"Playing" myself out of alignment with my gender identity, living with a gender presentation that doesn't match my identity as a trans woman, absolutely hobbles my irl XP progression. I gain less experience, have trouble advancing, and don't level up.
I focus so much of my mental and emotional energy on my gender dysphoria it prevents me from focusing on other aspects of my life like education and careers, which keeps me from reaching my potential.
And YES I KNOW not all editions of D&D treat alignment like that! My favorite, 5th edition, doesn't at all, but it DOES have some text explicitly inclusive of trans characters, including non-binary identities.
Granted that text isn't perfect and is kinda problematic, but it's something, and the point is that it's up to the player.
Plus it can serve as explicit textual support against people who try to argue other players should only be allowed to play their perceived assigned gender.
Which is how I spent most of 4th edition playing a boy half-elf warlock character I hated when I'd intended her to be a girl.
In retrospect, my post-campaign headcanon is she transitioned, multiclassed as a rogue, and took control of the Thieves' Guild from her asshole father.
I hated 4th edition. Anyway what was I talking about? Oh yeah, alignment!
I like alignment because I feel like I can relate to it, and it seems less like something with an illusory "end goal" and more like something that everyone just does or doesn't do.
Like being in alignment with your gender identity is something both trans and cis people can do, or not do.
So anyway thank you for bearing with this tootstorm as I muse about gender and stupid games, good night.
What's that you say? It's quarter to nine in the morning? Fuck, okay. Well do your best today I guess.
As I "align myself" properly by transitioning, I'll be able to level up, which will lead to more difficult encounters with higher-level monsters, like liches and mindflayers and Republican legislators, but I'll be more properly emotionally equipped to handle it.