Recently released data from a national survey of transgender and nonbinary individuals reveals that detransitioning is not as common as opponents of transgender rights assert, and that the overwhelming reason for detransitioning is rooted in social stigma and lack of support.
Recently released data from a national survey of transgender and nonbinary individuals finds that detransitioning is far less common than anti-trans activists claim. When it does happen, it’s largely due to external pressures like stigma and lack of support, not regret over transitioning.
According to the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey, which was administered online in English and Spanish to transgender and nonbinary individuals aged 16 and older living across the United States, found that 91% of trans or nonbinary individuals aged 18 and older never reversed course after transitioning.
Of the 9% of trans or nonbinary individuals who reported returning to assigned sex at birth at any point, only 4% — just 0.36% of all survey respondents — said it was because they realized “gender transition was not for me.”
Another 29% — or 2.95% overall — said they detransitioned because their gender dysphoria didn’t improve as they had hoped.
The bulk of other detransitioners cited external pressure — from parents, family members, partners, friends, employers, religious counselors, or mental health professionals — along with social stigma or medical barriers, such as the inability to afford transition-related care.
The most common reason, cited by 41% of respondents, was that it was “just too hard to be trans in my community,” followed by 37% who pointed to parental pressure and 33% who said they faced harassment or discrimination for transitioning.
“I think what the data is showing us here is that detransitioning is extremely rare, and is often misunderstood,” Ash Lazarus Orr, press relations manager for Advocates for Trans Equality, told Metro Weekly.
“Past research does show us that the vast majority of people who do detransition, do so due to external factors like family rejection, discrimination or lack of access to care, not regret over their transition itself,” Orr said. “In contrast, the [U.S. Trans Survey] found that trans people with supportive families and access to affirming health care have dramatically better health outcomes. So, for example, 69% of those with supportive families reported having good health, compared to just 56% of those without supportive families.”
Among all U.S. Trans Survey respondents, 37% reported being satisfied overall with their lives, while 59% expressed varying levels of dissatisfaction, and 4% felt neutral about their lives.
In response to a question about whether their satisfaction had improved after receiving gender-affirming care, 98% of those who underwent hormone therapy and 97% of those who had surgery said they felt more satisfied with their lives.
“The data shows us that the overwhelming majority of trans people who at least have access to transition-related health care report improved health, wellbeing, and life satisfaction,” Orr said. “It shows us that those transitioned, be it socially, medically, or both, they are still reporting better overall health and higher levels of happiness and thriving, compared to those who have not.”
However, actually pursuing gender-affirming care is not as common as many assume.
For instance, while 88% of respondents said they had wanted hormone therapy, only 56% had actually received it. Surgical interventions were even less common, despite many expressing a desire to pursue them.
For example, among trans individuals assigned female at birth, 62% desired chest reconstruction surgery and 55% percent desired a hysterectomy. By comparison, desire for various types of “bottom surgery” ranged from 16% to 21%, and only 7% desired laser hair removal or voice therapy. But desiring something does not necessarily make it a reality — among those same respondents, 32% pursued chest surgery, only 10% received a hysterectomy, and less than 2% received any other gender-affirming surgical procedures.
For example, among trans individuals assigned female at birth, 62% expressed a desire for chest reconstruction surgery and 55% wanted a hysterectomy. Interest in various types of “bottom surgery” ranged from 16% to 21%, while just 7% expressed interest in laser hair removal or voice therapy. But desiring something does not necessarily make it a reality — only 32% pursued chest surgery, 10% received a hysterectomy, and fewer than 2% underwent any other gender-affirming surgical procedures.
Rates of surgical pursuit were even lower among nonbinary individuals assigned female at birth. While 52% expressed a desire for chest surgery, only 10% received it. Forty-seven percent wanted a hysterectomy, but just 2% obtained one. Fewer than 6% expressed interest in other surgical interventions — and less than 1% actually pursued them.
