Could gender dysphoria be related to sexuality dysphoria?

I'm unsure what you're asking. Related how? Are you asking if people with gender dysphoria often have sexuality dysphoria or vis versa? Are you trying to ask if gender dysphoria is caused by sexuality dysphoria or vis versa? Are you trying to ask if the two are the same thing? Or are you asking something else and I've missed it entirely? I'll try to answer very broadly and you'll have to forgive me if I miss the mark.

There have certainly been homosexual people that have tried transition because they couldn't accept themselves as gay. Which is exactly why it's the first thing that's ruled out by any competent gender therapist before allowing someone to take hormones or have surgery. Social pressure to conform to being heterosexual and not gender dysphoria seems to be the motivation for these people though.

You say you know that social pressures can't count for everything but how do you know that? Moreover you say it's a full cultural-personal identity dissonance. I certainly haven't seen anything to suggest your claims are true. Could you present the data that backs up your claim? I'm far from an expert on the subject and I'd be interested to have a look if I've missed something.

That said in the majority of cases gender dysphoria doesn't appear to have anything to do with sexuality dysphoria. Any trans person I've talked to doesn't list sexual orientation as a motivation for transition and I've seen no research that suggests the two are related. The medical community doesn't seem to have seen this research either since, as I said earlier, discomfort with ones sexuality as a motivation for transition immediately disqualifys someone for transition.

You keep calling it a straw man for some reason but there are gay, lesbian, bi, and straight trans men and women. Go to a trans support group or LGBT center and talk to some of the trans people there. Some of them will most likely identify as gay, lesbian, or bi. I'm not really sure how pointing out observable reality is a straw man. If this point isn't addressing your questions then you need to clarify what it is you're asking because we're obviously not getting it.

If gender dyphoria is related to sexuality dyphoria then why would many trans people have no problems identifying as LGB after transition? These people shouldn't exist if the two were related or if one caused the other but they do.

Until you clarify what you're asking I don't think I can go any further so I'll leave it at that. I hope this answer helped.

EDIT:

"Is the process of dysphoria similar among modes?"

As trans people we live with or have lived with gender dysphoria. We cope with it the best we can and seek out the only treatment available that has any success. But that doesn't make us experts on psychology and doesn't mean we'll have the means to answer your question.

You'd be better served looking at what the scientific literature has to say on the subject or by talking with psychologists working in the field. Instead of asking what are largely laymen here on Y!A

Going back to your original question. Could they be related categorically, causally, by psychological or neurological motivation, by effect, etc.? Maybe. I'm not a psychologist and far from an expert on the subject so that's the best I can do.

Dysphora is the opposite of euphoria. When it comes to gender, there is a real, physical cause for dysphoria. A brain of one gender does not function well when it is in the wrong chemical environment. In other words, if a brain was set "female" in the womb, and years later is inside a body that is producing testosterone, there will be a distinct feeling of anxiety and dissonance until the testosterone is gone and replaced by estrogen.

There is no such analogue in homosexuality. A gay man's brain expects a testosterone environment, and a lesbian woman's brain expects an estrogen environment. The self-loathing homosexual people feel is not a dysphoria, it is a result of external social pressure to conform. Take away the expectations of society, and a person's sexuality is neither inherently right or wrong. Transsexual people will feel dysphoria whether they are surrounded by people, or alone in a cabin in the wilderness.

EDIT:

I had written a pretty in-depth response, but I suddenly had a realization.

Gender dysphoria and sexuality dysphoria are related in at least one way. Often times, when a person transitions, they experience what appears to be a shift in their sexuality - which we all know is fixed before birth - so how/why does this happen? Obviously people with gender dysphoria who experience this shift must have had some sort of sexuality dysphoria that they buried deeply into their unconscious. It took the resolution of the gender dysphoria to alleviate the sexuality dysphoria that was so extreme it could not be acknowledged on a conscious level. Probably many people who go through this were not even aware their sexuality dysphoria existed.

So while sexuality dysphoria does not have an effect on gender, it's obvious that gender dysphoria can have an effect on sexuality (or more specifically ACKNOWLEDGED sexuality)

I will have to give this one more thought.

Generally speaking most transsexual individuals have some knowledge about their gender identity long before the concept of sexuality comes into play.

For a example someone on the extreme end of the Benjamin Scale will typically express their identity when they are old enough to start socializing with others, and the adults start labeling behaviors associated with so called societal gender roles.

