PART 2 – DETRANSITIONING

Detransition, in the trans and gender diverse context, is often used as a catch-all term, but it actually refers to a range of experiences, not a single, uniform action. The meaning can vary significantly depending on the context, the individual, and whether we’re talking about social, medical, or psychological dimensions. 

Why Language Matters: Because “detransition” can mean so many different things, researchers, clinicians, and media must be careful and specific about how the term is used. Otherwise, it can: 

• • Confuse data about prevalence and outcomes. 
  • Be weaponised in political or ideological debates. 
  • Overlook the diversity of trans and detrans individuals’ experiences.  

TEMPORARY DETRANSITION: A pause or break in transitioning. 

• Reasons: 
  • Financial limitations 
  • Medical issues 
  • Access to care (e.g., during a move or due to insurance coverage) 
  • Personal reflection or uncertainty 

PARTIAL DETRANSITION: Reversing or stopping some aspects of transition but not others. 

• Examples: 
  • A transmasculine person might stop testosterone but keep a mastectomy. 
  • Someone might return to using their birth name in public but continue HRT privately. 

SOCIAL DETRANSITION: Changing back (partially or fully) to a previous gender presentation. 

Examples: 

• • Changing name and pronouns back to those used before transitioning. 
  • Changing clothing, hairstyle, or mannerisms to align with one’s assigned sex at birth. 

    Why it happens: Sometimes due to personal realisation, but more typically because of external pressures like family rejection, discrimination, ideological (e.g. religious or political) hate harms, or safety concerns. 

MEDICAL DETRANSITION: Stopping or reversing medical treatments related to transition. 

Examples: 

• • Ceasing hormone replacement therapy (HRT). 
  • Undergoing surgeries to reverse previous procedures (e.g., breast augmentation removal or phalloplasty reversal). 

LEGAL DETRANSITION: Reversing legal gender markers and documentation. 

Examples: Changing gender markers on IDs, passports, or health records to previous versions. 

Why it matters: Some people may feel their legal identity no longer aligns with their gender identity, or they may face barriers due to political or bureaucratic harm or safety risks. 

PSYCHOLOGICAL OR IDENTITY-BASED DETRANSITION: A shift in how someone understands or identifies their gender. 

• Examples: 
  • Realising one identifies as cisgender after identifying as trans. 
  • Moving away from a binary trans identity toward a nonbinary or gender-fluid identity—or vice versa. 
• Important: This form of detransition doesn’t always mean regret. Some people describe it as part of an evolving understanding of themselves.