12-03-2015, 05:14 PM
The simplest answer is that as much as we break down gender roles, gender is still something that is typically listed officially as a binary with clearly defined lines. It is viewed synonymously with sex more than not at present.
What Benton said is all very true as well, though. But I'd like to add that gender dysphoria is not just identifying as a gender other than your biological sex. It is the distress involved in this identification. The disorder is more about the anxiety, depression, stress, etc., that can come about from coping with the situation and/or trying to navigate the world with the feeling of rejection, whether real or imagined. We may see society as progressing on this issue, but we are not very far along in all reality, and so trying to cope with it all can be a huge struggle.
What Benton said is all very true as well, though. But I'd like to add that gender dysphoria is not just identifying as a gender other than your biological sex. It is the distress involved in this identification. The disorder is more about the anxiety, depression, stress, etc., that can come about from coping with the situation and/or trying to navigate the world with the feeling of rejection, whether real or imagined. We may see society as progressing on this issue, but we are not very far along in all reality, and so trying to cope with it all can be a huge struggle.