For example; “no, you’re a boy and you have to play with trucks and can’t wear dresses”

As a gender dysphoric youth matures, they may develop a dislike towards societies definition of certain sexual behaviors rather than say a dysphoria towards their own sexuality.

It’s an interesting question, but unless the individual has a Transvestic fetishism, which by its own definition isn’t related to transsexuality then I would say no, gender dysphoria isn’t related to sexual dysphoria.

The confusing aspect which I think spawns this question, is that transsexuality has noting to do with sexuality.

It’s long been defined by several different people that sex is what’s between your legs gender is what’s between your ears. And the physical act of sex along with an individual’s orientation or preference is one’s sexuality.

I love this exchange - some very fine insights here.

I think it is possible for the two to be related in some cases. I recall a few talk shows (not the most credible source, I know, but still there could be people like this out there) that featured one person who had changed genders, but not orientations, it seems possible that someone could change genders and orientations too if one had been suppressing that orientation prior to surgery...

You should search the Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality Series - and/or the databases psychINFO,psychARTICLEs for more insight.

There is an article here which touches on the topic -

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17194681 - you might try emailing the author @ -s.mclaren@ballarat.edu.au

Here is another - you might contact this author as well:

http://www.apa.org/topics/sexuality/transgender.as...

I don't care if you block me, you are almost nonexistent in my world. Stop the threats. LOL

Anyway, gender dysphoria has nothing to do with sexuality! Case point: A mtf, woman who is trapped in a mans body transitions to become a lesbian. Case point 2: A ftm, a man trapped in a womans body transitions to become a gay male. Now, if your hypothesis is true, wouldn't all transsexuals be attracted to their biological sex?

Case point 3: Transpeople can never be defined as straight in society's standard..Though, some of us are.

case point 4:Transsexuals dont have a struggle with their sexuality, it's our gender(brain sex) that doesn't match with our bodies. Furthermore, it's so much easier to be a lesbian than a ftm. So why would I pick being trans over being a lesbian? Seriously! Wow!

Case point 5:There are transgender children that know nothing of their sexuality but they do know their innate sense of self which is either male or female.

Come on, you got to do better than this! Your theory has been torn to shreds.

And a little more information about transpeople since I see you know zero about it. Case point 6: Actually,transsexualism is not a mental disorder,it's purely biological. Homosexuality was a mental disorder at one point, and was removed.

So, dont throw that psychobabblee at transpeople. GID is about to be removed from the DSM anyway.

Straight people can have sexuality dysphoria too

"transsexuality" is not driven by sexuality it's confusing to describe due to the use of words. In simple terms, "transsexuality" is a birth condition, which does indeed cause a great deal of distress for the individual who is attempt sort their feelings and accept themselves. This "transsexuality" is not driven by sexuality it's confusing to describe due to the use of words. in simple terms, "transsexuality" is a birth condition, which does indeed cause a great deal of distress process often brings one’s sexual orientation into question also, as society likes to categories and label sexuality based upon stereotypical perceptions. The gay and lesbian community, for social political reasons adopted the term transgender to describe anyone who does not follow the socially defined definition of presenting themselves as strictly on sex or another. so by that definition by “presenting yourself” as an effeminate male this supposedly labels you as a transgender. Confused yet? That’s ok most people are.. it would likely be easier to simply label yourself as you have done, then attempt to understand the “gender dysphoria, as it’s described within tvox the majority of people afflicted with transsexuality know from an extremely early age, however due to societal pressures and lack of language they attempt to quell those feelings, often times increasing their dysphoria. These feelings present themselves prior to ones sense of sexuality. In that the individual simply knows something is wrong, often wondering why they are not allowed to wear clothes and/or play with children of the same gender identity. The “boys aren’t allowed to wear frilly dresses or play with dolls” and “girls aren’t allowed to play with G.I. Joe and trucks” syndrome but for further information, perhaps you should try attending a transgender support group and or seeking counseling from your local LGBT Center.

Exactly what Leah said: gender identity has nothing to do with sexual orientation, end of story

there are also conditions that people don't accept limbs are part of their bodies and want them amputated

perhaps its innate that some people have a condition where they don't accept the reality of their situation, such as where anorexics think they are fat, some people may not accept they are actually female or actually male

Idk.. I mean I can't see myself making love to either sex as a man, it would be too awkward...

o_o

I accept being bi as a girl, now, but not as a guy, ever.

I'm bi. And it goes much farther than sex anyway, just being called a man makes me feel like sh*t.