“Normal” is a statistical term represented by the following graph:
This kind of distribution can be found along many dimensions of human experience — height, weight, intelligence, etc. The people at either end of the graph, the 2.5% people, are called outliers.
I have heard a number of comments over the years along the lines of:
“I [...]
Transition and Beyond: Second Edition NOW AVAILABLE
Transition and Beyond: Observations on Gender Identity, Second Edition by Reid Vanderburgh, MA, LMFT
Archive for the ‘Gender/Sexuality Theory’ Category
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by Team-Reid
by Team-Reid
Dysphoria is a pervasive feeling of discomfort, discontent, or dissatisfaction with life. “Gender dysphoria” is a term that has been around for a couple of decades, specifying gender as the cause for the feeling of dysphoria. Some of the ways people describe the experience include: “I just don’t feel right in a female (or male) [...]
by Reid Vanderburgh MA, LMFT
I was 39 years old, living as a lesbian, when I first realized I’d probably be happier living as a guy. I did not take kindly to this realization, for several reasons. First, I had quite a life built up in the Portland (Oregon) lesbian community. I was a founding member of nine years’ standing [...]
by Reid Vanderburgh MA, LMFT
By this time, most people in the mental health field are familiar with the distinction drawn between gender identity and sexual orientation. When I do presentations, I usually begin by giving the following explanation, as a “jumping off” point for further discussion: Gender identity is about a person’s internal sense of being male or female [...]
by Reid Vanderburgh MA, LMFT
“She’s a witch” was usually the equivalent of a death sentence, back in Salem, Massachusetts of the 1600’s, whether the accusation was true or not. In the McCarthy era of the 1950’s, “communist” could easily ruin a person’s life, whether true or not. “Dyke” or “faggot” were deadly insults in the 1960’s, and the mere [...]
by Reid Vanderburgh MA, LMFT
In early 2002, the question arose on an academic e-mail list I subscribe to, “How can I respond when a colleague questions my decision to have surgery, her argument being that trans surgeries are no different than liposuction, breast augmentation or any other form of body image-based cosmetic surgery? Her point is that women don’t [...]
