The Term "Detransitioning" and Why its Portrayal is False and Harmful
I was unable to fit the entirety of what I felt I should say on a small Instagram post. I recommend reading the full version if you feel a need for clarity.
Cited Sources
Extensive Version, Unparaphrased
Disclaimer
This post will be about AFAB (assigned female at birth) people who transitioned to male and decided to undo it, as that is the only type of detransitioning I have seen discussed. This post is from the outlook of a transgender man. (Who will not be detransitioning.)
Terminology Used
Detransition: “Detransition is the reversal of a transgender identification or gender transition, whether by social, legal, or medical means.”[1]
AFAB: Assigned Female at Birth
AMAB: Assigned Male at Birth
Cisgender: One whose gender aligns with their gender assigned at birth
HRT: Hormone Replacement Therapy
Binding: The act of an AFAB person wearing a compressive garment to hide their breasts (can refer to a literal binder, as well as sports bras. It can also refer to unsafe ways such as using bandages.)
Preface
Why is it harmful?
That is what this post is about. I am going to be discussing one story from Snapchat and one from 60 Minutes, both on entirely different ends of the news spectrum, but equally as harmful.
Some, Not All
Detransitioning is something that does happen, but it is not an issue that can be blamed on the ease to gender affirming healthcare.
It is an issue with mental health help and therapy accessibility. Transgender healthcare cannot become any more inaccessible, and will never be the solution to preventing detransitioning and the struggles that come with it in the future. VIA the detransitioning stories I’ve listened to and read, it was a problem with peer pressure or trauma—which is legitimate—and cannot be solved by preventing often necessary healthcare for other people. Jessie Gender discusses this topic very well in her video about The Witcher[8].
The "Child Abuse" Claim
The main transphobic argument that I have faced personally (and seen) is that kids are unable to "decide" if they are transgender or not. One opinion I’ve seen the most is that transitioning is a form of “child abuse”. To quote a video reviewed on Jammi Dodger’s channel [2] “we now see children as young as 6 and 4 years of age transitioning”. A lot of uneducated people make this point.
In order to dissect this, let’s consider when puberty happens.
On average, it occurs between 10 and 15. Transitioning is commonly done (keep in mind not all trans people are the same) with hormones and surgery.
When a child is 4-6 years old, there is nothing to transition. Puberty has not happened yet, so there has been no breast development for AFAB individuals, and AMAB individuals have not had their voices drop or gained facial hair yet.
Children are able to socially transition at this age, and social transition is physically harmless. There are no "long lasting effects" on the child's body. Children should be allowed to dress and present however they want to. When I was a child, I wore cat ears to school and was sometimes called lame. Merely dressing how I wanted as a 10 year old had no effect on me now.
I was unaware of puberty blockers. (Puberty blockers are exactly what they sound like: they block puberty from occurring. They are reversible/undoable, as they can last from 3 months to 1 year. [3]) Puberty was difficult for me for many reasons. Not only did I have periods that would last ~7 days with severe cramps, but I had “developed early”. That was an adult’s way of saying I had very large breasts as early as 12.
I discuss my top surgery process in the below segment "My Transitioning Process"
I further discuss the accessibility of hormone treatment in the section "Hormones: Why it Isn't "Too Easy""
My Transitioning Process (and Why it Wasn't Easy or Peer Pressure)
In order to properly address this subject, I find it necessary to share my experience as a transgender man.
I began my social transition about 4 years ago, the summer before my freshman year of highschool. I was around 13-14 years old.
When people ask me the basic question “what is it like to be trans?” I find it nearly impossible to answer. What is it like? It’s agonising, but relieving at the same time. The pain comes from the transphobic society I have been forced to live in. I'm more than happy I transitioned; just not so happy that it was so difficult to get the help I needed.
In this section I’m going to focus on my physical transition, as that is what detransitioning is majorly about.
When I was 13 years old, before I had even come out, I was attempting to bind. At this age, I was a size J cup. A lot of people aren’t even aware that cup size exists.
I had severe back pain from the weight, and I needed help.
It was around this time that I was toying with the idea of being nonbinary. I knew something was up, but I wasn’t sure what.
My mom understood that I was in a lot of pain because of my breast size, so we went to see a surgeon about an hour drive away.
I cannot describe how that day made me feel in any way other than miserable. Because I was “so young”, I was asked countless questions about my gender that I was unable to answer at the time. All I knew was that I was in pain. I tried to emphasise that this surgery was because of the pain, but I was repeatedly redirected to discussing if I was sure about my gender identity.
I wish I had known that I would’ve been rejected because of my age and identity the second I walked in. I was told to wait until I was at least in college, but I was only told this after I had been touched all over and patronised. I had to say I didn’t want to be photographed 3 separate times; it was because I was crying.
After that consultation, I tried binding even more. If I couldn’t get my breasts off my body, my only option was to hide them. At one event, I was hanging out with some friends. I had put on a binder that morning, as I did daily. I got so wrapped in the fun that I was having that I wore it for around 12 hours. For those unfamiliar with binding, the recommended time is 6-8 hours (with breaks).
The next day, I felt so much pain in my chest that it was as if I was constantly suffocating. I am still going to doctors and physical therapy because of that; I regret it every day of my life. But I had no choice; my dysphoria was stifling.
If we skip ahead multiple years in my life, we land at starting Testosterone. I was 16 years old, and I have now been on them for around a year and a half.
