Not being transgender I don't feel qualified to guess at their reasons, but I don't believe gender roles which are becoming far less strict and more open are a major contributor.

IN my opinion, we ,all, human beings need to accept the way we naturally are. A human being with a vagina is a female and a human being with a penis is a male according to my understanding. If these two refuse to accept their -gender then it is self-denial. YEs , a woman can act as man and the other way another. Nevertheless, both need to accept they naturally happen to be . As a woman , i can say i am happy the way i am . And if not then the problem is NOT the body i happened to carry but the mind. Self-acceptance is the key to true happyness.

Not all trans people desire or pursue physical changes. Gender is internal, and sometimes it corresponds with the sex someone has or would feel most comfortable with, and sometimes it doesn't. For me, having a vagina is perfectly fine, it's only visible to people I choose, so doesn't automatically get me misgendered, and its sensation is functional and enjoyable for me. Breasts on the other hand serve no benefit for me. Humans have permanent breasts because we walk upright, so it's a visible indication of fertility (whereas our crouching ape kin indicate fertility by the colour of their ass). I'm not trying to indicate fertility, or attract a mate with them, and they physically do nothing for me, but cause a lot of physical and mental stress. However, I have a positive relationship with nipples, so since my chest size would require nipple grafts and risk losing sensation, chest surgery is something I have mixed feelings about. I was on testosterone for about a year (had to stop because of health problems), and the permanent effects, including genital changes and deepened voice are huge in me now being comfortable in my body.

If you're concerned about someone undergoing permanent changes to their body that they may regret, remember that that is exactly what going through natural puberty does. I'm in this lose-lose situation with my chest because I went through female puberty first, and it causes distressing changes that are very difficult, invasive, or impossible to correct after. Hormone blockers don't make any permanent changes. They put things on pause so someone has more time to explore themselves before going through permanent changes either way.

I'm also antinatalist, and consider it completely immoral to choose to reproduce, so not being able to do so is never a point against something. And in any case, far worse to regret having kids and not be able to change that, than regret not having them, and still be able to adopt or be involved with kids outside of being a full-time parent.

For better or worse, what society says is a huge part of most people's life. If you really want to fit in but are a guy who wears dresses you may think you need to change your body to fit in with that socially accepted image. If society changes to be more accepting of something it still doesn't make it desirable etc. There are a myriad of differing scenario here. I generally go with the 'gather as much info and then go with what you feel'. Of course you may regret your decision down the line. That's life and goes for every other major decision also.

I was lucky to realise that societal views didn’t matter that much to me. Makes life a lot easier.

I’m a guy and started wearing skirts to cubs aged 8 and make-up aged 12. I’m straight and a black belt in Kung-Fu. People used to think I was confused but I feel very sorted mentally. A lot of my friends often ask my advise and I think they think of me as stable. I am male but like the toys of both genders. I have little desire to be female other than the dresses may fit better I will never have surgery but once Genetic Engineering has advanced to a safe point I’ll probably change my sex, race, species just for the curiosity of it.

Life is enough without building the barriers yourself.

I transitioned from female to male 20+ years ago. To your question about still having to change gender: yes, most of us that are binary (see ourselves as male or female) would still transition. Although it is a thought provoking question.
Most of us know from a very early age, 3 or 4, that we are in the wrong body. And going through puberty in the wrong body is a good way to get someone to want to die. Hormone blockers can be stopped and puberty will proceed. At least 2 female to males have stopped taking hormones and have successfully given birth. Male to females can freeze sperm. The physical act of sex has little or nothing to do with transition. Sexual intercourse is NOT the only way to make love.
In most cases surgery is worth the risk. At least top surgery to remove or enhance the breasts.

I don't think it is societal constraints directly, but rather brain wiring that is altered in gestation and/or in early childhood. Both men and women lay on a spectrum of feminine to masculine. Where it goes haywire is when the brain doesn't match the anatomy. My understanding is, Transgender do NOT see themselves as Gay/Lesbian or Cross Dressing, but having been born with the wrong genitals to match their brain. This adds to people's confusion and puts pressure on some to conform to some norm or new normal.

It seems to me that there are so many variables that go into making of the human organism, that it's little wonder, we all turn out so unique. The sex and gender spectrum has been around as long as humans--maybe even before.

No.

What a collection of emotionally and politically charged words. It is little wonder none of this may be discussed, with the paucity of words used and the multiple meanings they are to carry, even in the same sentence. Even the attempt to preserve a basic meaning of words and lay a groundwork for conversation is skipping through a minefield. I wouldn't touch this with a 12'' Vagina.

The way I look at it, sex is basic biology. It is typically (but not always) sufficiently binary for someone with a penis to have sex with someone with a vagina, and to continue to produce new generations of humans for the years to come. Sex is tangible and medically diagnosable.

I see gender as all of the (mostly nonsensical) baggage that we attach to that. It's a socially constructed belief system intended to manipulate people's behaviour - much like religion. The expectations on how you behave, what you drink, what you wear, what jobs you do and how much you get paid for them are all part of gender. Many of these expectations are thankfully being eroded for women. It's okay for women to fix cars, drink pints and watch football these days. It's still questioned when a man cuts hair, drinks alcopops, likes ballet etc.

Some of it's ingrained in patriachic and rape culture, and toxic masculinity. Though some of it even makes some practical sense. Cisgender females don't suffer from unprovoked and unwanted erections during adolescence and early adulthood - the "two sturdy layers of crotched clothing" rule actually makes sense in that scenario. But there's also an element of "Male genitalia are weapons of rape, and (given that they can't be removed and kept locked up somewhere) need to be stowed away securely where they're relatively difficult to access. Female genitalia are benign. They must simply be hidden from view, and then only to avoid provoking arousal in males that might entitle them to rape." And that, ultimately, is why people are still uncomfortable when males wear dresses and skirts, while it's perfectly okay for females to wear trousers.

The fundamental biological differences between male and female are always going to be relevant. Much of the baggage attached to it is becoming anachronistic. And that isn't a bad thing.

I think it goes much deeper than that. We treat sex and sexuality and gender as if they were binary, and that's not the case. There's so much more going on. And while they all overlap, there's much more going on that pull in everything from personality, gender, identity, and all the way down to plumbing. There are so many components, biological, psychological, sociological...

"Assigned roles" have really fucked us up as a society. Men are defined a certain way, women are defined a certain way, and any deviance from that is considered verboten. The problem is, no two people are alike, and right now our bucket labels are only confusing us.

I believe that what you should be referring to is gender non confirming not transgender.
As a mom of a transgender adolescent I can assure you I have asked all the questions you presented. Transgender adolescents receive a ton of therapy before transitioning. Hormone blockers can be reversed easily. Hormone blockers have been used for years in treating early puberty. No reproductive problems have been noted.
A decision to transition would be nice if parents could have the time to weigh their options. That's not how it works. Most of these kids need to transition because in feeling that the are in the wrong body increases depression, self harm and potentially suicide.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask me.

I like my assigned role and I am in full compliance.

You've made some very compelling points here... And ultimately, I think it's society that needs to change.

Just as you suggested, it would seem there are some terrible risks involved in reassignment of one's gender- and one would guess that none of that would be necessary, if society were more accepting of the full spectrum of sexualty...

In any case, I think it's shameful that there is such an issue, of people being marginalized, or worse, for simply being different.

I never really thought about it before; but the answer to your initial question might be "yes".