Oh, greatly, I think, simply because I think it's a very fundamental human need to belong. We all want to know where we belong, with whom, and who our peers are.
Certainly when I was an adolescent I knew I had gender issues and questions, but when I first went to college and I met gay men and lesbians, I wasn't them, either. Something was wrong here. I didn't feel straight. I didn't feel gay. Where did I belong? I needed information badly, and it wasn't really there to be had.
Similarly, I would say that when I was able to emigrate to Canada and have a marriage be recognized, I felt I was in a home that understood me as a person and valued that commitment that I made.
I think there is incredible importance to adding gender identity to the human code, simply because here we are, and this is how we define ourselves to the best of our abilities. I'm a member of one of the smaller minority groups around, for sure. Yes, that symbolic value is very important, but the real value of it is even more important.