These 20 Psychologists Weigh In on Gender Identity

Being a counselor, educator, attorney, and author, David Bedrick talks about the need for authenticity in individual identity and the external factors that prevent people, especially transgender persons, from doing so. From his experience, Bedrick has observed “[t]here can be little doubt that the pressure to conform to gender roles impacts women and men psychologically, emotionally, physically, and fiscally tightening the noose of traditional roles and keeping people from expanding their identities beyond these limits." Societal demands dictate how we should look, act, think, and even feel, restricting our opportunities for self-expression. Bedrick supports a love-based psychology to address these limitations. Only through open acceptance and a willingness to adapt cultural norms can people truly tap into their originality and develop an authenticity they feel comfortable sharing with the world. Right now, transgender individuals have a public and a private face, but Bedrick hopes one day this will be unnecessary as society is encouraged and improved.

"There can be little doubt that the pressure to conform to gender roles impacts women and men psychologically, emotionally, physically, and fiscally tightening the noose of traditional roles and keeping people from expanding their identities beyond these limits." David Bedrick J.D., Dipl. PW