Why is it that people who detransition become against anyone transitioning? Homosexual people also have a higher suicide rate compared to heterosexuals but is that because homosexuality is a terrible "lifestyle choice" or could it be because of the prejudice and discrimination they face? Why are trans people any different? Why is the fact that most trans people are more comfortable, less dysphoric and overall happier post transition ignored?

Imagine you carefully checked everything as best as you thought you could, made a decision in desperation that had permanent effects to your body, had to deal with every part of coming out and discrimination…

But then realised you made the wrong decision. You have to try and backtrack, although as I said, you’ve had permanent alterations to your body. If we’re talking female-to-male, every time you open you mouth, that deeper voice is a reminder of your mistake. You have to deal with the guilt of knowing that you dragged your family through that for nothing, and the fear and shame of losing face to admit to your error, whilst people had risked their social standing to defend you. 

You then try to speak out to younger trans people to warn any of them who will make the same mistake as you, and you are hounded out and hated by the same people who used to call you (annoyingly) ‘brother’. You watch others make the same mistake, whilst the ‘community’ tells them that they are whatever they identify as, and they shouldn’t question anything or check if it’s the right decision, nobody can be wrong about themselves.

After all that, would you be surprised if you slipped slightly too far over in how critical you were of medical treatment for transsexuals?

I highly sympathise with detransitioners, and think what they say is of extreme importance in trying to prevent others making the same mistakes they did - they have personal experience of the possible pitfalls. I also have high respect for them coming forward to try and help people the way that they now wish they had been helped.

The issue is, of course, in how they can slip too far. I think dialogue is the best thing to have here. There’s people at either end of the extreme - those who think that everyone who requests it should have medical intervention without any gatekeepers, and those who think that no-one should under any circumstance. But many lie in the middle somewhere, and a much better position can be found amongst these people. Once you think that some but not all who request medical intervention should have access to it, you can then try to work out how to distinguish between those who it is appropriate to medicate, and those who it is not; who will be helped, and who would be better helped by either waiting for longer, or dealing with issues in another way.

I think that a great many detransitioners share the medical model that I hold on this, it’s just that they can believe that it’s not a legitimate disorder/treatment. Most of the legwork is done if someone shares the worldview of the medical model!