I had to get consent from my mother, my father, my therapist, and myself before I was able to even discuss hormones. After all of that, I signed up for an appointment with a gynecologist. I spoke with her for quite a while and was given a booklet I was instructed to read through. I wasn’t able to just take the prescription home immediately.
She told me all the effects of hormones. From the “obvious” effects like voice masculinisation and facial hair to effects like weight distribution and increased risk of heart attacks. There was a long list—I read all of it. I think a lot of transphobic people believe that HRT is easy to get and kids don’t think over the decision first. I wasn’t unable to get HRT until I had discussed it with her extensively.
I talk more about hormones in the below segment “Hormones and Why it Isn’t “Too Easy””
After nearly exactly a year after I began HRT, I was able to get my top surgery. I was so excited and relieved. After meeting with other surgeons, I had finally found one who listened and knew. Similarly to HRT, I had discussed absolutely everything to confirm that I was ready for it.
I just wish I didn’t have to wait 4 years to get the surgery I needed.
Hormones and Why it Isn't "Too Easy"
Understanding how hormones work, on even a cisgender person, is important to understanding transitioning. Puberty isn’t a one-week thing. Children develop over a year or more. The same thing applies to HRT.
Effects of testosterone (I am not the person to ask about estrogen) begin at 5-6 months. This means your voice is a little lower now, and you might have a small amount of peach fuzz on your upper lip.
That is after around 22 injections. 22.
The misconception that transitioning was “too easy” for people who now want to detransition is foolish. Just read about my personal experience.
The most popular claim I’ve heard is that it was “peer pressure”. And to be honest, I can’t imagine what kind of peer pressure would make me do upwards of 20 injections (as most detransitioners I’ve seen have decently full beards and lowish voices; that isn’t immediate.) Just for something that doesn’t “feel good” (it feels good to me, that’s because I want the effects). Testosterone is not like other medications that are done because of peer pressure. It is a hormone that everyone—yes, including cisgender women—has.
Why Does This Snapchat Story Matter?
According to recent statistics, 41.4% of Snapchat users are between the age of 13 and 20[4].
A study discusses the most impressionable age groups[5].
Misinforming children on a subject they do not understand—especially on such a wildly popular platform—can be very dangerous and harmful.
When children, uneducated on the subject, see this headline, they are likely jump to conclusions, no matter what the article says beyond the headline. A headline is meant to grab your attention and tell you all you need to know about the article before you read it. Doing that with a topic so complicated can easily promote uneducated ideals.
As a disclaimer, I did not personally view the story. I felt that if I were to give it the attention it wants, it would spread more.
60 Minutes and Why the Presentation of Information Matters as Much as the Information Itself
I will be sharing three separate quotes—from three separate people—from the 60 minutes segment on transgender healthcare.[6]
The first quote is from a gynecologist, Dr. Marci Bowers when asked about gender affirming clinics:
“My fear is that these people are popping up to meet the demand, but are they following the same standards of care that I am used to following with my professionals? We’re having the same problem with surgeons coming out and saying ‘I will perform the procedure’, and I don’t know where they’ve trained and the outcomes are not always good. So how do we police that?”
I find this comment extremely… interesting. The implications of what she says is that doctors who perform gender affirming surgeries do not deserve to be doctors. “Are they following the same standards of care that I am used to?” I’m not a doctor, but I’d say I understand that malpractice—illegal medical procedures done without a license, in this case—is a crime.
It is beyond transphobic to loop wrongful death in with gender affirming surgeries.
The final sentence in the quote leaves me surprised as well. “How do we police that?” … Well, we shouldn’t have to get the police involved in affirming transgender care. It goes without saying that legitimate malpractice is already policed. Doctors perform under an extremely high standard, and cannot do so without a license. I’d really expect a doctor to understand that.
Saying things like this is not okay.
Over halfway through the video, after Bowers’ outlook, two new people are introduced.
One of them being Alfonzo David, civil rights lawyer and previous president of the Human Rights Campaign.
“We also have to talk about the people who successfully transitioned. The vast majority of people who do. And I’m concerned about that young person who is facing stigmatisation and discriminisation at home and at school. And they may attempt suicide. [7] Because society has told them they are worthless. I’m concerned about a population that has already been victimised and marginalised, and how a story that is taken out of context can further victimise and marginalise this community.”
As well as some words from Dr. Lee Savio Beers, previous president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is given about 1 minute to speak about the subject. Here is what she said:
“I think it’s incredibly important to 1, help dispel the myths about what gender affirming care is and isn’t. [...] I also think that it’s really important, that no matter how we do it, and in whatever setting, that we send a message to transgender youth and gender diverse youth and their families that they matter, that their experiences matter, that we care about them and we want them to get the best medical care, we want them to get the best education, we want them to get the best support from their families and their communities. That has to be our north star.”
Now, why is the affirming information last?
I ask myself this because while watching, I had multiple moments where I had wanted to just shut it off. If I hadn’t stayed until the last minute I never would have heard anything good about affirming healthcare.
The video is meant to appear level and evenly distributed. However, one woman gets over half of the video as she talks about the harms of transitioning, and the affirming people are last.
When you present information in this way, it is clearly biased. They intended that the first thing you hear is about how bad transitioning is.
The interviewer is an older cisgender woman. She spends a lot of time clarifying the “point” they are making, and sure. When she words it as if it’ll help transgender people, it really does sound like a good thing.
However.
This segment was made by cis people for cis people.