Detransition

Last updated

Detransition is the cessation or reversal of a transgender identification or of gender transition, temporarily or permanently, through social, legal, and/or medical means. [1] The term is distinct from the concept of 'regret', and the decision may be based on a shift in gender identity, or other reasons, such as health concerns, social or economic pressure, discrimination, stigma, [2] political beliefs, [3] or religious beliefs. [4]

Contents

Some studies use the term retransition rather than detransition. [5] Retransition is also commonly used to describe the resumption of transition or transgender identity following a detransition. [6]

The estimated prevalence of detransition varies depending on definitions and methodology, with estimates ranging from 1% to 8%. [7] A 2018 review on the outcomes of gender transition found a large majority of data showing positive outcomes, a few reports of neutral outcomes or null results, and no studies which reported that gender transition causes overall harm. [8] Although some studies cite a range up to 8%, this combines 3% of survey respondents who had de-transitioned at the time of the survey, along with 5% who had temporarily done so in the past. [7] [9] Different methodological limitations afflict studies reporting low and high incidence. [10] [11]

Formal studies of detransition have been few in number, [12] politically controversial, [13] and inconsistent in the way they characterize the phenomenon. [14] Professional interest in the phenomenon has been met with contention, and some scholars have argued there is censorship around the topic. [15] Some ex-detransitioners regret detransitioning and choose to retransition later. [5] Some organizations with ties to conversion therapy have used detransition narratives to push transphobic rhetoric and legislation. [16]

Background and terminology

Gender transition, often shortened to just transition, is the process of a transgender person changing their gender expression and/or sex characteristics to accord with their internal sense of gender identity. [17] Methods of transition vary from person to person, but the process commonly involves social changes (such as clothing, personal name, and pronouns), legal changes (such as changes in legal name and legal gender), and medical/physical changes (such as hormone replacement therapy and gender-affirming surgery).

Detransition (sometimes called retransition) is the process of halting or reverting a transgender identification or gender transition. [18] Like transition, detransition is a process rather than a single event, and methods of detransitioning vary and can involve social, legal, and physical changes to one's gender expression, social identity, identity documents. [19] Desistance is a general term for any cessation, [20] and it is commonly applied specifically to the cessation of transgender identity or gender dysphoria. [21] Those who undertake detransition are known as detransitioners. [22] Detransition is sometimes associated with transition regret, but regret and detransition do not always coincide. [23]

The term detransition is controversial within the transgender community. According to Turban et al., this is because, as with the word transition, it carries an "incorrect implication that gender identity is contingent upon gender affirmation processes". The term has also been conflated with transition regret, and thereby become associated with movements that aim to restrict the access of transgender people to transition-related healthcare. [24]

Occurrence

Formal studies of detransition have been few in number, [12] of disputed quality and politically controversial. [13] Frequency estimates for detransition and desistance vary greatly, with notable differences in terminology and methodology. [25] Detransition is more common in the earlier stages of transition, particularly before surgeries. [26]

The share of trans people who detransition is not known with certainty. Studies which give low estimates [27] [28] [29] [30] have been criticized for their "serious limitations", such as short follow-up, high or unclear rates of loss to follow-up, reliance on individuals returning to secondary care clinics reporting transition regret or seeking reversal procedures, (a study of 100 detransitioners found that only 24% of respondents informed their clinicians that they had detransitioned [10] ), errors, non-replicability, as well as other issues. [11] [10] Research suggesting higher rates of detransition also has flaws, however, meaning that detransition rates can be under-reported or over-reported. [11]

A 2019 poster presentation examined the records of 3398 patients who attended a UK gender identity clinic between August 2016 and August 2017. Davies and colleagues searched for assessment reports with keywords related to regret or detransition. They identified 16 individuals (0.47%) who expressed regret or had detransitioned. Of those 16, 3 (0.09%) had detransitioned permanently. [1] 10 (0.29%) had detransitioned temporarily, to later retransition. [1] A 2019 clinical assessment found that 9.4% of patients with adolescent-emerging gender dysphoria either ceased wishing to pursue medical interventions or no longer felt that their gender identity was incongruent with their assigned sex at birth within an eighteen-month period. [31] A 2021 study examining the case notes of 175 adults discharged from a UK gender identity clinic between September 2017 and August 2018 found that 12 (6.9%) met the researchers' criteria for detransitioningthat is, they returned to living as their assigned gender. Six individuals were found to have experiences that "overlap" with detransitioners, but were not counted as such for this study due to displaying "gender identity confusion" during treatment. [32]

Those who undergo gender-affirming surgery have very low rates of detransition or transition regret. A 2005 Dutch study included 162 adults who received sex reassignment surgery, 126 of whom participated in follow-up assessments one to four years after surgery. Two individuals expressed regret at follow-up, only one of whom said that they would not transition again if given the opportunity. The remaining 124 out of 126 (98%) expressed no regrets about transitioning. [33] A 2021 meta-analysis of 27 studies concluded that "there is an extremely low prevalence of regret in transgender patients after [gender-affirmation surgery]". [34] In a January 2023 study of 1989 individuals who had undergone sex reassignment surgery, 6 individuals (0.3%) requested a reversal surgery or detransitioned. [35]

Studies of transition regret or detransition in different populations have found different (average or median) elapsed times before these occurred: a 2018 study found 10 years and 10 months on average to regret (but not necessarily detransition) from start of hormonal therapy, [36] and a 2014 study of those who had surgery found a median lag of 8 years before requesting a reversal of legal gender status. [25] A 2021 UK study found evidence that supports detransitioning occurring on average 4–8 years after transitioning. [32]

Informed consent and affirmation of self-diagnosis (both newer but increasingly employed models for transgender healthcare) have been criticized for failing to meet the needs of those who eventually detransition. [37]