Among trans individuals assigned male at birth, 58% desired voice surgery, 54% desired laser hair removal or electrolysis, fewer than half desired some form of bottom surgery, 45% considered pursuing a “tracheal shave,” which reduces the size of the Adam’s apple, and 39% desired a breast augmentation or facial surgery.
However, only 40% of that group received laser hair removal or electrolysis, only 19% received voice surgery, and 11-13% received bottom surgery, with 10% receiving breast augmentation or facial surgery, and 7% receiving a tracheal shave.
“The narrative we often hear from the extreme right and anti-trans politicians is that once you come out as trans, you are automatically undergoing medical care. That is simply false,” Orr said. “They are not taking into consideration insurance not covering gender-affirming health care.
“Another issue that a lot of folks run into, especially in red states and rural areas, is that it is incredibly difficult to find a health care provider that is well-versed in gender-affirming health care,” he added. “So this is not something that you can just automatically walk into. There are steps in procedures in place, and there are so many hurdles that one has to jump through just to get basic health care when you are a trans person. These are things left out of these anti-trans narratives crafted by right-wing politicians.”
Orr also noted that it’s difficult to precisely define what “transitioning” entails, since some transgender people only socially transition, while others choose to pursue medical interventions, a fact often ignored — or omitted from debates — surrounding transgender identity and access to health care.
“When we think about transitioning socially, especially for younger generations, transitioning could just be coming out as trans, non-binary, or gender-diverse and going by different pronouns, or going by a different name, or changing how they style their hair and their clothing,” Orr said. “Some folks, like myself, do decide to medically transition. I am on hormone therapy, because I’m a trans man, and on my journey, I wanted to utilize hormones so I could have more masculine features. But some folks never opt to medically transition. And that is valid as well.”
He added, “There is no right or wrong way to be a trans person or for people to transition. Each trans person’s journey is unique and different. But one of the things this data is showing us is that those who have transitioned — socially, medically, or both — are reporting overall wellbeing and happiness.”
The Tennessee State Senate has approved a bill requiring clinics to report detailed data on patients receiving gender-affirming care, a move critics warn could enable the state to track transgender people and the doctors who treat them.
The measure requires all gender clinics in Tennessee to submit monthly reports to the Department of Health on patients who receive transition-related treatments or surgery. The state would then publish annual reports based on that data.
The reports would exclude patients’ names but include details such as age, sex assigned at birth, prescribed medications, and the dates prescriptions were written or surgical referrals made. The requirement would apply not only to those receiving gender-affirming care, but also to patients seeking treatment for side effects or those who later experience "regret" and pursue "detransition."
As surveys go, Gallup’s equestrian-adjacent name might make someone think of a horse. So, too, might a recent survey executed by LGBTQ-focused Bespoke Surgical: “The Average Penis Size in Every State.”
Billed as the “leading private practice specializing in an elite standard of sexual health and wellness care in New York City,” Bespoke asked its more than 3,000 participants to answer questions not just about penis size, but about how that might affect their relationships or their confidence, among other things.
“Once a quarter, we conduct surveys at the intersection of brand relevance and broader cultural conversation, looking at what’s happening across the LGBTQ+ and sexual health/wellness spaces and putting real data behind those topics,” explains Bespoke founder and CEO, Dr. Evan Goldstein, adding that past surveys have examined trust in doctors, feelings about nudity, and “butt confidence.”
FCC Chair Brendan Carr is seeking public comment on proposed changes to the parental ratings system that would flag content related to gender identity.
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is seeking public input on whether television programs that address transgender issues or feature trans or nonbinary characters should carry warning labels.
The FCC oversees broadcast and cable TV companies and helps shape the ratings system that guides parents on whether shows are appropriate for children.
In 1996, Congress gave TV companies the option to create their own voluntary ratings system or adopt one imposed by the FCC. The companies chose to create their own system, forming the TV Oversight Management Board, which developed the TV Parental Guidelines still used today for cable, satellite, and streaming services.
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