Detransitioners

Every time I hear about research on us, I think, “Figures don't lie, but liars can figure!” Research is in the details. There was a famous study (not in a good way) that conservatives like to wave around.

The study looked at what conservatives call “Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria” (ROGD), and the study’s author’s hypothesis suggested that social media and peer influence could cause a sudden development of gender dysphoria in adolescents.

So how would you go about organizing the study? You would probably contact youth support groups for your research subjects. Wrong. The study’s author went to conservative parent support groups... and the parents said, right out of the blue, “My child said they were of the opposite gender!” As the media pointed out at the time, the study never contacted a single trans child. But still it is a poster child for conservatives.

So now we have a new study.

New study challenges claim that trans teens later regret gender-affirming care

A new study, published this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health, shares data that suggests trans teens who receive gender-affirming care aren’t very likely to regret doing so down the line.

Pink News

Aug 05, 2026

by Siân Thompson

The study uses data gathered from 445 young people diagnosed with gender dysphoria under the care of four clinics in Canada between 2012 and 2017.

The clinics were Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Diversity Clinic, IWK Trans Health Clinic at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, BC Children’s Hospital Gender Clinic, and Alberta Children’s Hospital Metta Clinic.

Of the sample group, 331 participants were assigned female at birth, and 114 were assigned male at birth. 353 underwent gender-affirming hormone therapy. Four of them later stopped hormones, and just one ceased hormone treatment and returned to identifying as their sex assigned at birth.

What they actually talked to trans children... what a novel idea!

In the Journal of Adolescent Health article: Why Do Adolescents and Young Adults Discontinue Gender-Affirming Medical Treatments? There Is No Simple Answer

They find that:

Gender-affirming care has been surrounded by controversies. In many places, access to GAMT [Gender-Affirming Medical Treatment], especially for AYAs [Adolescents and Young Adults], has been restricted or banned, sometimes with alleged concerns that AYAs would not stay on GAMT and that many are exposed to irreversible effects without proper consent. Although some AYAs have negative experiences with GAMT, the growing evidence is pointing to several facts: (1) continuation rates are high, including among those who started before turning 18; (2) regret is uncommon; (3) many discontinue GAMT due to barriers to access ; and (4) support plays a critical role in access and continuity of GAMT. Furthermore, it is irrefutable that a negative climate toward TGD [Transgender or Gender Diverse] AYAs and GAMT affects access to care. Thus, it is necessary to support access to high-quality gender-affirming care services, and it is important that healthcare providers assist those who want to interrupt GAMT. Specifically, a pervasive sentiment among those who discontinue GAMT is that they report feeling invalidated and are not supported or counseled when they reveal their desire to stop GAMT, despite particularly high need due to emotional demands and ambivalence that characterize these decisions. For some, discontinuation may be permanent, but for others, it may be temporary; healthcare professionals who provide GAMT should be prepared to welcome discussions when AYAs discontinue GAMT to understand the factors leading to this decision and provide adequate support for all. In other words, what AYAs may in fact need is gender-affirmation, regardless of gender identity, and regardless of continuation or discontinuation of GAMT. Finally, there is an urgent need for high-quality research, and in particular longitudinal studies, to understand the needs of AYAs who are discontinuing GAMT and provide informative directions to healthcare providers.

There are many reasons why children leave the program, but conservative studies lump them all under the “detransitioned” umbrella.

I have known many trans people who detransitioned, and not one of them did it because they were not trans. They did it because of family pressure and economic pressure. One person did it because they couldn’t find a job, so their parents said, “If you want to live in our house, you have to detransition.” Another did it because of religious pressure. And I know two who detransitioned and then retransitioned.

Conservatives want to paint a picture of how horrible we are, but the truth just doesn’t fit their narrative.