Pride Month isn’t so proud after all

Even as the transgender revolution marches on, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to restrict surgical transitions for children. Naturally, the LGBTQ community is in an uproar, but a growing contingent of “detransitioning” adults reveals the necessity of such precaution.

June is Pride Month, which is supposed to represent inclusivity and empowerment for all to embrace “who you are” (along the narrow lines of alternative sexuality, at least.) Few LGBTQ supporters will concede the growing number of individuals detransitioning and leaving the trans lifestyle.

A quick Google search reveals zero applicable content for detransitioners seeking support during Pride Month, which is odd considering they too are a part of the revolution.

A burgeoning online community of content creators is now proclaiming a turn from transgenderism. Some have been transformed through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Others simply feel fooled and failed by the medical community. Both sets of people deserve respect and acknowledgment from those who claim to support everyone’s individual choices regarding gender and sexuality. Their experiences merit thoughtful questions about how the rush to affirm all gender identities and sexual preferences prevents the medical community from treating individuals with legitimate mental health struggles.

A 2021 paper from sex and gender researcher Lisa Littman found that 55 percent of those who detransitioned “felt that they did not receive an adequate evaluation from a doctor or mental health professional before starting transition.”

Given the societal pressure to immediately affirm one’s perceived gender identity without question, this is unsurprising. Carey Callahan is a detransitioned woman who later recognized the harmful ways the gender-affirming movement bypassed critical mental health concerns of those seeking treatment. In college, she was sexually assaulted and admitted that it caused her to feel like she “wanted to take my body off.”

Today, she says she knows detransitioned people who later discovered they had forms of autism, traumatic disassociation, and multiple personalities—all while being treated with hormones and receiving gender transition surgeries. Callahan “regrets” transitioning and is regularly attacked by those in the trans community who believe sharing her story causes harm. She doesn’t believe transitioning is wrong but questions the rapid push to go in that direction without other analysis.

There are nearly 2 million uses of #detransitioning on TikTok videos, and these quickly amass legions of views and comments for their controversial nature and provocative content. Some detransitioners credit God for their newfound freedom in Christ from the oppressiveness of sex and gender-based identity. Arianna Armour, one of the most prolific users regularly posts for her 195,000 followers about being a lesbian for 14 years and transgender for two years. She reveals a dramatic change in her after what she calls “an encounter with God.”

One woman, Maddy, identified as a transgender male for many years and was even engaged to a woman before detransitioning. “Now, I identify as a child of God,” she said in one of her many videos on the subject. Christians who speak out on the issue receive particularly damning comments as they question the methods and the morality of transitioning. In the view of the LGBT movement, detransitioning is the sin.

Others aren’t religious but express deep concern with the lack of information about detransitioning or support for doing so. A recent detransitioner on TikTok said her choice to become trans was more related to her confusion over her sexuality than gender. Another detransitioner said after she was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a doctor recommended hormones and transition, which did nothing to help her with her mental illness.

Ironically, these courageous individuals are called close-minded by accusers attempting to silence stories that don’t amplify their single-minded agenda of transgender affirmation at all costs. Still, detransition is becoming more popular, and organizations exist to help those who want access to care and support.

The most recent, comprehensive study of transgender people was a 2015 survey, which found that 15 percent of those who transitioned had later detransitioned. In 2016, The New York Times reported the adult trans population had doubled. One can only imagine where the numbers, and regret, for transitioning stand now.

When people detransition, they are taking a critical step in unpacking the genuine struggle that led them there in the first place. As Christians, we hope everyone will ultimately realize their invaluable, singularly important identity as Christ’s image-bearers. For those who aren’t there yet, however, detransition is a positive step that Christians can affirm and support.