Gender Euphoria & Dysphoria--Not Just Trans Experiences

How transgender people experience gender isn't as different as you might think

Intro

Last week, one of my friends asked me, “what does dysphoria feel like?” It’s not the first time I’ve been asked this question, and as the only transgender person a lot of cisgender people in my life know, I’m sure it won’t be the last.

Even people who don’t know anything else about trans people might’ve heard of dysphoria in the news. People who want to take our civil rights away use dysphoria as a means to pathologize us. Neutral to positive media—which rarely lets us speak for ourselves (Wendy wrote about lack of media representation here)—use dysphoria as a pity card. Those poor tr***ies and their dysphoria…

What if I told you that gender dysphoria isn’t unique to trans people? Neither is the other side of the coin—gender euphoria.

I talk about how both euphoria and dysphoria have operated in my life in my most recent memoir entry over on my site.

Gender Euphoria For You. And You. And You.

Healthline.com defines gender euphoria as “when someone’s perceived gender aligns with their …