Criticisms have been made regarding the "persistence-desistance" dichotomy as ignoring reasons why a person's gender identity may desist outside of simply being cisgender in the first place. For example, an assertion of a cisgender identity may be treated with validity and as an invalidation of a previously stated transgender identity; however, an assertion of a transgender identity may only be treated with the same validity if it is held throughout one's life. An individual may repress or realize their identity at any point in their life for a variety of reasons; some individuals' gender identities are fluid and/or may change throughout their lifetime, and some individuals whose identities are non-binary are effectively excluded due to a study's assumption of a gender binary. [38] [39]

Reasons

Reasons for detransitioning vary, and may include health-related concerns, finding that transition did not alleviate gender dysphoria, a negative social environment, and financial concerns. [2]

The National Center for Transgender Equality conducted a survey which collected responses from individuals who identified as transgender at the time of the survey. [9] The results published in the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that 8% of respondents reported having ever detransitioned; 62% of that group reported transitioning again and were living as a gender other than the one assigned to them at birth at the time of the survey. [40] About 36% reported having detransitioned due to pressure from parents, 33% because it was too difficult, 31% due to discrimination, 29% due to difficulty getting a job, 26% pressure from family members, 18% pressure from a spouse, and 17% due to pressure from an employer. [2]

In a 2021 study of 2,242 individuals recruited via community outreach organizations who detransitioned and who continue to identify as transgender or gender diverse, the vast majority said detransition was in part due to external factors, such as pressure from family, sexual assault, and nonaffirming school environments; another highly cited factor was "it was just too hard for me." [41] Motives for detransitioning commonly include financial barriers to transition, social rejection in transition, depression or suicidality due to transition, and discomfort with sexual characteristics developed during transition. Additional motives include concern for lack of data on long-term effects of hormone replacement therapy, concern for loss of fertility, complications from surgery, and changes in gender identity. [42] Some people detransition on a temporary basis, in order to accomplish a particular aim, such as having biologically related children, or until barriers to transition have been resolved or removed. [43] Transgender elders may also detransition out of concern for whether they can receive adequate or respectful care in later life. [44]

A qualitative study comparing child desisters to persisters (those with persisting gender dysphoria) found that while persisters related their dysphoria primarily to a mismatch between their bodies and their identity, desisters' dysphoria was more likely to be, at least retroactively, related to a desire to fulfill the other gender role. [45]

Clinical Pathway

In August 2024, following recommendations in the Cass Review, NHS England announced plans for the first NHS service to support patients wishing to detransition. They said: "There is no defined clinical pathway in the NHS for individuals who are considering detransition. NHS England will establish a programme of work to explore the issues around a detransition pathway by October 2024." [46]

Cultural and political impact

There are no legal, medical, and psychological guidelines on the topic of detransition. [47] [ clarification needed ] The Standards of Care by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) do not mention detransition, [48] though 37 WPATH surgeons have expressed a desire for detransition guidelines to be included, [49] and former WPATH president and longtime chair of WPATH's Standards of Care revision team, Eli Coleman, has listed detransition among the topics that he would like to see included in the eighth edition. [50]

Some researchers perceive there to be an atmosphere of censorship around studying the phenomenon. [15] Various sides involved in the dispute over detransitioning say they have been harassed and have described each other as threats to transgender rights. [51] [52]

Controversy surrounding detransition within trans activism primarily arises from how the subject is framed as a subject of moral panic in mainstream media and right-wing politics. [53] Detransition has attracted interest from both social conservatives on the political right and radical feminists on the political left. Activists on the right have been accused of using detransitioners' stories to further their work against trans rights. [54] On the left, some radical feminists see detransitioners' experiences as further proof of patriarchal enforcement of gender roles and medicalized erasure of gays and lesbians. [55] Other feminists have expressed disagreement with this opinion, referring to those who hold these beliefs as trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERF). [56] This attention has elicited in detransitioners mixed feelings of both exploitation and support. [55] [57]

In August 2017, the Mazzoni Center's Philadelphia Trans Health Conference, which is an annual meeting of transgender people, advocates, and healthcare providers, canceled two panel discussions on detransition and alternate methods of working with gender dysphoria. [58] The conference organizers said, "When a topic becomes controversial, such as this one has turned on social media, there is a duty to make sure that the debate does not get out of control at the conference itself. After several days of considerations and reviewing feedback, the planning committee voted that the workshops, while valid, cannot be presented at the conference as planned." [59]

In September 2017, Bath Spa University revoked permission for James Caspian, a Jungian psychotherapist who works with transgender people and is a trustee of the Beaumont Trust, to research regret of gender-reassignment procedures and pursuit of detransition. [60] Caspian alleged the reason for the university's refusal was that it was "a potentially politically incorrect piece of research, [which] carries a risk to the university. Attacks on social media may not be confined to the researcher, but may involve the university. The posting of unpleasant material on blogs or social media may be detrimental to the reputation of the university." [61] The university stated that Caspian's proposal "was not refused because of the subject matter, but rather because of his proposed methodological approach. The university was not satisfied this approach would guarantee the anonymity of his participants or the confidentiality of the data." [62] In May 2017, he took the matter to the High Court, which concluded his application for a judicial review was "totally without merit". [62] The outcome was also considered by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, who determined the university's conclusion was reasonable. [62] Caspian appealed to the High Court for judicial review again in 2019; the judge ruled against him, saying, "I entirely accept that there are important issues of freedom of expression. I just do not accept that, on the facts of this particular case, there is an arguable case made out," and adding that the application was too late. [63] Caspian claimed that he was "refused permission for a Judicial Review on points of procedure" and that the judge "was clearly sympathetic to the case but felt that his hands were tied by legal procedure;" [62] in February 2021, he appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. [64]

