmations include: → [Social affirmation](https://nortonchildrens.com/news/social-gender-affirmation-depression-anxiety/#:~:text=Social%20transitioning%2C%20or%20social%20gender,from%20their%20non%2Dtransgender%20peers.): Changing one’s name and pronouns → [Legal affirmation](https://www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/generalpsychiatry/85445): Changing gender markers on government-issued documentation. → [Medical affirmation](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32215775/): Taking pubertal suppressants or gender-affirming hormones. → [Surgical affirmation](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21526-gender-affirmation-confirmation-or-sex-reassignment-surgery): Undergoing vaginoplasty, facial feminization surgery, breast augmentation, masculine chest reconstruction, etc. So while gender dysphoria isn't a universal disorder shared among all transgender and non-binary individuals, it also isn't an ostracizing factor to those who have it. There are facets that can create similar experiences for those that have gender dysphoria and those that don't.