Huh, cool. Good to have at least one anecdote that you can de (re?) transition and it’s just not a huge deal.
I wonder if a proper study of people who took hormones and transitioned socially but de-transitioned fully voluntarily—not because of a medical complication, outside pressure, running out of money etc. but could have fully chosen to continue hormones and didn’t—would find this is common. I wouldn’t be surprised, “I tried something for a year or two and it didn’t work out” is not uncommon in life.
Speaking as someone who’s been on hormones for 4 years and considered myself trans for 5, this is probably the majority of detransitions (insofar as they can be considered “de”). Many of my friends have detransitioned without any regret for taking hormones (or continued hormones but decided to socially detransition, etc), and they usually remain fairly integrated with trans friends, having enough trans experience to “get it” and be an honorary trans no matter what. Like OP said, cultural integration is pretty sufficient to remain in trans communities even if you’re “cis”.
I think there’s a very common perspective that having a non-cis-typical body is a horrible disfigurement and that’s why vocally regretful detransitioners are given such a large platform in media (despite their grievances being about the same or less as a trans person forced through natal puberty). Most trans people come to peace with having a non-cis-typical body in the process of being trans, so in the case of detransition it’s less horrible regret and more like becoming a trans person in the other direction. Notably the most vocally regretful detransitioners are formerly of the type of trans person who loathes being trans and gatekeeps it strictly as a reified medical condition which is to be Treated with hormones.
Huh, cool. Good to have at least one anecdote that you can de (re?) transition and it’s just not a huge deal.
I wonder if a proper study of people who took hormones and transitioned socially but de-transitioned fully voluntarily—not because of a medical complication, outside pressure, running out of money etc. but could have fully chosen to continue hormones and didn’t—would find this is common. I wouldn’t be surprised, “I tried something for a year or two and it didn’t work out” is not uncommon in life.
Speaking as someone who’s been on hormones for 4 years and considered myself trans for 5, this is probably the majority of detransitions (insofar as they can be considered “de”). Many of my friends have detransitioned without any regret for taking hormones (or continued hormones but decided to socially detransition, etc), and they usually remain fairly integrated with trans friends, having enough trans experience to “get it” and be an honorary trans no matter what. Like OP said, cultural integration is pretty sufficient to remain in trans communities even if you’re “cis”.
I think there’s a very common perspective that having a non-cis-typical body is a horrible disfigurement and that’s why vocally regretful detransitioners are given such a large platform in media (despite their grievances being about the same or less as a trans person forced through natal puberty). Most trans people come to peace with having a non-cis-typical body in the process of being trans, so in the case of detransition it’s less horrible regret and more like becoming a trans person in the other direction. Notably the most vocally regretful detransitioners are formerly of the type of trans person who loathes being trans and gatekeeps it strictly as a reified medical condition which is to be Treated with hormones.