Many ex-gay and Christian Right affiliated organizations also promote programs aiming to discourage transition, promote reversal or desistence of transition, and to change individuals' gender identities. A key characteristic of these organizations are the construction of "transgenderism" as a sin against God or the natural order. In the 1970s, Exodus International platformed Perry Desmond, an "ex-transsexual" who evangelized throughout the US and supported Anita Bryant's Save Our Children campaign. Another prominent characteristic is ex-transgender testimonials, which depict "the transgender lifestyle" as destructive as opposed to contemplation of God and encourage other transgender people to join them. These organizations portray "gender ideology" and "transgender ideology" as a social contagion threatening to the natural order. [65]

Ky Schevers, an "ex-detransitioner" whose detransition was prominently profiled by Katie Herzog [51] and The Outline, [66] spoke about her experiences in a community of radical feminist detransitioned women, drawing parallels to the ex-gay movement and conversion therapy. [57] Parallels drawn include suppressing rather than addressing or removing the underlying dysphoria, stating that not only their gender dysphoria but everyone's dysphoria was a result of internalized sexism and trauma, and language from the twelve-step program being used to describe the desire to transition. [57]

Schevers noted that during the Bell v Tavistock ruling, her lawyer had connections to the right-wing and anti-LGBT-rights organization the Alliance Defending Freedom, which she described as pushing most of the anti-trans bills in the United States. Schevers later created Health Liberation Now! alongside Lee Leveille, who'd also previously been involved in detransition communities that were transphobic, to "give voice to folks who have complicated experiences with transition or detransition, retransition and shifting senses of self that goes beyond a lot of the TERFy areas that people are inevitably getting funnelled into". The group has reported on conversion therapy practices and maintains resources to help identify relationships between clinical conversion therapists and astroturfed campaigns led by anti-trans groups. [16]

Criminalization of gender-affirming care

Criminalization of gender-affirming care for minors

In 2021, legislatures in 22 states in the United States introduced bills that would criminalize the provision of gender-affirming care to transgender minors, forcibly detransitioning those who are unable to or refuse to leave the state.[ citation needed ] By the end of February 2022, the number had risen to 29. Supporters of these bills often cite concerns about detransition and desistance and claim they wish to protect children. Scientific evidence suggests these bills will cause harm to transgender children as gender-affirming care is often necessary and access to it has consistently shown a positive relationship with mental well-being, and an inability to access gender-affirming care can cause gender dysphoria, which can commonly lead to anxiety, depression and even suicide in transgender children and teens. [67] [68]

The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Psychological Association have spoken out against the bills and defended the right of minors to transition. [67] [69] [70] [71] In a letter to the National Governors Association, the American Medical Association warned that anti-trans healthcare bans will lead to greater rates of depression and suicide for transgender youth and described bills banning gender-affirming care as "a dangerous intrusion into the practice of medicine". [70] [72] Pediatricians testifying against the bills have said they are based on myths and misconceptions about transgender healthcare. [71] A medical report published by Yale in response to bans on gender-affirming care argued that the bans were no more ethical than a prohibition on healthcare for any other life-threatening medical condition. [73] The president of World Professional Association of Transgender Health wrote an opinion article in the New York Times stating her view that these laws constituted an effort to "rid the world of transgender people." [74] Similar sentiments were expressed in a WPATH public communique: "Anti-transgender health care legislation is not about protections for children but about eliminating transgender persons on a micro and macro scale." [75]

In 2021, the Arkansas legislature passed House Bill 1570, prohibiting transgender youth from receiving gender-affirming health care of any kind. The ACLU challenged the bill, leading a federal judge to issue a temporary injunction, protecting transgender youth in the state from being detransitioned against their will. [76]

In April 2022, Alabama Senate Bill 184 was approved. The bill prevents doctors from prescribing puberty blockers or hormone therapy for transgender youth under a threat of up to 10 years in prison, forcibly detransitioning youth in the state, and mandates that school staff out students to their parents. [77]

On August 5, 2022, the Florida Board of Medicine voted to consider guidelines proposed by the state's surgeon general, starting the process of denying transgender youth in Florida gender-affirming care. [78] On October 28, 2022, Florida's Board of Medicine passed a motion to ban all gender-affirming healthcare for minors, including puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries. [79] [80] The motion mandates all transgender youth to detransition until they turn 18. At one point during the hearing, in response to one protester yelling that trans children would be harmed as a result, board member Dr. Zachariah P. Zachariah answered "That's okay", before forcing a vote ahead. [69] Some who'd been at the meeting were reported as saying that the board had put all the speakers in favor of the ban, many of whom were from outside of the state or outside of the country, first in line to speak, before cutting off public comment once they ran out and pro-trans Floridians began to take the podium. [81] The Florida Department of Health released official state guidance that transgender children should not be allowed to wear clothes or use names or pronouns aligning with their gender identity. [82]

In Spring 2021, the Center for Christian Virtue proposed Ohio House Bill 454, known as the "Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act" in Ohio. The bill was introduced by state representative Gary Click in 2022 without consulting any transgender people beforehand and would forcibly detransition all transgender minors in the state. The bill would also require counselors, teachers, and all other staff at public and private schools to out transgender youth to their parents. Click stated he believes children are being "groomed" into thinking that they are trans. [83] In February 2023 Click introduced House Bill 68, which according to Planned Parenthood of Ohio "would ban gender-affirming care for transgender and non-binary youth ─ regardless of parental consent, wishes of the patient, diagnosis, or previous care-plan". [84]

In August 2022, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia introduced the "Protect Children's Innocence Act" that would make providing gender-affirming care to transgender minors a felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison and prohibit the use of federal funds for gender-affirming care, including in Affordable Care Act plans. The bill would also prohibit higher education institutions from providing instruction on gender-affirming care and bar doctors who have provided gender-affirming care to minors from receiving visas or being admitted to the United States. [85] [86]

