Gender dysphoria is the anxiety or discomfort felt by people whose gender identity does not correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth. This anxiety can be a result of their physical body traits or not.
However, the pathologizing model used in the health care of transgender people remains precisely because of the use of categories such as gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, and gender incongruence. This goes against the current international human rights system and the legal framework of various countries. For example, Law 26657 pertaining to Mental Health in Argentina states that, ‘in no case can a diagnosis be made in the field of mental health based solely on sexual choice or identity’.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) classifies dysphoria as a mental disorder. Unlike gender identity disorder, this term refers to the discomfort as the problem, more than the search for and recognition of the identity.
Gender dysphoria can occur in any person, regardless of their ethnicity, race, religion, age, or economic status. The everyday life of people who experience gender dysphoria is often affected. At times, they face discrimination because they do not dress according to the gender they were assigned at birth.