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When Cisnormativity and Transnormativity Are in Bed Together: Exposing the Underbelly of Disinformation-Fuelled Detransition Panic

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Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne
Authors:
Jesse Bossé
Jesse Bossé
Jesse Bossé
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Abstract

Cet article examine la polarisation croissante, la mésinformation et la désinformation entourant la diversité de genre, en mettant particulièrement l’accent sur la détransition. Dans le contexte actuel de dissensions sociopolitiques, la représentation trompeuse des expériences de détransition incite à la panique morale, alimente les attitudes sociales négatives envers les personnes qui détransitionnent et les individus issus de la pluralité des genres, tout en étant instrumentalisée pour restreindre l’accès aux soins d’affirmation du genre. En réponse, cet article vise à offrir une compréhension plus juste et nuancée de la détransition, à contrer la panique induite par la désinformation, et à réduire la stigmatisation vécue par les personnes concernées. S’appuyant sur de multiples sources de savoir, l’article déconstruit méticuleusement les fondements de la panique morale liée à la détransition, révélant une interaction de biais cisnormatifs et transnormatifs. En exposant ces biais, l’article encourage une approche plus réfléchie et inclusive face au genre et aux trajectoires de genre non linéaires, met en lumière la diversité des expériences vécues ainsi que la multiplicité des facteurs pouvant motiver la détransition. Il se conclut par une série de recommandations et d’invitations, notamment à élargir notre regard sur le genre, vers une perspective qui « dépathologise » la détransition et les trajectoires de genre non linéaires, et qui va au-delà de la binarité trans–cis.
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CPA John C. Service Member the Year Award / Prix John C. Service pour le membre de l’année
When Cisnormativity and Transnormativity Are in Bed
Together: Exposing the Underbelly of Disinformation-Fuelled
Detransition Panic
Public Significance Statement
Growing polarization, misinformation, and disinformation surrounding gender—particularly
detransition—fuel moral panic. In the current divisive sociopolitical climate, the misrepresentation
of detransition experiences distorts public understanding, reinforces stigma, and harms detransitioners
and gender-diverse individuals. This article challenges disinformation-driven narratives by offering
a nuanced perspective on detransition and cuts through the noise by exposing the underlying biases
shaping public discourse. By fostering an informed and reflective approach, this work contributes to
depathologizing detransition and nonlinear gender trajectories and promotes practices and policies that
support all gender trajectories.
JESSE BOSSÉ
Tall Tree Psychology, Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada
Abstract
This article examined the growing polarization,
misinformation, and disinformation surround-
ing gender diversity, with a focus on detran-
sition. In the current sociopolitical climate of divisiveness,
the misrepresentation of detransition experiences fuels moral panic,
negatively affecting social attitudes towards detransitioners and gender-
diverse individuals while being weaponized to restrict access to gender-
affirming care. In response, this article seeks to offer a more accurate and
nuanced understanding of detransition, challenge disinformation-driven
panic, and reduce stigma experienced by detransitioners. Drawing
from multiple sources of knowledge, the article meticulously dis-
sects the underpinnings of disinformation-fuelled detransition panic,
revealing an interplay of cisnormative and transnormative biases.
By exposing these biases, the article encourages a more open and
reflective approach to understanding gender and nonlinear gender
trajectories, highlighting the multiplicity of factors contributing to
detransition as well as the diversity of detransition experiences. It
concludes with recommendations and invitations for readers to ex-
pand their perspectives on gender towards one that depathologizes
detransition and nonlinear gender trajectories and moves beyond the
trans–cis binary.
Keywords: detransition, transgender, gender-affirming care, cisnorma-
tivity, transnormativity
I am incredibly touched and honoured to have been awarded
the Canadian Psychological Association’s (CPA’s) John C. Service
Member of the Year award for my work and collaboration with
the CPA in promoting gender diversity. I had the pleasure of
coleading the position statement “Promotion of Gender Diversity
and Expression and Prevention of Gender-Related Hate and
Harm”as well as assisting in the development of the policy
statement on gender identity in youth. I also had the opportunity to
contribute articles to a Psynopsis issue focused on gender diversity
and was honoured to join the CPA’sMind Full podcast on multiple
occasions to discuss critical topics such as detransition and
cisnormativity in health care disciplines.