In 2023, dozens of bills in over 10 U.S. States have been proposed which would ban minors from receiving gender-affirming care. [87]

Criminalization of gender-affirming care for adults

Many Republican legislators across the United States are increasingly proposing legislation that would restrict gender-affirming care for adults or make such treatments harder to access. However, no states have succeeded at outright banning gender-affirming care for adults in a way similar to what is being done with minors. [88] [89] Efforts to restrict adults' access to healthcare relies heavily on claims from self-described "gender-critical" organizations such as Genspect that young people should not be recognized as adults until they turn 25. [87]

As of January 2024, seven US states limit access to gender-affirming care for adults in some way without banning it, such as allowing private health plans, Medicaid, and correctional facilities to exclude all coverage for gender-affirming care, prohibiting the use of federal funds for gender-affirming care or requiring informed consent practices beyond those typically required in medical practice.[ citation needed ]

In January 2024, several US Republican legislators expressed their desire to ban gender-affirming healthcare altogether saying their 'endgame' was to ban it completely for people of all ages. [90] [91]

On June 2, 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a plan to end Medicaid coverage for transgender adults, making them the first U.S. state to target hormones and transition coverage for adults and removing care for approximately 9,000 adults. [92]

In Missouri in 2022, state legislators weighed extending a youth healthcare ban to adults under 25. [87] The bill died in the committee. [93]

In 2023 the state of Oklahoma introduced the "Millstone act" which would prohibit adults up to 25 from receiving gender-affirming care and prohibit Medicaid coverage for "gender transition procedures" for those under 26. [87] The bill ultimately did not pass. [94]

On March 12, 2023, a Saudi trans woman named Eden Knight died by suicide after being forcefully detransitioned. Knight wrote in a suicide note that her parents had hired an American private intelligence firm and a Saudi lawyer to relocate and forcibly socially and medically detransition her. After becoming dependent on the lawyer for food and shelter and fearing he would report her to U.S. immigration authorities, Knight wrote that she returned to her parents in Saudi Arabia. She secretly continued feminizing hormone replacement therapy, but after being found out twice she died by suicide. [95] [96] [97] [98]

In many prisons within the US, both state and federal, trans prisoners are often forcibly detransitioned. [99] [100] [101]

Genocide model

Forced detransition has been described as a form of transgender genocide. [102] This is primarily due to the assertion that forced detransition fits multiple criteria to be described as an act of genocide under the United Nations definition of such. Laws banning gender affirming care and/or directly forcing those receiving it to detransition have been described as fitting two acts defined as acts of genocide by the UN - "causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group" and "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part", and laws allowing child protective services to pursue child abuse claims against the parents of children receiving gender-affirming care and remove said children have been described as fitting another defined act of genocide, that of "forcibly transferring children of the group to another group". [103] [104]

See also

Related Research Articles

Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identity—their personal sense of their own gender—and their sex assigned at birth. The term replaced the previous diagnostic label of gender identity disorder (GID) in 2013 with the release of the diagnostic manual DSM-5. The condition was renamed to remove the stigma associated with the term disorder.

Gender-affirming surgery is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender. The phrase is most often associated with transgender health care and intersex medical interventions, although many such treatments are also pursued by cisgender and non-intersex individuals. It is also known as sex reassignment surgery, gender confirmation surgery, and several other names.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), formerly the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA), is a professional organization devoted to the understanding and treatment of gender identity and gender dysphoria, and creating standardized treatment for transgender and gender variant people. WPATH was founded in September 1979 by endocrinologist and sexologist Harry Benjamin, with the goal of creating an international community of professionals specializing in treating gender variance.

The Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People (SOC) is an international clinical protocol by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) outlining the recommended assessment and treatment for transgender and gender-diverse individuals across the lifespan including social, hormonal, or surgical transition. It often influences clinicians' decisions regarding patients' treatment. While other standards, protocols, and guidelines exist – especially outside the United States – the WPATH SOC is the most widespread protocol used by professionals working with transgender or gender-variant people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gender transition</span> Changing gender presentation to accord with gender identity

Gender transition is the process of affirming and expressing one's internal sense of gender, rather than the gender assigned to them at birth. It is the recommended course of treatment for individuals struggling with gender dysphoria, providing improved mental health outcomes in the majority of people.

Gender dysphoria in children (GD), also known as gender incongruence of childhood, is a formal diagnosis for children who experience significant discontent due to a mismatch between their assigned sex and gender identity. The diagnostic label gender identity disorder in children (GIDC) was used by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) until it was renamed gender dysphoria in children in 2013 with the release of the DSM-5. The diagnosis was renamed to remove the stigma associated with the term disorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender</span> Gender identity other than sex assigned at birth

A transgender person is someone whose gender identity differs from that typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. Some transgender people who desire medical assistance to transition from one sex to another identify as transsexual. Transgender is also an umbrella term; in addition to including people whose gender identity is the opposite of their assigned sex, it may also include people who are non-binary or genderqueer. Other definitions of transgender also include people who belong to a third gender, or else conceptualize transgender people as a third gender. The term may also include cross-dressers or drag kings and drag queens in some contexts. The term transgender does not have a universally accepted definition, including among researchers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transsexual</span> People experiencing a gender identity inconsistent with their assigned sex

A transsexual person is someone who experiences a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desires to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance to help them align their body with their identified sex or gender.

