Gender Dysphoria Sociology

In 1980, the progress of gender dysphoria made its first appearance in the DSM-III (Bryant 1). Gender dysphoria is described as, “A marked incongruence between one’s experience/expressed gender and assigned gender” (American Psychiatric Association 452). Early sexologists Havelock Ellis, Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, and Magnus Hirschfeld shaped medical and psychiatric thinking about gender nonconformity dating back to the 19th century. Gender nonconformity became an amplified interest in the 20th century which led to the shaping of the diagnostic terms by psychiatrists and other medical and mental health personnel who were involved in gender nonconformity. “As research about gender incongruence/gender dysphoria increased, the terminology, placement and criteria were reviewed in successive versions of the DSM. Changes in various aspects of the diagnosis, however, were not only based

They may insist on being called a boy name and are perceived as boys by strangers. Social situations where feminine clothes are required are avoided. Girls may like contact sports and rough housing but will stray away from dolls or playing dress up. Some girls may express the want to have a penis, say they have a penis or say that they will grow one when they are older but will express that they do not want breasts. Natal boys who have gender dysphoria say that they want to be a girl, that they are a girl, or that they will grow up to be a woman. They dress in women’s clothing and use scarves, aprons and towels to create long hair or feminine clothing. Boys with gender dysphoria avoid tough play and prefer to play house, mommy or with dolls. Some boys pretend to not have a penis and insist that they must sit on the toilet to urinate. Although this is rare, they may also say that they find their penis and testes disgusting, and they wish to have or do have a vagina (American Psychiatric Association