It is been a true privilege to work alongside CPA members and
staff in envisioning and creating a better tomorrow for the psychology
discipline: one that celebrates gender diversity, elevates the voices of
people with lived experience, and recognizes the harm caused by
the discipline—past and present. As a transgender psychologist who
did not see themself represented in the discipline other than in the
DSM, this represents a much-needed and welcomed change. As I
received an invitation to contribute to this issue, I reflected on what
perspectives I wanted to present that would be of greatest benefitto
the psychology community. I am writing this article at a time where
we are witnessing a great divide and polarization in how gender
diversity is being understood and portrayed in Canada, the United
States, and worldwide. On the one hand, we have seen an increase in
positive trans representation and greater social awareness of trans
identities. On the other hand, we are simultaneously witnessing
a concerning upward trend in transphobic violence worldwide
(Trans Murder Monitoring Project, 2024). Multiple Canadian
provinces are seeing antitrans bills and legislation being proposed
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jesse
Bossé, Tall Tree Psychology, 445-207 Bank Street, Ottawa, ON K2P 2N2,
Canada. Email: jessebosse@talltreepsychology.com
Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne
ISSN: 0708-5591 2025, Vol. 66, No. 2, 90–102
© 2025 Canadian Psychological Association https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000425
90
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“They’re Unable to See my Decision to Detransition for What it is”: How Detrans Youth Perceive and Receive Discourses on Detransition
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  • Jan 2025
  • Sex Res Soc Pol
Introduction In recent years, numerous stories of detransition have emerged in the media and public discourse. Often regret-centered, these narratives tend to present detransition as a mistake that should be prevented by restricting access to gender transition, resulting in an increasingly antitrans sociopolitical climate. This article examines the perception that detrans youth have of these discourses and social representations on detransition and the impact they have on their detransition experience. Methods Twenty-five semidirected interviews were conducted internationally from 2020 to 2022 with youth aged 16-to-25 years who have interrupted a transition (social and/or medical). Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted. Results Participants note they feel misrepresented and that detransition is limited in terms of representation and minimized as an experience. They also mention that detransition is often framed as a mistake, a negative outcome or the result of external pressures (to transition or detransition). These representations, coming from both gender-affirming and gender-critical groups, impact detrans youth who feel unheard, weaponized, left to navigate ambivalence alone and alienated from trans/queer communities. Conclusion and Policy Implications The article discusses how current discourses on detransition constitute epistemic injustices (Fricker, 2007) that may affect detrans youth’s capacity to make sense of their experience and thus their resilience and overall experience of detransition. It calls for caution in the way detrans experiences are presented and discussed, especially in current debates on trans and detrans rights. It also calls for a more nuanced understanding of detrans experiences and for LGBTQ + communities to be more accepting of detrans narratives.
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A Typology of Pathways to Detransition: Considerations for Care Practice With Transgender and Gender Diverse People Who Stop or Reverse Their Gender Transition
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Research and care provider interest in gender detransition has grown in recent years, yet there are limited resources to clinically support the emerging population of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people who stop or reverse their gender transition. Though some research and typologies exist to guide clinicians, no prior typologies are based upon the lived experiences and in-depth narratives of individuals who themselves have detransitioned. Drawing from the concept of transnormativity, the present study introduces a typology of four detransition pathways to address knowledge and practice gaps. Following constructivist grounded theory methodology, this typology was developed empirically by analyzing in-depth interview data gathered from 28 individuals living in Canada who experienced a change in self-conceptualized gender identity after initiating a transition and who ultimately detransitioned. Interviews were virtual, semi-structured, and ranged between 50 and 90 min. Following a thematic and constant comparative method of data analysis, the analysis discovered four discrete detransition subtypes: (a) discrimination and TGD identity repression; (b) gender-affirming hormone discontinuation and identity evolution; (c) binary transition to nonbinary detransition; and (d) detrans identity development within the social context. This article explicates how the broader sociocultural milieu can influence transnormative transition trajectories and identity development processes, and it discusses implications for practice with those who shift or reverse their gender transition.
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Do Gender Assessments Prevent Regret in Transgender Healthcare? A Narrative Review
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Gender assessments are traditionally required before accessing gender-affirming interventions such as hormone therapy and transition-related surgeries. Gender assessments are presented as a way of preventing regret experienced by some people who reidentify with the gender they were assigned at birth after medically transitioning. This article reviews the theoretical and empirical foundations of commonly used methods and predictors for assessing trans patients’ gender identity and/or dysphoria as a condition of eligibility for gender-affirming interventions. We find that the DSM-5 diagnosis, taking gender history, standardized questionnaires, and regret correlates rely on stereotyping, arbitrary, and unproven considerations and, as a result, do not offer reliable ways of predicting future regret over-and-above self-reported gender identity and embodiment goals. This finding is corroborated by empirical data suggesting that individuals who circumvent gender assessments or pursue care under an informed consent model do not present heightened rates of regret. The article concludes that there is no evidence that gender assessments can reliably predict or prevent regret better than self-reported gender identity and embodiment goals. This conclusion provides additional support for informed consent models of care, which deemphasize gender assessments in favor of supporting patient decision making.
