Detransitioning: Eight Stories of Regret and Pain
Detransitioners are a quiet, hidden group, often ostracized by society, silenced by former friends from the trans movement, and sometimes by their families. As a photographer, I aim to shed light on invisible groups, questioning accepted truths and pushing back taboos. The detransitioners I met shared immense suffering, loneliness, regrets, and sometimes rage. All wished they had been handled with more care and not rushed into transition, which was a cosmetic fix for deeper wounds.
Faith, 26, Ontario, Canada
Faith says she doesn't trust many humans. She was sexualized early and sent down the path of transition despite not ticking all the boxes. She is now happy to be a woman, with a deep voice and traces of beard, but she never underwent surgery. She feels fortunate to have left Alexander behind and is ready for the next chapters.
Krysta Elora, 38, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Krysta wanted peace and freedom from abuse and stalking. She thought being a boy would help, but testosterone made her feel incomplete. She listened to the little girl inside and stopped transition. She now runs a business helping others with identity and can pass as a man or woman depending on her mood.
Aisling, 28, Wicklow, Ireland
Aisling was told she must live as a woman with a female name, but she has settled down with a job she loves. Testosterone and surgery left her with a deep voice, narrow hips, flat chest, and beard. She keeps her masculine first name for practical reasons and is ready to be herself—a woman.
Lyo Kessler, 36, Vétroz, Switzerland
Lyo hated herself and everything feminine. She transitioned to a man, but suffering continued. She realized she had amputated a perfectly functional body. She says, 'I am a sterilized woman with no breasts.'
Camille Kiefel, Oregon, U.S.
Camille was young and pretty but not at peace. After a non-binary double mastectomy, she found more pain. Addressing physical health through diet and exercise improved her mental health. She is now at peace but heartbroken she cannot nurse her future children.
Chris Broenimann, 57, Lachen, Switzerland
Chris endured abuse and neglect. He underwent sex reassignment surgery with journalists in the operating room and lived as Nadia for 28 years. After 16 genital operations, he realized healing comes from reconciliation with his male self. He now advocates for children to know they are exactly right as they are.
Janick Christen, 46, Switzerland
Janick struggled with femininity and prayed for a miracle. She found faith and realized she is a woman. She says she touched something sacred—her body—and lives with the consequences, but savors her femininity.
Ritchie, 39, Newcastle, U.K.
Ritchie hid his attraction to men and underwent sex-reassignment surgery. He now knows the childhood traumas and regrets. He says, 'I am a man. I am gay. I am mutilated for life.'
All photos by Matthieu Zellweger.