In the United States, the rights of transgender people vary considerably by jurisdiction. In recent decades, there has been an expansion of federal, state, and local laws and rulings to protect transgender Americans; however, many rights remain unprotected, and some rights are being eroded. Since 2020, there has been a national movement by conservative/right-wing politicians and organizations to target transgender rights. There has been a steady increase in the number of anti-transgender bills introduced each year, especially in Republican-led states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender youth</span> Children and adolescents who are transgender

Transgender youth are children or adolescents who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Because transgender youth are usually dependent on their parents for care, shelter, financial support, and other needs, they face different challenges compared to adults. According to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, appropriate care for transgender youth may include supportive mental health care, social transition, and/or puberty blockers, which delay puberty and the development of secondary sex characteristics to allow children more time to explore their gender identity.

Puberty blockers are medicines used to postpone puberty in children. The most commonly used puberty blockers are gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, which suppress the natural production of sex hormones, such as androgens and estrogens. Puberty blockers are used to delay the development of unwanted secondary sex characteristics in transgender children, so as to allow transgender youth more time to explore their gender identity. The same drugs are also used to treat other conditions, such as precocious puberty in young children and some hormone-sensitive cancers in adults.

Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), also called hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or transgender hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy in which sex hormones and other hormonal medications are administered to transgender or gender nonconforming individuals for the purpose of more closely aligning their secondary sexual characteristics with their gender identity. This form of hormone therapy is given as one of two types, based on whether the goal of treatment is masculinization or feminization:

The real-life experience (RLE), sometimes called the real-life test (RLT), is a period of time or process in which transgender individuals live full-time in their identified gender role in order to be eligible to receive gender-affirming treatment. The purpose of the RLE has been to confirm that a given transgender person could function successfully as a member of said gender in society, as well as to confirm that they are sure they want to live as said gender for the rest of their life. A documented RLE was previously a requirement of many physicians before prescribing gender-affirming hormone therapy, and a requirement of most surgeons before performing gender-affirming surgery.

Transgender health care includes the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental health conditions for transgender individuals. A major component of transgender health care is gender-affirming care, the medical aspect of gender transition. Questions implicated in transgender health care include gender variance, sex reassignment therapy, health risks, and access to healthcare for trans people in different countries around the world. Gender affirming health care can include psychological, medical, physical, and social behavioral care. The purpose of gender affirming care is to help a transgender individual conform to their desired gender identity.

Rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) is a controversial, scientifically unsupported hypothesis which claims that some adolescents identify as transgender and experience gender dysphoria due to peer influence and social contagion. ROGD is not recognized as a valid mental health diagnosis by any major professional association, which discourage its use due to a lack of reputable scientific evidence for the concept, major methodological issues in existing research, and its stigmatization of gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

Stella O'Malley is an Irish psychotherapist and author, with three books on parenting and mental health. She is a regular contributor to Irish national newspapers, podcasts, and TV. She made a documentary about gender dysphoria in children for Channel 4, and is the founder of Genspect, a self-described gender critical organisation opposed to gender affirming care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genspect</span> Organization opposing transgender rights

Genspect is an international group founded in June 2021 by psychotherapist Stella O'Malley that has been described as gender-critical. Genspect opposes gender-affirming care, as well as social and medical transition for transgender people. Genspect opposes allowing transgender people under 25 years old to transition, and opposes laws that would ban conversion therapy on the basis of gender identity. Genspect also endorses the unproven concept of rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD), which proposes a subclass of gender dysphoria caused by peer influence and social contagion. ROGD has been rejected by major medical organisations due to its lack of evidence and likelihood to cause harm by stigmatizing gender-affirming care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloe Cole</span> American activist (born 2004)

Chloe Cole is an American activist who opposes gender-affirming care for minors and supports bans on such care following her own detransition. She has appeared with conservative politicians and in the media, supporting and advocating for such bans. Cole says that she began transitioning at 12 and detransitioned at 17 after having undergone treatment which included puberty blockers, testosterone, and a double mastectomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ky Schevers</span> American transgender rights activist

Ky Schevers is an American transgender rights activist. She was assigned female at birth, but gradually transitioned to male, including medical transition at the age of 20. Five years after, she detransitioned to female. She became prominent among the detransitioned community and for writing and making online videos about the gender transition and detransition process under the pen names Crash or CrashChaosCats. Another nine years after detransitioning, Schevers broke with the detransitioned community over its attacks on gender transition in general, and began to retransition. She now identifies as transmasculine and genderqueer, but using feminine pronouns, and she co-leads "Health Liberation Now!", an organization defending transgender rights.

