Detransition is the process, usually social sometimes medical, that young people go through when they reject their transgender gender identity after having under gone medical treatment to imitate the opposite sex. When this happens before any medical intervention it is known as desistance. We know that desistance rates are high, about 85% in studies, and this figure is most likely higher if we consider those who had an incongruent gender identity so fleetingly they escaped academic study.
Detransition is not rare, either. A simple search of YouTube for the term ‘detransition’ will yield many videos of young people describing their detransition experience. For every YouTuber who feels they need to tell their story, how many do you think are just quietly getting on with their lives?
The personal testimonies of detransitioners are powerful. To parents of children seeking undergoing gender transition they are sources of hope.
More powerful still is when these stories are discussed by medical professionals experienced in the field. Doctors Julia Mason of SEGM and Dr Az Hakeem, formerly of The Tavistock and author of the book ‘Trans’, are both disbelieving of the 1% figure.
We have no idea what percentage of young people who identify as transgender will go on to detransition. As ever in the field of gender medicine – more research is needed.
When James Caspian tried to establish a study into detransition at Bath Spa University he was prevented from doing so. In 2017, the climate was so hostile to anyone questioning the genderist narrative that the University was afraid of the backlash on social media.
“Engaging in a potentially ‘politically incorrect’ piece of research carries a risk to the university. Attacks on social media may not be confined to the researcher but may involve the university.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41384473
James Caspian has been fighting for justice ever since and his case is on Crowdjustice.
Four years later evidence-based organisations like Our Duty, Transgender Trend and SEGM are pushing for the truth; and a growing corpus of detransitioner groups like The Detransition Advocacy Network, Post Trans and Detrans Voices are being formed and making themselves heard.
The climate has changed.
In the same city where James Caspian was denied the opportunity to research detransition by Bath Spa University, a new research study has commenced at the University of Bath.
