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Reddit user /u/VeggieWatts's Detransition Story

Transitioned: 18 -> Detransitioned: 22
female
hated breasts
took hormones
regrets transitioning
trauma
influenced online
got top surgery
puberty discomfort
started as non-binary
This story is from the comments listed below, summarised by AI.
On Reddit, people often share their experiences across multiple comments or posts. To make this information more accessible, our AI gathers all of those scattered pieces into a single, easy-to-read summary and timeline. All system prompts are noted on the prompts page.

Sometimes AI can hallucinate or state things that are not true. But generally, the summarised stories are accurate reflections of the original comments by users.
Authenticity Assessment: Not Suspicious

Based on the provided comments, this account appears authentic. There are no serious red flags suggesting it is a bot or inauthentic.

The user's comments display a consistent, personal narrative about trauma and body image issues leading to dysphoria, which aligns with known desister experiences. The language is emotionally nuanced and reflective, showing a natural thought process rather than scripted talking points. The user engages critically with the topic and expresses complex, personal emotions, which is not typical of bot behavior.

About me

I started feeling wrong in my body during puberty, and that feeling got much worse after I was abused, making me want to hide being female. I thought becoming a man was the answer, so I took testosterone and had surgery, but it only made me angrier and more lost. I realize now I was never trans; it was just my way of coping with trauma and low self-esteem. I deeply regret my surgery and am heartbroken by how quickly these medical changes are pushed. Now, I'm learning to accept myself as a woman and make peace with the permanent changes to my body.

My detransition story

My whole journey with gender was messy and, looking back, was really about a lot of other problems I was dealing with. I think my discomfort started in puberty. I hated the changes in my body, especially developing breasts. I compared myself to the women I saw in the media and felt like my body was wrong. I grew up with two brothers and all their male friends were always around, so I didn't have many girls to relate to. I felt out of place.

A huge part of it was trauma. I was sexually abused, and for a long time, I blamed being female for what happened to me. I didn't know that boys could be abused too. That abuse made me desperately want to hide, to not be seen as a girl. I think that pushed me straight into gender dysphoria. I had really low self-esteem and a lot of anxiety.

I started identifying as non-binary first, and then as a trans man. It felt like an escape from all the pain and discomfort. I was heavily influenced by what I saw online; it felt like I had found a community that understood my pain. I ended up taking testosterone for about two years. I thought it would fix everything, but it didn't. I became more angry and agitated, and I started to feel like I was living a lie. I also got top surgery, which I now deeply regret. I was convinced it would make me happy, but it just left me with scars and a body that still doesn't feel like mine.

I never got any therapy that questioned my decision to transition. Everyone was just affirming, which felt good at the time, but it meant no one helped me dig into the real reasons behind my feelings. It was only after I started to detransition that I began to understand myself. I had to revisit what being a woman actually meant. I realized I didn't hate being female; I hated the sexism and the stereotypes and the trauma associated with it. I just wanted to break gender barriers, to be seen as a person first.

I don't believe I was ever truly trans. For me, it was a coping mechanism. I have a lot of regrets, especially about the surgery. It breaks my heart to see how quickly surgery and hormones are pushed onto people, especially young people, without exploring these deeper issues. I'm now trying to learn to live with the permanent changes I made to my body. I'm focusing on accepting myself as a woman who is just a person, with a mix of masculine and feminine traits, and that's okay.

Here is a timeline of my journey:

Age Event
11-12 Started puberty, felt intense discomfort with my body, especially my breasts.
14 Experienced sexual abuse, which intensified my desire to not be female.
18-19 In college, began identifying as non-binary, then as a trans man. Heavily influenced by online communities.
20 Started taking testosterone.
21 Underwent top surgery.
22 Stopped testosterone, began the process of detransitioning.
23 (Present) Working on self-acceptance as a female, dealing with regrets about surgery.

Top Comments by /u/VeggieWatts:

5 comments • Posting since April 2, 2022
Reddit user VeggieWatts (desisted) comments on the push for transgender surgery, expressing heartbreak over the financial struggle, false happiness for youth, and silencing of those who regret it.
25 pointsMay 12, 2022
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(You are very adorable btw). It is very upsetting to see how much surgery is pushed for the trans community. It breaks my heart. Not only are we setting future kids up for false happiness to obsess and financially struggle towards, but the regretful ones are ignored and silenced. You brought up some very interesting points. I don't want you to be ashamed of yourself and I hope you can find happiness and comfort with your body. I unfortunately just ignore my body but I can't say that is the healthy thing to do either.

Reddit user VeggieWatts (desisted) explains the causes of their gender dysphoria, citing sexual trauma, low self-esteem, growing up in a male-dominated environment with brothers, and negative media comparisons to their own developing body.
11 pointsApr 19, 2022
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For me, sexual trauma, self esteem issues, growing up without any or many girls (had two brothers and all their male friends over constantly), and seeing women in the media and comparing them to my preteen/teen body and wondering why I was different or "wrong" for a girl. Shit really got to me

Reddit user VeggieWatts (desisted) explains how childhood abuse led to her gender dysphoria, as she blamed being female for her trauma and sought to hide from the "spotlight."
10 pointsApr 14, 2022
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I'm pretty sure my abuse pushed me into gender dysphoria. I have seen people say and even video interviews of girls specifically saying their abuse made them desperately want to hide from the "spotlight". I blamed being a female for a really long time for my abuse. I didn't know boys/men got abused too at the time. I had to revisit what being female meant in college before I could truly love myself again and be free to do whatever.

Reddit user VeggieWatts (desisted) discusses the frustration of gender stereotyping in relationships and the desire to break down gender barriers.
3 pointsApr 2, 2022
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I feel you on this. Combating sexism with sexism? I think it's more than that. I'm a big believer in RAW VENTING in your own private spaces. It is important to not be toxic or to offend others but it's also just generally upsetting and frustrating to be stereotyped as the same. I admittedly get triggered a lot. I think my boyfriend intentionally likes to annoy me but I will often just shove male stereotypes back in his face when he does it or I will ask him why he does typical female things. It does get a little toxic but when he says those things- it's almost like it's convincing me that he doesn't remember how I feel/am and/or he doesn't care. It's probably not that but it feels like it which is hurtful from your closest person.

I think I just want to break gender barriers so badly that I forget we all posses masculine and feminine traits at different levels and especially we all can break gender barriers of our own. We're people who are all different! But we may never just simply be.. people. Pick a gender + fit the stereotype... Sigh

Reddit user VeggieWatts (desisted) questions the methodology of a study on young transitioners, asking for its definition of "trans" and if it accounts for closeted youth.
3 pointsMay 5, 2022
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I wonder what their definition of trans is? And how many kids have been transitioning from such a young age as 6? I wouldn't think there were that many cases to claim a real scientific study. Interesting.

Does this account for kids/teens who are trans but don't get to express it? I doubt it if the participants are willing and known to be, plus parental acceptance to study.