Laura Edwards-Leeper is an American psychologist and founder of the first pediatric gender clinic of the United States. She also served as head of the Child and Adolescent Committee for the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Davies, Skye; McIntyre, Stephen; Rypma, Craig (April 2019). Detransition rates in a national UK Gender Identity Clinic (PDF). 3rd Biennial EPATH Conference: Inside Matters, On Law, Ethics and Religion. p. 118. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Boslaugh, Sarah (August 3, 2018). Transgender Health Issues. ABC-CLIO. pp. 43–44. ISBN   978-1-4408-5888-8. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  3. Robinson, Max. Detransition: Beyond Before And After. Spinifex Press. p. 1-50.
  4. Pray Away (Documentary). Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Former 'detransitioner' fights anti-transgender movement she once backed". ABC News .
  6. MacKinnon, Kinnon Ross; Expósito-Campos, Pablo; Gould, W. Ariel (June 14, 2023). "Detransition needs further understanding, not controversy". BMJ. 381: e073584. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2022-073584 . ISSN   1756-1833. PMC   10265220 . PMID   37315956.
  7. 1 2 Hall, Mitchell & Sachdeva 2021, "Rates of detransitioning are unknown, with estimates ranging from less than 1% to 8%.".
  8. "What does the scholarly research say about the effect of gender transition on transgender well-being? (online literature review)". Cornell University Public Policy Research Portal. 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "The Report of the 2015 US Transgender Survey" (PDF). December 17, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 Irwig, Michael S (September 28, 2022). "Detransition Among Transgender and Gender-Diverse People—An Increasing and Increasingly Complex Phenomenon". The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 107 (10): e4261–e4262. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgac356. ISSN   0021-972X. PMC   9516050 . PMID   35678284.
  11. 1 2 3 Gribble, Bewley & Dahlen 2023, p. 5.
  12. 1 2
    • "There is a paucity of literature." Danker et al. 2018
    • "We urgently need systematic data on this point in order to inform best practice clinical care." Zucker 2019
  13. 1 2 "[R]esearch in this field is extremely controversial." Danker et al. 2018
  14. Expósito-Campos, Pablo (January 10, 2021). "A Typology of Gender Detransition and Its Implications for Healthcare Providers". Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. 47 (3): 270–280. doi: 10.1080/0092623X.2020.1869126 . hdl: 10810/51393 . PMID   33427094. S2CID   231575978. The absence of systematic research around detransition has given rise to inconsistencies in its conceptual use and application, adding to the unclarity and confusion.
  15. 1 2 Shute 2017; BBC 2017; Borreli 2017; Stein 2009; Veissière 2018
  16. 1 2 Falk, Misha (August 4, 2022). "Health Liberation Now! is challenging the way anti-trans groups weaponize detransition narratives". Xtra. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  17. Fenway Health 2010; Human Rights Campaign n.d.
  18. Clark-Flory 2015; Herzog 2017a; Graham 2017; Tobia 2018
  19. Merriam-Webster n.d.; Collins n.d.
  20. Steensma et al. 2013; Wallien and Cohen-Kettenis 2008
  21. Herzog 2017a; Graham 2017; Singal 2018
    • "Not everyone who detransitions regrets transitioning in the first place, and, like transitioning, the process of deciding to detransition is a very individual and personal choice." Yarbrough 2018 , p. 130. See also Graham 2017; Herzog 2017a.
  22. Turban, Jack L.; Loo, Stephanie S.; Almazan, Anthony N.; Keuroghlian, Alex S. (June 1, 2021). "Factors Leading to "Detransition" Among Transgender and Gender Diverse People in the United States: A Mixed-Methods Analysis". LGBT Health. 8 (4): 273–280. doi:10.1089/lgbt.2020.0437. ISSN   2325-8292. PMC   8213007 . PMID   33794108.
  23. 1 2 Detransition estimates:
    • "Detransitioning after surgical interventions ... is exceedingly rare. Research has often put the percentage of regret between 1 and 2% ... Detransitioning is actually far more common in the stages before surgery, when people are still exploring their options. 'There are people who take hormones and then decide to go off hormones,' says Randi Ettner, a therapist who has served on the board of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. 'That is not uncommon.'" Clark-Flory 2015
    • "There were 15 (5 [female-to-male] and 10 [male-to-female]) regret applications corresponding to a 2.2% regret rate for both sexes. There was a significant decline of regrets over the time period." (Dhejne et al. define "regret" as "application for reversal of the legal gender status among those who were sex reassigned" which "gives the person the right to treatment to reverse the body as much as possible."), "the median time lag until applying for a reversal was 8 years." Dhejne et al. 2014
  24. "Detransitioning after surgical interventions ... is exceedingly rare....Detransitioning is actually far more common in the stages before surgery, when people are still exploring their options." Clark-Flory 2015
  25. "Gender Identity 5 Years After Social Transition". publications.aap.org. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  26. MacKinnon, K. R.; Ashley, F.; Kia, H.; Lam, J. S. H.; Krakowsky, Y.; Ross, L. E. (December 1, 2021). "Preventing transition "regret": An institutional ethnography of gender-affirming medical care assessment practices in Canada". Social Science & Medicine. 291: 114477. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114477 . ISSN   0277-9536. PMID   34666278. S2CID   239035474.
  27. Wiepjes, C. M.; Nota, N. M.; de Blok CJM; Klaver, M.; de Vries ALC; Wensing-Kruger, S. A.; De Jongh, R. T.; Bouman, M. B.; Steensma, T. D.; Cohen-Kettenis, P.; Gooren LJG; Kreukels BPC; Den Heijer, M. (2018). "The Amsterdam Cohort of Gender Dysphoria Study (1972-2015): Trends in Prevalence, Treatment, and Regrets". The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 15 (4): 582–590. doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.01.016. PMID   29463477.
  28. Bustos, V. P.; Bustos, S. S.; Mascaro, A.; Del Corral, G.; Forte, A. J.; Ciudad, P.; Kim, E. A.; Langstein, H. N.; Manrique, O. J. (2021). "Regret after Gender-affirmation Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prevalence". Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Global Open. 9 (3): e3477. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003477. PMC   8099405 . PMID   33968550.
  29. Churcher Clarke & Spiliadis 2019
  30. 1 2 Hall, Mitchell & Sachdeva 2021
  31. Smith, Yolanda L. S.; Goozen, Stephanie H. M. Van; Kuiper, Abraham J.; Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy T. (January 2005). "Sex reassignment: outcomes and predictors of treatment for adolescent and adult transsexuals". Psychological Medicine. 35 (1): 89–99. doi:10.1017/S0033291704002776 (inactive July 15, 2024). ISSN   1469-8978. PMID   15842032. S2CID   6032916. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2024 (link)
