Gender Incongruence
Gender incongruence – a marked and persistent incongruence between a person’s experienced gender and the sex assigned to them at birth.
Gender incongruence may be associated with a desire to live and be recognized as a person of the experienced gender. It may also involve a desire for social, legal, medical, or bodily changes that help align a person’s life and/or body with their experienced gender.
Gender incongruence should not be confused with gender nonconformity. Gender nonconformity refers to behavior, appearance, games, interests, or forms of self-expression that do not correspond to conventional gender norms. Gender incongruence refers to a deeper mismatch between experienced gender and assigned sex.
In the ICD-11, gender incongruence is not classified as a mental disorder; it is placed among conditions related to sexual health. This change is intended to reduce stigma while preserving access to gender-affirming health care.
See also: Gender Identity, Gender Nonconformity, Transgender, Gender Dysphoria.
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