Watson

I talk to trans and detrans folk who don't like sharing particular thoughts on their feeds. Which is a shame, as a lot of what they have to say warrants some serious consideration. With the permission of one young detrans woman, I share with you now some of her experiences: 1/8

"I never had gender dysphoria. I didn't have any bad feelings about my body. Or at least nothing out of the norm for a teen girl. It was about the time I was coming to terms with being gay. I watched a vid of a lesbian talking about coming out..." 2/8

"I can't remember exactly how but one vid led to another and I found myself watching stuff by trans guys talking about coming out. I started Googling trans guys and when I saw their before and after pics I was immediately enthralled..." 3/8

"I didn't initially want facial hair or top surgery or anything like that, I wanted to be a "pretty boy." By 2014 I was convinced I was trans and suddenly, T and surgery seemed necessary. Like, viewing online trans stuff gave me dysphoria..." 4/8

"I enjoyed the fantasy of being male, then I needed to make that fantasy a reality. Within 2 years I went from being a lesbian to being a gay trans boy who needed to transition or die. I started T When I was 22 and got top surgery at 23..." 5/8

"I felt so happy at first, like I wanted to show people my chest and I liked what I saw when I looked in the mirror. My fantasy had become reality and it was exciting. So no, I don't think you need dysphoria to think transition is a good idea..." 6/8

"Looking back, my issue was I wanted to be a pretty gay boy more than I wanted to be a Butch lesbian, but it turns out I've been an androgynous bi woman all along and I think that added to my confusion." 7/8