Asklemmy

Gender dysphoria is a real condition people experience. It was not "made up". It is not culturally specific in the way that the article claims.

What is gender dysphoria?

Also there is a scientific basis for transgender people. Here is one such study.

Gene variants provide insight into brain, body incongruence in transgender

Here is an article on the scientific basis for transgender people.

How Does Science Explain Transgenderism?

What is different between our culture in the West and other societies is that, in the US at least, we stigmatize people who identify with a gender that is different than the one they were assigned at birth. This is stigmatization is what is made up. The gender dysphoria this causes is very real. The reason people in cultures that lack this stigmatization do not experience gender dysphoria is that they are free to explore their gender the way they see fit.

The article, Trans is something we made up, is a constant stream of gas lighting, claiming gender dysphoria is driven by a cultural diagnosis, and a causal disregard for science, ignoring the evidence that explains the scientific basis for transgender people. Trans people in the West aren't experiencing gender dysphoria because someone told them that's how they should feel. That's what any human person feels when they are denied their gender, whether that person is cis or trans. It's just that, in the West, it is common practice to deny trans people their gender.

Here is an example of a case where a cis person was forced to be the opposite sex. They ended up experiencing gender dysphoria, and a bunch of other crazy situations as well. Gender dysphoria is real and not somehow subconsciously culturally conformed to by trans people. The reason it is not universal is that the stigmatization of trans people is not universal. On a related note though, from what I've read on the internet, stigmatization of lgbtq+ people, including trans people, is quite wide spread. It seems pretty universal to me, I've read about instances of discrimination in the US, the UK, Africa, the Middle East, India, and China but I suppose there are probably lucky exceptions everywhere.

John Money Gender Experiment: Reimer Twins

Medical treatments for trans people have been shown to be safe and effective. They are not forced on anyone. The people who seek these treatments are doing so as a way to affirm their gender. That is no different than what any culture that accepts gender non-conforming, which includes trans people, allows those people to do. The only thing that is different is we now have medicine and technology to help trans people.

Anyone who wants to make a culture of acceptance for gender non-conforming people should allow those people to make their own health care decisions.