Difference between revisions of "Detransition"

Latest revision as of 17:54, 22 March 2025

Detransition is the cessation or reversal of a transgender identification or gender transition, whether by social, legal, or medical means. Some individuals detransition on a temporary basis.

In 2020 23-year-old Keira Bell joined a lawsuit against the NHS Gender Identity Development Service. Bell was prescribed puberty blockers at age 16 and testosterone a year later, and had her breasts removed before stopping hormone treatments and reidentifying as a woman.

Sinead Watson is a detransitioned woman who began medical transition in 2015 at age 24 at the Sandyford clinic in Glasgow. She began to feel regret three years later, finally making the decision to stop taking testosterone in 2019 ^[1].

in 2020 BBC radio broadcast He2She2He and She2He2She about men and women who went through detransition ^{[2] [3]}.

In 2022 Ritchie Herron, a 35 year old man, who had lived as a woman after being born a male, announced that he was planning a legal case against Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust after medical treatment for transition had resulted in complications. Herron also claimed that the NHS failed to take his mental health crisis into account before procedures ^[4].^[5].

Academic research into detransition is underdeveloped. James Caspian enrolled on the MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy at Bath Spa University wishing to research reverse gender reassignment surgeries, a phenomenon that had never been researched. However the University refused to allow his research and so he took his case to court ^[6]. The case is currently waiting to be heard at the European Court of Human Rights ^[7].

Swedish television documentary 'The Trans train' released in 2021 drew attention to the increasing number of young people detransitioning and reflecting on the damage they had done to their bodies ^{[8] [9]}.

Genspect is an international alliance of professionals, trans people, detransitioners, parent groups and others who seek high-quality care for gender-related distress. The True Story of Forrest is a raw and unfiltered account of what it means to live with regret after gender reassignment surgery posted by Genspect on You Tube in March 2025. ^[10].

Social media header image for DeTrans Voices on Twitter in 2021

Social media sites are revealing an increasing number of young people seeking help with detransitioning ^[11]. Dr Hilary Cass's review published in April 2024 recommended that NHS England should "ensure there is provision" for de-transitioners ^[12].

Detrans Awareness Day is 12th March. Support for detransitioners is generally poor with many LGBT communities and organizations appearing hostile. This was reported by Elie Vandenbussche in an article in the Journal of Homosexuality in 2022 ^[13].

References

1. Jump up ↑ Sinead's story is shared with her sister https://www.transgendertrend.com/transition-detransition-conversation-between-sisters/
2. Jump up ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct0hyx Episode 1:Brian Belovitch was born a boy, and then transitioned and lived for more than a decade as Natalia – a performer, club hostess and glamorous party animal. Then at a crisis point in his life he made a momentous decision – to live again as Brian.
3. Jump up ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct0hyy Episode 2: Nele and Ellie are detransitioners too. In their early 20s, they were brought up as girls, and began to identify as transmen in their teens. To present as more masculine, both took testosterone and had their breasts removed in double mastectomy surgery. Connecting online, these two young women are now supporting each other to re-identify as female.
4. Jump up ↑ 'My first thought as I came round was Oh God! What have I done?' Daily Mail 26 June 2022: Man suing the NHS over trans surgery he bitterly regrets has bravely waived anonymity to share his ordealhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10953157/Man-suing-NHS-trans-surgery-regrets-bravely-waived-anonymity-share-ordeal.html
5. Jump up ↑ ‘Doctors refused to let me admit my transition was a mistake. Now I want to reverse it’ 13 August 2024 https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/doctors-refused-to-let-me-admit-my-transition-was-a-mistake-now-i-want-to-reverse-it/ar-AA1oJLOy?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&cvid=227a423ff43c4e6f81690b2ef41b5658&ei=14 (accessed 14 August 2024)
6. Jump up ↑ https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/bath-spa-university-james-caspian-2557060 Ex-Bath Spa student James Caspian fails in court fight against university 20 Feb 2019
7. Jump up ↑ Psychotherapist blocked from studying ‘trans regret’ takes case to the European Court 5 Feb 2021 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/02/05/psychotherapist-blocked-studying-trans-regret-takes-case-european/
8. Jump up ↑ https://genspect.org/swedish-documentary-stopping-the-trans-train/
9. Jump up ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJGAoNbHYzk Episode 1 of The Trans Train
10. Jump up ↑ I Thought Transition Would Save Me - It Didn’t | The True Story of Forrest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgyP-lhVsYg
11. Jump up ↑ https://twitter.com/FtMdetransed Detrans Voices on Twitter is one such forum (accessed 23 November 2021)
12. Jump up ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-68770641 Hilary Cass: Weak evidence letting down children over gender care
13. Jump up ↑ Detransition-Related Needs and Support: A Cross-SectionalOnline Survey JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY 2022, VOL. 69, NO. 9, 1602–1620 https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2021.1919479