only transitioned socially Detransition Stories & Timelines
Browse through 540 unique detransition stories and timelines of people who haved shared their experiences in the /r/detrans subreddit, which is the largest open collection of detransition stories and experiences on the internet!
These stories have been summarised with the help of AI.
/u/portaux
I always felt different from other girls and wanted to be treated with respect, which led me to believe I was a boy. I became deeply depressed and nearly took testosterone, convinced it was my only escape from misogyny. After years of questioning, I realized I didn't want to be a man; I just hated the sexist stereotypes forced on women. I never medically transitioned, and I now see myself as a masculine woman who loves herself as she is. My journey taught me that you don't need to change your body to be your authentic self.
/u/cagedbunny83
I was a sensitive boy who felt different and dreaded becoming a man, so I transitioned to female as a teenager. I lived as a woman for a few years but was exhausted by the constant fear of being seen as a fraud. I detransitioned at 19 by simply deciding to see myself as a feminine man, and a huge weight was immediately lifted. I realized my problem wasn't being male, but the pressure to be masculine, and I now live happily as an effeminate gay man. I express myself freely in a way that feels right for me, knowing that my style has nothing to do with my sex.
/u/Luck_Unlucky
I felt like a boy trapped in a girl's body from the time I was a toddler, a feeling that intensified with trauma I experienced. I socially transitioned to live as a man in my 40s and for a while, it felt like the answer. I eventually realized my desire to be male was a coping mechanism tied to my past and internalized shame about being female. Through therapy, I learned to accept my body and understand that my masculine interests don't make me less of a woman. I'm now at peace, living as a masculine woman, and finally free from the depression that haunted me for decades.
/u/novaskyd
I started identifying as a trans man in my late teens because I was a lonely, anxious kid who didn't fit in with other girls. I lived as a man for four years and even got a prescription for testosterone, but using the gel never felt right and made me hesitate. What really changed things was realizing I could still enjoy feminine things and that there's no single way to be a woman. Now, I'm comfortable living as a female; I'm married with kids and see my body for what it can do, not just how it looks. Looking back, I believe my anxiety and social pressures played a big role, and I'm grateful I found my way through it without medical intervention.
/u/quendergestion
I felt completely disconnected from being a woman, which started from childhood trauma that made me feel unsafe in my own skin. I socially transitioned to a non-binary identity for years, trying to escape that discomfort. Finding a safe relationship and IFS therapy helped me understand my trauma was the real issue, not my body. I've since desisted and now live comfortably as a woman, realizing my dysphoria was a symptom, not an identity. I am just grateful I found healing without making any permanent changes to my body.
/u/Sorry-not-Sorry-666
From a very young age, I felt a deep discomfort with being a girl and desperately wished I was a boy. I thought transitioning was the answer, but I realized it was just an aesthetic change that couldn't actually make me male. I discovered my dysphoria was really rooted in internalized sexism and a rejection of sexist gender roles forced on me. Now, I am at peace as a masculine woman, having learned to accept my female body. My main regret is the years I spent hating myself because of a harmful ideology.
/u/AbsentFuck
I'm a woman in my late twenties who started identifying as a trans man in my teens because I felt I was failing at being feminine. I realized I was just trading one set of exhausting rules for another and that my discomfort came from hating sexist stereotypes, not from being in the wrong body. I had to unpack a lot of internalized misogyny that made me see femininity as weak. I never medically transitioned and I'm now completely at peace being a woman who doesn't follow any rules. My journey taught me that self-acceptance, not transition, was the answer for me.
/u/neitherdreams
I grew up in a strict home where being a girl felt like a punishment, which made me want to disappear. I tried to escape by creating a genderless persona online and cutting my hair, but it was really about safety, not identity. I never medically transitioned, and I'm grateful for that now because it gave me time to heal. Through therapy and moving out, I slowly realized my discomfort came from trauma, not from being female. I'm now learning to accept myself as a woman, and I'm focused on the harm caused by pushing medical solutions on vulnerable young people.
/u/vsapieldepapel
I felt like a failure as a woman because I couldn't meet the strict, "ladylike" expectations of my Latin American family, and my autism made the female experience a sensory nightmare. I thought becoming a man was the answer and found a community online that supported this, but I soon saw it was filled with the same sexist dynamics I wanted to escape. I realized I was agreeing with sexist ideas by believing a tomboy couldn't just be a woman, and encountering males who transitioned for fetishistic reasons was the final straw. I never medically transitioned because I understood my dysphoria was really from internalized misogyny and autism, not from being born in the wrong body. Now, I'm at peace being a gender non-conforming woman after confronting the real reasons I struggled.
/u/Proper_Imagination
I am a mother navigating my child's social transition after he identified as transgender at age eleven. My gut tells me his distress is rooted in the intense pressures of female adolescence and a fear of not being "pretty enough," not an innate male identity. I support his social transition to keep our connection, but I absolutely refuse to consent to any medical interventions like puberty blockers due to the permanent risks. I am terrified by the social influences and the pressure to medically transition, and I worry his supportive friends don't truly see him as a boy. My hope is that with love and therapy for his anxiety, he will eventually find peace with his female body.
