New Blog Post—Barriers in Transgender Research

Author: Keila Turino Miranda, BSc Honours in Pharmacology, University of Alberta, Twitter: @keila_turino

The transgender community is a growing and underserved population estimated to reach over one million in the USA alone.[1] In comparison to their cis-counterparts, where sex (biological attributes) and gender (socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities) align, transgender individuals experience gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is defined as a persistent feeling that an individual’s biological sex does not match their gender identity.[6] As a result, transgender individuals experience severe distress, which significantly impairs their ability to function in society. This condition occurs on a spectrum, where transgender individuals are at the extreme end. This clinical diagnosis results in gender-affirming hormone therapy initiation, where feminization or masculinization goals are initiated.