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In the UK, people who experience dysphoria can go through the process of transitioning into their preferred gender and the costs are covered by the NHS. 

The process, while not exactly similar for everyone, is more or less outlined by the NHS as a series of steps, or protocol, monitored by specialists. 

The most important step as identified by trans people is hormone therapy because it allows the body to either delay the effects of puberty, or in other cases, it generates desired body changes such as muscle mass displacement, hair growth and voice range. 

The other stage which a lot of people need in order to attenuate dysphoric feelings is surgery. Which surgery one wants depends on who they are and how their body matches their identity. Some will require no surgery at all while others will want top surgery (for breasts) or genital reassignment surgery. 

The NHS guideline stipulates that a person who wishes to undergo sex reassignment must first live in the 'gender role that is congruent' with their gender identity. 

The issue with this policy is that

1) it stems from a binary conception of gender, which assumes that there are only two options: male or female. This idea is problematic because it leaves out everything else 'in between' and ignores the fluidity of identity. This has a tremendous impact on treatment because a lot of GPs do not know how to advise and help someone who is non-binary and this lack of knowledge is damaging to a lot of people who are thus made invisible and left to figure out their path on their own. 

2) living in a 'gender role' presumes a lot of stereotypical charactersitics about gender that cannot, in reality, be deterministic of whether someone is male or female. What does it mean, for instance, to live as a woman?

This policy is outdated and ill conceived and it contributes to maintaining and reinforcing dangerous stereotypes, stigmatization and often worsens someone's dysphoria. 

Gender dysphoria and current care protocols

Graysen is 22 and non-binary. Their experience with the care system and the waiting lists reveals why it is so imprtant that it undergoes reforms.