started as non-binary Detransition Stories & Timelines
Browse through 984 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/fir3dyk3
I started identifying as non-binary in college because I felt trapped by stereotypes about women and wanted to escape the discomfort of being female in a sexist world. I even considered testosterone, but realized I didn't actually want to be seen as male, especially since my sexuality only made sense to me as a woman loving another woman. After graduating, I saw that identifying as non-binary was a pointless coping mechanism because the world still saw me as female. I let go of that identity and the confusing ideology that came with it, which was a huge relief. Now I'm at peace, simply living as a masculine lesbian without needing a special label to justify who I am.
/u/Luck_Unlucky2
I felt like a boy from a very young age, a feeling made much worse by the sexual abuse I suffered, which taught me to hate my female body. I socially transitioned to live as a man in my late thirties and for a while, it felt like a huge relief. But when I considered medical transition, I stopped because I realized it would mean taking away my child's mother. Through deep reflection, I understood my desire to be male was rooted in trauma and a fear of being female, not an innate identity. Now, I am learning to accept myself as a masculine woman, finding peace by healing from my past and rejecting rigid gender labels.
/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/UniquelyDefined
I started identifying as non-binary at 25, thinking it was the answer to my deep discomfort and depression. I was convinced to try hormones, but just one month of estrogen caused permanent, painful breast growth and other changes. I realized I had made a terrible mistake based on internal issues, not because I was born the wrong sex. Now, I’m focused on healing and have learned my problems were from trauma and other conditions, not my body. I’m waiting for surgery to fix the damage and am finally learning to just be myself.
/u/spamcentral
I was a tomboy from the start and felt punished when puberty hit and my body changed. After years of being misgendered, I identified as non-binary, but that just left me feeling isolated and confused. Losing a lot of weight helped me see my natural masculine frame, and I realized my real issues were trauma and society's narrow expectations for women. I stopped identifying as non-binary and now accept myself as a gender non-conforming woman in a happy relationship. My journey taught me that true peace comes from healing the root causes of pain, not from changing your body.
/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/HeForeverBleeds
My journey started with severe childhood abuse that made me feel unsafe in my own male body, and I wished I was a girl to escape the pain. I was a feminine boy who was bullied, and finding online communities made me believe transitioning was the answer, which brought temporary relief. A therapist quickly encouraged me towards hormones and surgery, but a conversation with my dad helped me see my desire to transition came from trauma and a hatred of male stereotypes, not from truly being female. I detransitioned and realized I am just a gender non-conforming man, and accepting that made my dysphoria fade away. I'm now at peace, living as a feminine man and believing that self-acceptance, not changing your body, is the real solution.
/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/Lucretia123
I'm a female who started transitioning after a sexual assault made me feel disconnected from my body. I thought becoming a man would let me escape my pain, so I took testosterone and had surgery. I now realize my discomfort was from trauma, not my true self, and I regret the permanent changes. I've stopped hormones and am focusing on healing through therapy and outdoor activities. I'm learning to accept my body as it is and move forward.
/u/spare_eye
I felt out of place as a girl from a young age and later thought I was a trans man because my feelings matched descriptions of gender dysphoria. I realized that what I truly admired were masculine traits that women could also have, and seeing strong female role models changed everything. As I got older, the intense need to change my body faded, and I found peace through nature and exercise. I now see my female body as a strong, functional tool rather than something that defines my personality. I'm relieved I didn't transition and am finally comfortable just being a woman who doesn't fit the stereotype.
/u/mountain-flowers
I started transitioning at 21 because I felt I didn't fit in as a straight girl and thought becoming male would fix my discomfort with my body. I lived as a man for over three years and had top surgery, which I initially loved. I eventually realized I missed womanhood and felt deep grief over losing my ability to breastfeed, which is my biggest regret. I stopped testosterone at 24 and have since embraced my femininity and my desire for a traditional life. I'm now engaged to a wonderful man and am finally at peace with myself as a woman.
/u/SnooCompliments8762
I started identifying as trans as a teenager to escape the discomfort of female puberty and past trauma. I was quickly given testosterone and surgery by doctors who never questioned my underlying issues. I eventually realized I didn't hate being female, I just hated how women are treated in society. Now, I am a detransitioned woman living with permanent physical changes I deeply regret. I feel betrayed by the medical system and have found peace in accepting myself as a woman.
/u/Sonderosity
I started transitioning in my early twenties, believing testosterone was the answer to my deep unhappiness and depression. For several years, I felt more confident, but I eventually realized I was using it as a workaround for trauma and self-hatred instead of healing. I stopped hormones a couple of years ago, and the process was physically and emotionally difficult. I'm now living as a woman again and dealing with permanent changes like a deeper voice. My journey taught me that true peace comes from self-acceptance, not from changing my body.
/u/HeavenlyMelody91
I was a teenage tomboy who felt pressured by a therapist and online friends into believing I was a boy because I didn't fit feminine stereotypes. I took testosterone, and the physical changes like a deeper voice and facial hair immediately felt wrong and foreign to my body. I was told to push through the doubt, but I eventually stopped and had to undergo painful and expensive procedures to reverse some of the damage. I now understand my discomfort wasn't with being female, but with how society treats women, and I deeply regret ever transitioning. Today, I live as a masculine woman, managing the permanent changes with a lot of regret.
/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/TheDrillKeeper
I was a sensitive man who never fit in, and I started transitioning because I saw it as an escape from the pressures of masculinity and my own self-hatred. My medical transition was rushed through without anyone addressing my deep depression and anxiety, and I quickly realized I hated the physical changes, especially developing breasts. I felt stuck in a terrible limbo, not a woman but having lost my stability as a man. Deciding to detransition was a huge relief, even though it cost me $10,000 for surgery to fix the damage. Now, I'm finally learning to accept myself as an imperfect man and rebuild a stable, honest life.