Two former female-to-male (FTM) trans teens expressed regret over the gender reassignment procedures they underwent while still young. The two "detransitioners" expressed hope that their stories will dissuade others from making decisions that will have irreversible and lifelong effects.
Helena Kerschner
Helena Kerschner from Cincinnati, Ohio first experienced gender dysphoria at age 14. A falling-out with friends at school led her to find an online community on Tumblr that welcomed her. Transgender activism blogs on the platform drove her to an FTM transition procedure.
"I was going through a period where I was just really isolated at school, so I turned to the internet," she recounted. "My dysphoria was definitely triggered by this online community. I never thought about my gender or had a problem with being a girl before going on Tumblr."
A trip to Planned Parenthood when she turned 18, which culminated in a testosterone prescription, kick-started her FTM transition. According to Kerschner, a nurse practitioner gave her four times the typical starting dose of testosterone – without ever seeing a doctor. But the procedure had serious consequences, as she experienced emotional instability that ended with two hospitalizations for self-harm.
Kerschner realized while in the hospital that her decision to undergo FTM transition was a mistake, leading her to detransition at 19 years old.
"I just came to the conclusion that I was born in the wrong body and that all my problems in life would be solved if I transitioned. I saw a montage of photos of me, and when I saw how much my face changed and how unhappy I looked, I realized … I shouldn't have done it," said the 23-year-old Kerschner.
Chloe Cole
California student Chloe Cole was initially exposed to "a lot of LGBT content and activism" on Instagram when she was 11 years old. She later came out to her parents at age 13, and she was given puberty blockers and testosterone that same age.
"I saw how trans people online got an overwhelming amount of support, and the amount of praise they were getting really spoke to me because, at the time, I didn’t really have a lot of friends of my own," Cole recounted.
She underwent a double mastectomy as part of the FTM transition process at age 15, which left a large scar across her chest. Less than a year later, she realized her mistake and decided to detransition at 16 years old. Despite this, the effects of the gender transition process remained – broad shoulders, a sharper jawline and increased body and facial hair.
Aside from her inability to breastfeed, fertility issues also hounded her. While she wants to have children someday, years of testosterone injections appear to have compromised the viability of her eggs.
"Because my body didn’t match beauty ideals, I started to wonder if there was something wrong with me. I thought I wasn’t pretty enough to be a girl, so I'd be better off as a boy," commented the 17-year-old Cole. (Related: Former FTM transgender teen supports Florida ban on using Medicaid funds for transgender medical interventions.)
Experts: Detransition trend reflects bigger issues
Brown University professor emeritus Dr. Lisa Littman pointed to the role of social media in convincing teenagers to undergo gender reassignment procedures. Her August 2018 study published in PLOS One, said parents of transgender children "reported that along with the sudden or rapid onset of gender dysphoria, their child either had an increase in their social media/internet use or belonged to a friend group in which one or multiple friends became transgender-identified during a similar timeframe."
These findings, Littman said, "raise the possibility of social and peer influences" – as seen in Kerschner's interaction with transgender groups on Tumblr and Cole's exposure to LGBT content on Instagram.
"In the past decade, there has been an increase in visibility, social media and user-generated online content about transgender issues and transition, which may act as a double-edged sword," Littman said.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Erica Anderson, a male-to-female (MTF) trans individual, expressed worry that physicians are pushing for medical intervention to address personal or mental health factors without proper restraint or oversight.
"I'm concerned that the rise of detransitioners is reflective of some young people who have progressed through their gender journey very, very quickly," said Anderson. "When other issues important to a child are not fully addressed [prior to transition], then medical professionals are failing children."
Watch this video below that features a former MTF trans individual expressing regrets with the transition process.
This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
British whistleblowers reveal horrors that come following trans surgeries.
Trans psychologist who helps kids through gender transition now says it’s all "gone too far."
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