  32. Bustos, Valeria P.; Bustos, Samyd S.; Mascaro, Andres; Del Corral, Gabriel; Forte, Antonio J.; Ciudad, Pedro; Kim, Esther A.; Langstein, Howard N.; Manrique, Oscar J. (March 19, 2021). "Regret after Gender-affirmation Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prevalence". Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open. 9 (3): e3477. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003477. ISSN   2169-7574. PMC   8099405 . PMID   33968550.
  33. Jedrzejewski, Breanna Y.; Marsiglio, Mary; Guerriero, Jess; Penkin, Amy; OHSU Transgender Health Program "Regret and Request for Reversal" workgroup; Berli, Jens (January 24, 2023). "Regret after Gender Affirming Surgery – A Multidisciplinary Approach to a Multifaceted Patient Experience". Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 152 (1): 206–214. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000010243 . PMID   36727823. S2CID   256501398.
  34. Wiepjes, Chantal M.; Nota, Nienke M.; de Blok, Christel J. M.; Klaver, Maartje; de Vries, Annelou L. C.; Wensing-Kruger, S. Annelijn; de Jongh, Renate T.; Bouman, Mark-Bram; Steensma, Thomas D.; Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy; Gooren, Louis J. G. (April 2018). "The Amsterdam Cohort of Gender Dysphoria Study (1972-2015): Trends in Prevalence, Treatment, and Regrets". The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 15 (4): 582–590. doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.01.016. ISSN   1743-6109. PMID   29463477. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021. In addition, in our population the average time to regret was 130 months, so it might be too early to examine regret rates in people who started with HT in the past 10 years.
  35. Graham 2017; Yoo 2018
  36. Temple Newhook, Julia; Pyne, Jake; Winters, Kelley; Feder, Stephen; Holmes, Cindy; Tosh, Jemma; Sinnott, Mari-Lynne; Jamieson, Ally; Pickett, Sarah (April 3, 2018). "A critical commentary on follow-up studies and "desistance" theories about transgender and gender-nonconforming children". International Journal of Transgenderism. 19 (2): 212–224. doi:10.1080/15532739.2018.1456390. ISSN   1553-2739. S2CID   150338824. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021. Due to such shifting diagnostic categories and inclusion criteria over time, these studies included children who, by current DSM-5 standards, would not likely have been categorized as transgender (i.e., they would not meet the criteria for gender dysphoria) and therefore, it is not surprising that they would not iden- tify as transgender at follow-up. Current criteria require identification with a gender other than what was assigned at birth, which was not a necessity in prior versions of the diagnosis.
  37. Steensma, Thomas (2018). "A critical commentary on "A critical commentary on follow-up studies and "desistence" theories about transgender and gender non-conforming children"". International Journal of Transgenderism . 19 (2): 225–230. doi: 10.1080/15532739.2018.1468292 . S2CID   150062632.
  38. Boslaugh 2018 , p. 43; James et al. 2016 , pp. 111, 292–294
  39. Turban, Jack L.; Loo, Stephanie S.; Almazan, Anthony N.; Keuroghlian, Alex S. (May 2021). "Factors Leading to "Detransition" Among Transgender and Gender Diverse People in the United States: A Mixed-Methods Analysis". LGBT Health. 8 (4): 273–280. doi:10.1089/lgbt.2020.0437. ISSN   2325-8306. PMC   8213007 . PMID   33794108. "Because the USTS only surveyed currently TGD-identified people, our study does not offer insights into reasons for detransition in previously TGD-identified people who currently identify as cisgender." "The vast majority of participants reported detransition due at least in part to external factors, such as pressure from family, nonaffirming school environments, and sexual assault." "iIt was just too hard for me" is shown in table 2.
  40. Americo 2018; Kanner 2018
  41. Witten 2015
  42. Steensma, Thomas D.; Biemond, Roeline; De Boer, Fijgje; Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy T. (2011). "Desisting and persisting gender dysphoria after childhood: A qualitative follow-up study". Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 16 (4): 499–516. doi:10.1177/1359104510378303. PMID   21216800. S2CID   1789558.
  43. Searles, Michael (August 7, 2024). "NHS to launch first service for trans patients wanting to return to birth gender". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  44. Graham 2017
  45. "There are currently no professional guidelines or resources for providers who encounter patients who experience regret and/or seek detransition." Danker et al. 2018
  46. "88% of respondents feel that WPATH SOC 8 should include a chapter on detransition" Danker et al. 2018
  47. "Miscellaneous suggestions ... detransition." Coleman 2017
  48. 1 2 "This has ignited a contentious debate both in and outside the trans community, with various sides accusing each other of bigotry, harassment, censorship, and damaging the fight for trans rights. It's such a fraught issue that many people I interviewed requested anonymity. (All the names of detransitioners have been changed.) Others refused to speak on the record, afraid of the potential fallout." Herzog 2017a
  49. ""[T]he trans community does our best to pretend that retransitioning never happens ... trans people who have retransitioned are often treated as outcasts, as aberrations or as an embarrassment to our community's goals. They are assumed to be failures, traitors to the cause of trans liberation." Tobia 2018
  50. Slothouber, Van (2020). "(De)trans visibility: Moral panic in mainstream media reports on de/Retransition". European Journal of English Studies. 24: 89–99. doi: 10.1080/13825577.2020.1730052 . S2CID   219079388.
  51. Ford 2018; Herzog 2017a; Bowen 2007; Tobia 2018
  52. 1 2 Herzog 2017a; Bowen 2007
  53. Parker, Charlie. "JK Rowling compares trans treatment to gay conversion therapy". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  54. 1 2 3 Urquhart, Evan (February 1, 2021). "An "Ex-Detransitioner" Disavows the Anti-Trans Movement She Helped Spark". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  55. Rodriguez 2017; Herzog 2017b
  56. Mazzoni Center 2017
  57. Caspian
  58. BBC 2017; Weale 2017; Hurst 2017
