I received a comment on one of my writings recently that "giving every character gender issues or making them all trans devalues the issue." And honestly, it doesn't devalue anything. The reason I write so many characters as trans and basically play gender identity crisis roulette with all of them is because these kind of issues plague everyone, trans or cis.
Everyone's gender identity issues are all going to hit differently. And, my hope, is that my work is going to resonate with someone. To me, it doesn't matter if it resonates with someone who is trans or someone who is cis, as long as my work resonates then I've done my job. But to say that writing so many characters as trans or having gender issues devalues the whole idea is missing the point.
The whole point is that if anyone is starting to question aspects of their gender or what makes them them, they should question. Cis, Trans, doesn't matter, everyone should have a chance to figure out what makes them themselves. Personally, I have more trust in a cisgender person who's taken the time to figure themselves out gender-wise than I do someone who hasn't. You can't devalue an issue that allows you to figure out who you are by writing characters that go through the same issues in all of it's many forms. All you can do is give someone a clearer path to figuring out themselves by inspecting their own gender and tossing out what doesn't belong and take what they want from it. I write from the perspective of my own gender issues and from the gender issues from my friends so that others who question or suffer from the same issues can have a start on finding peace about who they are.
TL:DR: You can only devalue an issue by never writing about. Writing every character with gender issues or as trans allows for a broader path for everyone to figure out their own gender. Even if the gender issues turns out to be just a phase, it'll allow you to better yourself, cis or trans, by figuring out your gender and making it yours.
