"Imagine that feeling you get when you hear a recording of your own voice - that icky, cringy, heebie-jeebie sensation that makes your entire body clench. It might feel unbearable. You might cover your ears or leave the room or demand that someone turn the recording off. Inevitably, you will turn to your friends or family and ask, "Is that really how I sound?""
"The public conversation around gender-affirming care focuses almost exclusively on visually perceived characteristics, but for many trans people, changing their voice is a critical piece of the puzzle. "The impact on mental health cannot be overstated enough," Gress told LGBTQ Nation. "Whenever we ask people the most important part of their transition, voice transition is across the board in the top three. It's access to hormones, surgery, and then voice training.""
""Ever since puberty... I had a very tough time communicating with people," UVL client Daniella Daedala told LGBTQ Nation. She even developed a stutter because she was so afraid to talk. Her voice dysphoria, she explained, "just manifests as me not being social with people and thereby lacking connections.""
Many trans people experience persistent voice dysphoria that causes intense distress when hearing their recorded voice. Nicole Gress founded Undead Voice Lab (UVL) in 2019 to provide dedicated voice training for trans people whose voices do not align with their gender identity. Changing the voice is often rated among the top three priorities in transition alongside hormones and surgery. Voice dysphoria can cause stuttering, social withdrawal, and impaired relationships. Standard speech pathology methods frequently fail to address trans-specific needs, creating demand for specialized, gender-affirming voice therapy to improve mental health and social functioning.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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