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Detransition Narratives Trouble the Simple Attribution of Madness in Transantagonistic Contexts: A Qualitative Analysis of 16 Canadians’ Experiences
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Emerging evidence suggests that transgender individuals are more likely than cisgender peers to receive a diagnosis with a primary mental disorder. Attributions of madness, though, may serve the social function of dismissing and discrediting transgender individual’s self-perceptions. The narratives of individuals who stop or reverse an initial gender transition who also identify as living with mental health conditions can sometimes amplify these socio-political discourses about transgender people. Through a critical mental health lens, this article presents a qualitative analysis of 16 individuals who stopped or reversed a gender transition and who also reported a primary mental health condition. Semi-structured, virtual interviews were conducted with people living in Canada. Applying constructivist grounded theory methodology, and following an iterative, inductive approach to analysis, we used the constant comparative method to analyse these 16 in-depth interviews. Results show rich complexity such that participants narrated madness in nuanced and complex ways while disrupting biased attitudes that madness discredited their thoughts and feelings, including prior gender dysphoria. Instead, participants incorporated madness into expanding self-awareness and narrated their thoughts and feelings as valid and worthy. Future research must consider provider’s perspectives, though, in treating mad individuals who detransitioned, since alternate gender-affirming care models may better support the identification and wellness of care-seeking individuals who may be identified (in the past, present, or future) as mad.
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Gatekeeping gender-affirming care is detrimental to detrans people
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  • Feb 2025
Background: Gender assessments are often required to access gender-affirming medical interventions. These assessments are typically defended as a way of preventing regret, offering a compromise between the interests of trans and detrans people. Whether they do is integral to ongoing debates about models of care in transgender health. Methods: Building on previous work demonstrating the inefficacy of gender assessments, this article explores the impact of gender assessments and argues that they are detrimental to detrans people. Results: Assessments appear to be detrimental to detrans people because they disincentivize honesty and authenticity, inhibit gender exploration, increase shame and anger associated with detransition, foster transnormativity, hinder the development of a strong therapeutic alliance, and diminish the quality of informational disclosure. Conclusion: Given the detrimental consequences of gender assessments, clinicians should reconsider gatekeeping practices in favor of supporting patient decision-making and offering better care to people who detransition.
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La mise en discours de la détransition sur Twitter (2017–2020)
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  • Aug 2024
Contexte : La détransition est comprise comme l’interruption ou le renversement d’une transition de genre. Les discours de détransition sur Twitter forment des « cadres interprétatifs » publics qui influencent le sens de la détransition et de la transition de genre. Analyses : À partir d’un corpus de 10 628 tweets, l’analyse qualitative des 2 396 tweets les plus visibles révèle trois cadres dominants traversés par l’idéologie gender-critical : (1) la transition est une erreur de parcours; (2) la détransition constitue le retour au sexe/genre assigné à la naissance; (3) les facteurs expliquant la détransition sont internes et soutiennent une position anti-transition ou pro- gatekeeping. Conclusion et implications : Ces cadres produisent une rhétorique anti-trans contribuant à marginaliser les conceptions fluides du genre et transaffirmatives de la détransition.
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Discontinuation of Gender-Affirming Medical Treatments: Prevalence and Associated Features in a Nonprobabilistic Sample of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Adolescents and Young Adults in Canada and the United States
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Purpose This study investigated the prevalence, correlates, and reasons for discontinuing gender-affirming medical treatment (GAMT) among transgender and gender-diverse adolescents and young adults living in Canada and the United States of America. Methods This exploratory study used data from an online survey of sexual and gender minority adolescents and young adults aged 15–29 years living in Canada or the United States of America (March–August 2022). The analytic sample was constituted by participants who responded to questions regarding starting and stopping GAMT, as well as reasons for stopping. Correlates of discontinuing GAMT were assessed using univariate logistic regression. Results The mean age of the analytic sample (N = 3,937) was 21.1 years. Participants were predominantly nonbinary (54.2%) and assigned female at birth (80.8%). 75.5% lived in Canada and 24.5% in the United States of America. Among those who had started GAMT, 121 of 720 (16.8%) reported having ever discontinued treatment. Forty five of 121 (37.2%) who ceased GAMT reported “Yes, but I wish I hadn't.” The most frequently endorsed reasons for discontinuing GAMT were health reasons (37.3%), a change in gender identity (32.0%), and cost (16.0%). Greater age; nonbinary identity, ‘other’ gender identity; diagnosis of or self-identifying as living with schizophrenia; residing in the United States of America (relative to Canada); and endorsing a current Christian identity were associated with discontinuation. Ninety seven of 121 (80.2%) who discontinued GAMT reported a current transgender or gender-diverse identity. Discussion Given the dearth of information about the subpopulation who discontinue GAMT, this study advances candidate factors to inform future longitudinal research to better understand the multiple reasons and contexts for stopping GAMT.
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Prevalence of Gender-Affirming Surgical Procedures Among Minors and Adults in the US
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