This story is from the comments listed below, summarised by AI.
Authenticity Assessment: Not Suspicious
Based on the provided comments, the account appears authentic. There are no serious red flags indicating it is a bot or a bad-faith actor.
The user's story is highly specific, internally consistent, and contains nuanced, personal details about military life, desistance, and the process of coming to terms with their gender that would be difficult to fabricate convincingly. The passion and perspective align with a genuine detransitioner/desister.
About me
I grew up in a strict Mormon home where I was taught that being female meant being weak, which made me hate my body and want to escape womanhood. I thought I was a trans man for a while, but it was really a mix of trauma and other health issues. My turning point was joining the Marines, where I met incredibly strong female role models who showed me a new kind of strength. I became proud to be a woman and finally became comfortable in my own body. Now I know my worth isn't defined by gender, and I embrace both my masculine and feminine sides.
My detransition story
My journey with gender started when I was a teenager. I grew up in a very strict Mormon household where my father had a lot of control over our family. He believed that because he was male and we were female, he had the right to control us. This made me believe that being a woman meant being weak and less worthy. I hated that feeling and wanted to be respected and have control over my own life.
I started to feel a lot of discomfort with my body, especially during puberty. I hated my breasts and felt a deep sense of wrongness that I thought was gender dysphoria. I now realize it was actually a mix of body dysmorphia and the symptoms of my diagnosed PMDD. I also suspect I am autistic and might have ADHD, though I haven't finished getting tested for that yet.
For a while, I identified as non-binary and then as a trans man. I thought transitioning was the answer to all my problems. I never took testosterone or had any surgeries, but I lived socially as male. Looking back, a lot of my feelings were influenced by the trauma from my religious upbringing and my low self-esteem. I wanted to escape from the idea of being a weak woman.
My turning point came when I decided to join the U.S. Marines. To enlist, I had to desist from identifying as trans. I went into boot camp as a female, and it completely changed my life. For the first time, I was under the guidance of female drill instructors—some of the strongest, most incredible women I had ever seen. They showed me a kind of strength I didn't know women could have. I also found a real sisterhood with the other women in my platoon. I became incredibly proud to be a woman and a Marine. It was in boot camp that I finally became comfortable in my female body.
Being a woman in the Marines is incredibly hard. You face a lot of harassment and have to constantly prove yourself. At first, I presented very masculinely, and the guys mostly treated me like one of them, which had its own challenges. When I started to embrace a more feminine side, the harassment got worse. But I learned to handle it by being excellent at my job and physical training. I proved my strength through my actions.
I don’t regret my social transition because it was a part of my path that led me to where I am now. It helped me explore myself, even if it was based on some mistaken ideas. I now see that my issues were never really about gender. Taking hormonal birth control to manage my PMDD made a huge difference, and the dysmorphia I felt basically went away.
My thoughts on gender now are that it doesn't define your strength or worth. I'm a straight woman, and I've found a male partner who loves me for who I am. I’ve learned to connect with my feminine side without fearing it makes me weak. I still dress in a way that feels right for me, whether that's masculine or feminine, because it's for me, not for anyone else. I am strong, and that's all that matters.
| Age | Year | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 13-17 | ~2015-2019 | Experienced puberty discomfort and body dysmorphia, influenced by strict religious upbringing. |
| 18 | ~2020 | Identified as non-binary, then as a trans man; social transition only. |
| 19 | ~2021 | Decided to join the Marines and desisted; entered boot camp as female. |
| 19 | ~2021 | Underwent boot camp; found comfort in my female body through sisterhood and strong female role models. |
| 20-21 | ~2022-2023 | Served as a female Marine; learned to navigate being a woman in a challenging environment. |
| 22 | ~2024 | Fully comfortable as a woman; managing PMDD with birth control; embracing both masculine and feminine expression. |
Top Comments by /u/throwawaysu57:
female US Marine here. you could not enlist in the Marines as a woman unless you have gone through every surgery, legal name and gender changes. You have to be fully transitioned to do it. This is because showering, shitting, and health inspections during boot camp are not private. you are showering in a square room with shower heads on the walls, no stalls. There’s no doors in the toilets. You strip down naked, get into lines and get sprayed with Hibiclens. Do you understand how uncomfortable it would make a room full of 18 year old girls to have a fully developed male among them? That is why it is not permitted.
You may have a hard time in the military if you are a GNC male. GNC females do not have issues, GNC males are typically isolated from their peers. The USMC is a conservative organization. I’m warning you now you may have issues.
My advice for that is be absolutely stellar killer at PT. It helps an insane amount. Hard to look down on a 285 PFT score when the dudes who would make fun of you run a 230. That’s just how the USMC is. Work hard.
Remember if you’re having body issues, that the USMC’s whole point is that you’re going to be uncomfortable all the time. If you’re already uncomfortable in your own body, it’s going to be twenty times worse for you. The USMC harsh on the body and on the mind. not just boot camp- MCT, your MOS school, the fleet and especially deployments will be hard.