  59. 1 2 3 4 Petherick, Sam (February 20, 2019). "Ex-Bath Spa student James Caspian fails in court fight against university". Somerset Live. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  60. Johnson, Jamie (February 19, 2019). "Proposal to research 'trans regret' rejected by university for fear of backlash, claims psychotherapist" . The Telegraph. The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  61. Swerling, Gabriella (February 5, 2021). "Psychotherapist blocked from studying 'trans regret' takes case to the European Court" . The Telegraph. The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  62. Robinson, Christine M.; Spivey, Sue E. (June 19, 2019). "Ungodly Genders: Deconstructing Ex-Gay Movement Discourses of "Transgenderism" in the US". Social Sciences. 8 (6): 191. doi: 10.3390/socsci8060191 . ISSN   2076-0760.
  63. Monroe, Rachel (December 4, 2016). "Detransitioning: a story about discovery". The Outline . Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  64. 1 2 Criminalizing Gender Affirmative Care with Minors: Suggested Discussion Points With Resources to Oppose Transgender Exclusion Bills (Report). American Psychological Association.
  65. Dodds, Io; Woodward, Alex (April 14, 2022). "The GOP 'grooming' smear is sparking a new wave of anti-LGBT+ violence". Independent. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  66. 1 2 Yurcaba, Jo (October 29, 2022). "Florida medical board votes to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors". NBC News .
  67. 1 2 AMA to states: Stop interfering in health care of transgender children (Report). American Medical Association. April 26, 2021.
  68. 1 2 Korioth, Trisha (March 9, 2021). Pediatricians say state bills would harm transgender youths (Report). American Academy of Pediatrics News.
  69. Milton, Josh (May 10, 2022). "Trans teen facing 'detransition' under healthcare ban makes urgent plea to lawmakers". The Pink News. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  70. Boulware, Susan; Kamody, Rebecca; Kuper, Laura. "Biased Science: The Texas and Alabama Measures Criminalizing Medical Treatment for Transgender Children and Adolescents Rely on Inaccurate and Misleading Scientific Claims" (PDF). Yale Medicine. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  71. Bowers, Marci (April 2023). "What Decades of Providing Trans Health Care Have Taught Me". The New York Times. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  72. "Statement of Opposition to Legislation Banning Access to Gender-Affirming Health Care in the US" (PDF). World Professional Association of Transgender Health. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  73. Walker, Harron (June 1, 2022). "How Chase Strangio Became the Face of the Legal Battle for Trans Rights". The Advocate. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  74. Smith, Serena (April 8, 2022). "Alabama will now force trans youth to detransition". Dazed. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  75. Wiggins, Christopher (August 5, 2022). "Florida Medical Board Votes to Ban Kids' Gender-Affirming Care". The Advocate. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  76. Lehman, Mark (October 28, 2022). "Florida Board of Medicine considers restricting gender-affirming treatment for teens". WKMG. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  77. "Florida Board of Medicine Advances Ban on Transition-Related Care for Minors". Them. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  78. Baska, Maggie (October 29, 2022). "Florida medical board committee takes next step to ban gender-affirming healthcare for trans kids". The Pink News.
  79. "Oklahoma Bill Would Ban Gender-Affirming Care for People Under 26, Could Force Some to Detransition". Vanity Fair. January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  80. Trau, Morgan (July 13, 2022). "Ohio Rep. behind bill limiting transgender care had never spoken to community". Ohio Capital Journal. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  81. "Legislation". www.plannedparenthoodaction.org. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  82. Migdon, Brooke; Brooks, Emily (August 19, 2022). "Marjorie Taylor Greene introduces bill to make gender-affirming care for transgender youth a felony". The Hill. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  83. Slisco, Aila (August 18, 2022). "Marjorie Taylor Greene seeks to criminalize gender-affirming care for kids". Newsweek. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  84. 1 2 3 4 Migdon, Brooke (January 13, 2023). "Transgender youth health care bans have a new target: adults". The Hill. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  85. Migdon, Brooke (January 13, 2023). "Transgender youth health care bans have a new target: adults". The Hill. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  86. Goldman, Maya (January 10, 2024). "States are limiting gender-affirming care for adults, too". Axios . Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  87. Reed, Erin (January 29, 2024). "Ohio, Michigan Republicans in released audio: 'Endgame' is to ban trans care 'for everyone'". The Advocate . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  88. Heywood, Todd (January 30, 2024). "In-depth: Michigan lawmakers discuss gender-affirming care ban". Yahoo! . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  89. Muñoz-Schaefer, Ursula (June 3, 2022). "Florida is trying to take away gender-affirming medical coverage for 9,000 trans adults". Xtra. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  90. "MO HB2649 2022 Regular Session". LegiScan.
  91. "OK SB129 2023 Regular Session". LegiScan.
  92. Crimmins, Tricia (March 14, 2023). "Eden Knight, Trans Twitter presence, says she was forced to detransition in viral suicide note". The Daily Dot . Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  93. Grieg, James (March 14, 2023). "A young trans woman has committed suicide after a forced detransition". Dazed. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  94. Dodds, Io (March 14, 2023). "Saudi Arabian trans woman feared dead after family 'forced her to detransition'". The Independent . Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  95. Zoledziowski, Anya; Marchman, Tim (March 16, 2023). "A Young Saudi Trans Woman Is Believed Dead After Being Lured From the US and Forced to Detransition". Vice . Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  96. "Prisoners, Doctors, and the Battle Over Trans Medical Care". Wired.
  97. Sontag, Deborah (September 24, 2015). "Ashley Diamond, Transgender inmate, Is Out of Prison But Far From Free". NYT.
  98. "A Missouri bill to ban gender-affirming care for kids expanded to include adults in prison". NPR (local).
  99. Lennard, Natasha (May 4, 2023). "Texas GOP Opens Up a New Front in Genocidal Anti-Trans Campaign". The Intercept . Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  100. St. James, Emily (March 24, 2022). "The time to panic about anti-trans legislation is now". Vox.
  101. Burns, Katelyn (March 4, 2022). "Greg Abbott's death wish for trans kids is on full display". MSNBC.

Sources

Books

Journal articles

News

Online sources

Further reading