Pageboy: A Memoir

A cisgender (cis) person is someone whose gender identity aligns with the gender they were assigned at birth. For instance, someone who is assigned male at birth and who identifies as a man is a cis man. The majority of people are cisgender.

Gender dysphoria is the feeling that one’s gender identity does not match up with one’s assigned gender. In Page’s case, he was assigned female at birth, but he felt like a boy from an early age. People who experience gender dysphoria might feel very uncomfortable with gender expectations, including the clothing they are expected to wear and the way people address them. They may also experience dysphoria concerning their own physical characteristics. Many people who experience gender dysphoria identify as transgender or nonbinary, and they may alter the way they present themselves to better align with their gender identity. Not everyone experiences gender dysphoria in the same way, and not every trans person experiences dysphoria. Dysphoria is very personal and can be difficult to talk about. Page describes his feelings of gender dysphoria extensively and cites them as a major motivating factor in his decision to come out as trans.