Good luck then!! It is a great way to broaden your career and it will be challenging. When it sucks just remember suck doesn’t last forever, it has to end sometime.
as a side note we aren’t at war right now, i’m not sure if you meant just that you want to go to war or that you think you would be going to war, but there are no Marines in any sort of combat rn- unless you account for a couple weak Houthi drone strikes on the Eisenhower, and now here in a few weeks probably the Wasp.
I’m a US Marine on active duty. Desisted, I’m a female. Here’s my insight. It’s long, but i think it’s worth a read. I don’t think your idea is bad, and I actually got a lot out of going into the military when it comes to being comfortable being a woman.
part I: Medical you should be fine medically. The 18 month wait is real and you’ll need waivers, might take a minute to enlist. Feel free to hit up a recruiter even now, they will answer questions to the best of their ability. I wouldn’t sign for a TS clearance job (intel, cyber, MSG). Too likely you won’t get cleared due to the issues and then they’ll drop you to a random job. As a woman I also would heavily advise against infantry (including recon) unless you can take serious beat downs both mentally and physically. It is extra hard for women.
part II: Transgenders in the military I have met a lot of FtMs in the military. Out of like 12, exactly 1 is still actually in the Corps, and all the rest were kicked out or separated early for attempting to end their own lives or because they had lengthy medical issues (some of which were malingering). I have met 5 MtFs. Three were convicted of s*xual assaults, and the other two, plus two of the offenders, attempted to end their own lives. All of them were separated before their first contract was up. With that in mind those who attempt transitions generally have a lot of mental strain in general. Their lifestyles and beliefs do not align into the lifestyle of the USMC. You have to get comfortable into the uncomfortable, and people uncomfortable in their own bodies are not going to be able to handle the type of uncomfortable that the USMC dumps on people.
Part III: detrans i am the only desisted person I’ve ever met. I have never met a detransitioner in the military. Your situation is unique. I had just become comfortable with my female body as I went into boot camp, and going through boot camp actually made me so much stronger. I was under the guide of the female drill instructors, and they were the strongest, most incredible women I had ever met. I had never wanted to be more like someone. They embodied what I’d never seen in women before. Also for the first time I had a sisterhood in boot camp- me and my platoon were not the best scoring platoon, but we were tight knit. I was so proud to be a female Marine, and to just be a woman in general. We can be strong in every way.
Part IV: being a woman in the USMC After boot camp being a woman becomes much harder. You have to have a lot of fight in you. The young fresh outta high school males are the majority and they can be extremely horrible. You will be sexually harassed. 100%. Even if you’re masculine presenting- WHICH btw will get you zero flak in the military, won’t make a difference- you will be harassed, called horrible things, told you’re weak because you run slow and can’t keep up with a 5’11” male on a 65lbs ruck hike (you’re probably not slow- you’re a very athletic woman trying to keep up with very athletic males!). It is not for the faint of heart. There’s a lot of stereotypes about women. I fight them by just facing it. It can be hard to learn. The chances of assault are also very high. I do not recommend drinking with even familiar male coworkers. I can’t stress enough how hard it is to be a female Marine. The Marine Corps will already stress you to your breaking point over, and over, and over again. It could be worth it. You might find it’s not. I don’t usually recommend joining either. But it’s up to you to take that step. It is a challenge.
DM me for any personal questions. I’ll tell you stories of my experience, I’ll give you any advice or help you need. Best of luck.
I have diagnosed PMDD and I’ve always had it, I never took T, but the PMDD was the source of my dysphoria. Dysphoria was actually body dysmorphia, and when I started taking hormonal birth control it went away. I am also probably autistic, and have been flagged as potentially ADHD, I have to get the testing done though.
I was a masculine chick for my first couple years in the corps and i would actually say it’s easier than being a feminine chick. I got flak like “you look like a dude” and then the males would treat me like another male, which could be hard to stomach sometimes (u know what they talk about) but most of the time was alright. Being feminine is when I started getting harassed way worse
I thought women were weaker and less worthy after having grown up in an extremely Mormon household where my father believed he could control us because we were female and he was male. I wanted respect and control over my own life.
Later when I became interested in the Marines I desisted to join and thought maybe i’d transition post military. However, at boot camp I learned that women can be strong and respected, I made friends with other women for the first time, and my whole worldview changed.
I was just a masculine straight chick and that was fine. In the USMC i was generally interpreted as a lesbian bc of my hair and style choices which didn’t bother me. I’ve found people accept me far more for who I am than when I was pretending to be something I’m not.
I also found a male partner who loves me.
I’m not as masculine as I was- over the last year I’ve reached out to finally connect to that feminine side that I was afraid was weak. I still dress and style masculine sometimes because i like it and not because i want to seem stronger than I am. I am strong, if someone mistakes that because of my gender, it’s not my problem or care.
Good luck out there