/u/Kirikizande
I'm a woman who, during the 2020 lockdown, started having intense thoughts about not being female after some online friends came out. My questioning wasn't about my body, but was really a way to escape my loneliness and fear of growing up. I decided to focus on my real problems through therapy and by leaving toxic online spaces, and the thoughts slowly went away. Now I'm comfortable being a woman and understand that my personal struggles had nothing to do with my gender. I feel like I grew up by facing my issues head-on instead of trying to become someone else.
/u/SuperIsaiah
I was born male but always had a very feminine personality, and puberty made me deeply uncomfortable with my developing male body. I felt immense social pressure that my femininity meant I was failing as a man and that I must really be a woman inside. After a long struggle with my faith and identity, I realized my feminine soul is not at odds with my male body. I never medically transitioned and am now learning to live authentically as a feminine man. While I still face dysphoria at times, I find peace through self-acceptance and a supportive partner.
/u/Equivalent-Cow-6122
I was born female and my discomfort started with puberty, as I hated the changes in my body and felt I didn't fit in. I was influenced by online communities that convinced me becoming a man was the solution to my low self-esteem and unhappiness. I now see my dysphoria was a symptom of deeper issues like trauma, not a need to be male. Stepping away from those toxic spaces and focusing on my mental health allowed me to accept that I am, and always will be, a woman. I am finally happy and healthy, living authentically without trying to change my body.
/u/detrans-ModTeam
I started feeling a deep discomfort with my developing female body when I was a teenager, and I thought that meant I wasn't really a girl. I identified as non-binary and socially transitioned for a few years, believing it was the answer to my anxiety and unhappiness. I eventually realized my feelings were more about internalized issues and societal pressures than an innate identity. Through therapy, I worked through my underlying struggles and learned to separate myself from harmful stereotypes. I am now comfortable and at peace with being female, and I see my journey as a difficult but important lesson in self-acceptance.
/u/AngelCrumb
I never felt like I fit in as a girl, and my discomfort with my body got worse during puberty. After a traumatic assault, I socially transitioned to male for three years, but it was an isolating and difficult time. Getting diagnosed with autism and starting trauma therapy were huge turning points for me. I realized my dysphoria was tied to being autistic and internalizing stereotypes, not from being born the wrong sex. I've since stopped transitioning, and I'm now comfortable living as a female and accepting my body.
/u/Appropriate-Most-969
I was a young boy who got pulled into online transgender communities that convinced me my feelings meant I was a girl. I was really just a depressed kid with trauma, and I thought transitioning would be an escape from my problems. I socially transitioned for two years, but my mental health became worse than ever, filled with self-harm and suicidal thoughts. I detransitioned at 13, and while I still struggle, I'm in a much better place now. I'm learning to accept myself as a feminine man, but I live with the lasting physical damage from the puberty blockers I was given.
/u/Froidinslip
I was born female and as a teen, I prayed to wake up intersex because I hated my body and envied the power I associated with men. I now see my distress was rooted in societal pressures, internalized misogyny, and my own OCD, not from being born in the wrong body. I looked into medical transition but am grateful I never went through with it, as my issues were about self-acceptance, not my sex. I've learned that masculinity and being female are not mutually exclusive. Today, I accept myself as a masculine woman, and my identity is about who I am as a person, not a gender label.
/u/EricKeldrev
I tried to escape the pain of being a man by identifying away from it, thinking that would make the hurt stop. I never felt the 'gender euphoria' everyone online described, which made me feel broken and question what was real. I left those online spaces because they felt like a cult, and I found true, unconditional acceptance at my local church instead. I realized my problem wasn't being male, but how I was treated for it and my own poor self-esteem. Now I understand my body was never wrong, and I've found peace by working on myself and surrounding myself with people who truly care.
/u/Liquid_Fire__
I was a tomboy who never fit the feminine stereotype, and I started to believe that transitioning was my only escape from the pressures of being a woman. I spent years considering it, driven by a fantasy of becoming a 'real boy' to avoid misogyny and feel safe. I realized my desire wasn't to be male, but to escape the limitations placed on females, which was a crucial turning point. I am now a happy homosexual woman who has made peace with my body. I'm grateful I avoided permanent changes and finally understand that being a woman doesn't come with a rulebook.
/u/PocketGoblix
I started identifying as a trans man at 16, believing being male would make me happier and free me from the pressures of being female. My severe gender dysphoria and mental health struggles led to a hospital stay, where I came out to my supportive parents. Right after receiving their acceptance, my dysphoria completely vanished because what I truly needed was to feel seen in my pain. I socially detransitioned a year later and now live comfortably as a woman who is free to express herself however she wants. I've learned that self-acceptance, not changing who I am, was the key to finding peace.