Gender detransition: a case study

Abstract

Within the last decade, there has been a sharp global rise in the number of young people identifying as transgender. More recently, there appears to be an increase in the numbers of young people detransitioning or returning to identifying with their natal sex after pursuing medical transition. A case is presented of a young woman who pursued a gender transition and returned to identifying as female after almost two years on testosterone. The author considers and critiques the affirmative model of care for gender dysphoric youth in light of this case.

Indicators for continuance of childhood gender dysphoria into adulthood: A critical interpretive synthesis of literature (2000–2020)

“…A compartmentalizing process is required in the presentation and phenomenology so that one concept (dysphoria about gender identity) can be teased apart from other investments of gender, body, and sexuality. Recent controversial debates about transitions in adolescents about the influence of the peer group and social media (Littman, 2018(Littman, , 2019Marchiano, 2017Marchiano, , 2019Marchiano, , 2021Short, 2019) may add possible new contributions that need exploration in child assessment, and such influence questions the 'authenticity' of any gender assertion. However, Turban et al (2022b) conclude that any social contagion hypothesis should be discounted and that medical care for transitioning adolescents should not be withheld.…”

“…The risk is that these trends may lead to medical transition being considered for prepubescent children too, particularly given the ingress of social media and peer influence in their lives. The worries reported in medical journalism have paralleled scholarly publications on the topic (Littman, 2018(Littman, , 2019Marchiano, 2017Marchiano, , 2019Marchiano, , 2021Short, 2019).…”

Psychology and gender dysphoria: beyond queer ideology

“…Así mismo, no está justificado el énfasis en favor de la medicación afirmativa con base en mejorías a corto plazo que, por otro lado, tampoco se puede descartar que se deban a otras cosas, como posible medicación psiquiátrica y apoyo familiar que los propios autores reconocen (Tordoff et al, 2022). La mejor ayuda a niños y adolescentes no empieza por meterlos directamente en la terapia afirmativa (D'Angelo et al, 2021;Griffin et al, 2021;Levine et al, 2022;Marchiano, 2021;Zucker, 2019).…”

Navigating Detransition Borders: An Exploration of Social Media Narratives

“…Nomenclature regarding detransition is currently in flux and contested, with a majority of scholars positing detransition as a reverse or return to the gender presumed at birth (see Dhejne et al, 2014;James et al, 2016;Marchiano, 2017Marchiano, , 2021Turban et al, 2021;Watt, 2019Watt, , 2020Yoo, 2018). A number of recent studies advance alternate definitions of detransition to include cessation of transition and/or trans identity by way of intentional changes to gender-affirming therapies and/or surgeries and/or social attributes that do not specifically require a return or reversal to the gender presumed at birth.…”