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Clover Dolph

Nikolas Gardiakos

ENC1102

October 4, 2022

Research Proposal

Purpose:

The definition of what it means to be transgender varies wildly accross different

communities but, interestingly, it various just as wildly within the transgender community itself.

There is one main disagreement within the community on this topic: whether or not gender

dysphoria is necessary to be transgender. Gender dysphoria, as defined by Merrium Webster, is

“a distressed state arising from conflict between a person's gender identity and the sex the person

has or was identified as having at birth.” While this is not incorrect it does miss some of the

cultural associations of the phrase. Gender dysphoria is usually associated, more specifically,

with the distress caused by one's physical or social appearance not matching that of their gender

identity. Some examples of this being when he/him pronouns are used for a trans woman (social

appearance) she may feel gender dysphoria or when a trans man has breasts (physical

appearance) he may feel gender dysphoria. I plan to research how the different ways of

catagorizing what being transgender means affects gender self discovery. I plan to do this

research to add to the available information in the academic study of gender and language but

also to influence how the medical field views transgender people and the ramifications that has

on our larger society.

I am non-binary. My journey to understanding this facet of myself was harder than it

needed to be because of the prevalence of this idea of gender dysphoria being necessary to be
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transgender. Most transgender people of my generation have done the obligatory “Am I trans”

quizes that can be found with a quick google search. Many of these quizzes are incredibly geared

to trans people who do experience gender dysphoria. Not only this but in my online search for an

identity that felt how I felt, I came across many youtubers, tumblr users, and redditors with these

opinions.

Methods:

The primary method of research I will use to understand how the different ways of catagorizing

‘what being transgender means’ affects gender self discovery will be interviews. I plan to ask a

set of questions to the trans people I know as well as those I dont by putting up flyers around

campus for trans people interested in being interviewed. I plan to ask the following questions:

- Before you discovered you were transgender what did you think it ‘meant to be

trangender?’

- How has this changed, if at all, since you have discovered you were trans?

- Do you believe gender dysphoria is necessary to be transgender?

- How would you define gender dysphoria?

- Do you believe gender is binary?

- How, if at all, do you believe gender dysphoria affects non-binary people?

- Did discovering the concept of gender dysphoria help or impede your self discovery at

all?

- Would you walk me through the process of how you came to understand you were

transgender?
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Discussion and Implications:

The questions I plan to ask were designed with the idea that they will show how a

persons definition of ‘what being transgender means’ affects how a person currently identifies

and how as their beliefs have changed, their identity has changed. The major implications of this

research will be within the academic sphere of gender and language. I plan to add to the

discussion being had of the connections between language and gender. I also would like my

research to be discussed in academic communities concerned with the effects these differing

beliefs have. Medical and political policy is, in many places, made around the idea that dysphoria

is necessary and if my research could help change that, I would like it to.