By Chahat Mahajan
When policies are made that override a person’s self-identified gender, they are not limited to paper they extend into therapeutic spaces as well. When someone’s identity is questioned or put under scrutiny, it can bring up emotional distress such as self-doubt, shame, and a constant need to justify one’s existence. These social determinants of mental health shape how safe or unsafe people feel in their environment. When policies directly contribute to psychological distress and affect an individual’s ability to connect and trust, they can increase feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety and suicide.
Therapy is a safe space built on trust, where the core principle is that clients have autonomy over their life experiences. In therapy, self-identity, or one’s sense of self, is central, it is not something to be debated or proven. If a client has to constantly defend or justify who they are outside, that same guardedness can enter the therapeutic space, affecting their mental well-being. Rather than focusing on personal struggles, therapy may become a space where they feel the need to prove their identity again. Mental health professionals are trained to affirm, not interrogate identity, because mental well-being is rooted in acceptance and being seen as one truly is. The important question remains how can mental health spaces remain safe when the larger systems are not?
It is rarely acknowledged how heavy the emotional burden is of existing within a system that invalidates one’s identity. It may come across as a minor issue, but those who have experienced it understand the complexity and the feeling of not fully belonging. This can lead to increasing levels of isolation. There is often also a lack of support from family or friends, which further adds to this distress. Instances of bullying and shame can make these experiences even more difficult. There is already a significant level of stigma that persists, and laws should aim to reduce it, not reinforce it.
Being part of a system that repeatedly makes you question who you are can contribute to a high risk of psychological distress. It becomes easier to internalise these experiences when such external invalidation continues over time. This can impact one’s emotional stability and self-worth. Feeling safe is not only a physical condition, it is emotional and psychological as well. Social realities are deeply connected to mental health and cannot be separated from it.
“Legal frameworks should aim to reduce stigma, discrimination, and invalidation, not reinforce them.” More importantly why does any system so strongly assert authority on someone’s identity, eliminating one’s dignity, privacy, journey, freedom, expression and choices. It is difficult to feel psychologically healthy when one feels unsafe in their own environment. Everyone should have the freedom to express their gender, whether through clothing, pronouns, hairstyle, name, or any other means that allows them to feel authentic without being questioned.
