What if You Feel Transition is Not Worth It?
Is gender transition mandatory? Dr. Z answers questions from the comment section.
Some of you realize you identify as transgender and feel that right now where you're at in your life, gender transition is something that's not really worth it. You feel you don't have the capacity to go through it. You're asking whether that's okay, whether it's a viable choice, and whether not going to gender transition in any way negates the fact that you're transgender.
This topic usually comes up around people who are a little bit older (probably ages 50 and up) versus younger people.
Is gender transition mandatory? Sometimes people have this false idea that because you identify as transgender, gender transition is mandatory. That is not true. Gender transition in no way is mandatory. Gender transition currently is the best option we have for trans-identified people to alleviate or get rid of gender dysphoria. It's basically the best option of treatment we have for individuals. In no way does being an option mean that's mandatory for people to go through—especially if you're older, especially if you're at a point in your life where you've been struggling with gender dysphoria all your life and you realize that perhaps you've developed coping skills that maybe aren't the best but maybe aren't as destructive, and you realize that where you're at in your life, for you to go through gender transition may potentially bring you more distress and pain than not transitioning.
Watch to find out why if you decide that, it's completely okay (you can decide what's best for you to alleviate gender dysphoria—good to talk to a specialist because they can outline different options, but it's ultimately for you to decide whether gender transition is for you, whether it's the right option at this point in your life, and what aspects of gender transition you'd like to go through because gender transition is not a linear process—people decide which aspects they want to undergo, it's very subjective and deeply personal), why Dr. Z has seen a lot of older people who don't feel it will benefit them (feel it's too late in their life, or don't have resources/capacity to go through it—that's their decision and Dr. Z supports it 100%, she may have personal opinions/views on how important true authenticity is, yet at the same time she respects the context and situation the person is in), why not transitioning doesn't negate that you're transgender (maybe you found other ways to alleviate dysphoria without medical/surgical transition—you're open to people around you who know that's part of your authentic identity, or you find ways/times to engage in feminizing/masculinizing yourself and enjoy it, or you bring feminine/masculine energy in other forms of expression or role presentation in your life and that works for you and satisfies that part of you and alleviates gender dysphoria), and why gender transition is never mandatory (it's always a personal choice, always a personal decision—don't feel anybody needs to tell you that you have to go through all elements or achieve whole congruency of opposite sex, trust your feelings and what you feel about dysphoria).
