What do you think?
Rate this book
The Detransition Diaries
We live in unprecedented times, when what was known for thousands of years, that we are created male and female, is now up for debate. It is now controversial to see that sex is binary, that a man can never become a woman, nor a woman a man, and that men should not enter women's sports, women's bathrooms, and women's prisons, merely for saying that they are a woman. We are witnessing a rapid rise in gender confusion among young people, especially among young women and girls.
The Detransition Diaries is both personal and historical. It is personal in that it recounts the stories of five women and two men who felt they were born in the wrong body and believed the lie they were told by peers, teachers, and medical professionals that they could be their "true" selves by medically and surgically altering their bodies to match the opposite sex. Their stories describe the short- and long-term harm that so-called gender-affirmative medicine did to their mental and physical health. The book is historical because it outlines the history of the "gender-affirmation" movement, including the various individuals and organizations who have peddled the idea that the sexual binary is arbitrary.
The book closes with an analysis on how this dark chapter in medical abuse might end and what is needed for medicine to regain its obligation to do no harm.
The Detransition Diaries is both personal and historical. It is personal in that it recounts the stories of five women and two men who felt they were born in the wrong body and believed the lie they were told by peers, teachers, and medical professionals that they could be their "true" selves by medically and surgically altering their bodies to match the opposite sex. Their stories describe the short- and long-term harm that so-called gender-affirmative medicine did to their mental and physical health. The book is historical because it outlines the history of the "gender-affirmation" movement, including the various individuals and organizations who have peddled the idea that the sexual binary is arbitrary.
The book closes with an analysis on how this dark chapter in medical abuse might end and what is needed for medicine to regain its obligation to do no harm.
- GenresNonfiction
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 23, 2024
4 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 10, 2024
This book was originally a film. The book version placed in print what the film showed and added a few more detransitioner voices for a total of seven stories.The book begins with a bit of history of how the gender-affirmation movement came to be as well as history of how other medical experiments have played out in the past and were ultimately considered abusive. The seven stories of detransitioners were insightful.
I also found it of value to read the end of the book where the authors discussed why the trend is higher in adolescent girls. The three main reasons girls are declaring they are boys and taking drastic measures to appear as boys were: 1. Trauma and unresolved mental health issues, 2. Peer and social contagion, and 3. Afraid to be female due to non-conformity to expectations of traditional gender roles and stereotypes.
I recommend this book to parents and those who are open and curious to what they might be seeing around them with kids not being comfortable in their natural bodies and natal sex.
I also found it of value to read the end of the book where the authors discussed why the trend is higher in adolescent girls. The three main reasons girls are declaring they are boys and taking drastic measures to appear as boys were: 1. Trauma and unresolved mental health issues, 2. Peer and social contagion, and 3. Afraid to be female due to non-conformity to expectations of traditional gender roles and stereotypes.
I recommend this book to parents and those who are open and curious to what they might be seeing around them with kids not being comfortable in their natural bodies and natal sex.
March 24, 2024
SEVEN STORIES OF ‘TRANS’ PERSONS WHO CHANGED THEIR MINDS, WITH ANALYSIS
The Foreword to this 2024 book by ‘The Christian Post’ investigative reporter Brandon Showalter states, “In this book, the stories of three women who were harmed by this brutal medicalization (and were featured in [Lahl’s] more recent film of the same same) are told in greater depth, as are the harrowing experiences of two other women and two men who also detransitioned. Remarkably, these men and women have bravely related their own mistakes and failures as well as the medical malfeasance of which they were victims.”
Authors Jennifer Lahl and Kallie Fell wrote in the Introduction, “We are nurses who happen to make movies. The book is partially based on our 2022 film… The work we do is, in part, to challenge the medical industry when it loses its connection to the ancient precept of ethical medicine: ‘Do no harm.’ When we released our documentary film. ‘Trans Mission: What’s the Rush to Reassign Gender?’ we wanted the film to be sharply focused on the debate on the ethics of allowing children to block their puberty, take cross-sex hormones, and undergo what is called sexual-reassignment surgery, all of which can cause irreparable harm… when we learned that children, before they are put on a path to ‘transition’ to the opposite sex, are offered so-called fertility preservation technologies, such as the freezing of female ova for future use, we knew we had to weigh in on this current debate, using the powerful medium of film. It is unconscionable that children are rendered infertile by ‘transitioning therapies’ while also being promised that they can reproduce later, and it is alarming how little publicized this common occurrence is…
“Upon the film’s release… it was clear that the audience connected strongly with the ‘detransition voices.’ Detransitioners are those who had bought into the lie that they could transition to the opposite sex and who now regret the terrible decision they made, decisions that are often associated with irreversible consequences and that they were oftentimes encouraged by others to make. The power of these first-account personal testimonies … should never be discounted.” (Pg. 15-17)
They continue, “While the principles presented and supported in this book apply to any attempt to transition medically, through the use of hormones and/or surgery, and although we have included the stories of two men, this book has a special focus on girls and young women who have gender dysphoria and on the social pressures they experience… We present the stories of young women interviewed for our film … who made the decision to transition [and later] regretted that decision, and then reversed course to detransition. We explain how they were persuaded to make a decision they would later regret and how the same thing can happen to other vulnerable young people who … might well believe, the lies they are being told---such as ‘If you don’t love your body, you must be trans’ or ‘Once you transition, all your problems will go away.’ Parents are being told another lie: ‘If you don’t allow your child to transition, she will kill herself.’ It is our hope that readers will come to understand how these regrettable decisions were made so that they can help others, such as family members and friends, avoid making them.” (Pg. 18-19)
They assert, “we do not intend to imply that we believe it is ever possible for a person to change biological sex… we will refer to people by their natal sex, which is the only sex people can have. Men will be called ‘he’ or ‘him,’ and women will be called ‘she’ or ‘her,’ even if we are referring to a person who believes his or her sex to be otherwise.” (Pg. 20)
They report, “In 2006, a group of international human rights advocates met in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to set forth principles to protect people from abuse and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity… It is of course a worthy goal to protect vulnerable people from unjust treatment and violence, But the Yogyakarta Principles broadly define human rights to include, for example, the right not to be identified by sex in birth certificates and passports. They would prevent gender dysphoria, as medically diagnosed, from being considered a mental illness. Instead, the principles demand that transsexualism be regarded as a form of gender diversity that must be accepted, embraced, and even celebrated as normal. Yet… these principles are the product of a political movement that is heavily influenced by the sexual predilections of its founders and based on insufficient and questionable medical evidence.” (Pg. 44)
The story of ‘Cat’ is presented, and they recount: “Her first step was to call Planned Parenthood because she knew that they offered transitioning services. She thought she would have to go through some sort of process to get the hormones---a certain number of therapy visits or some kind of psychological evaluation. Instead, she was told that a doctor would call her. After they talked for about thirty minutes, Cat received a prescription for testosterone, which she picked up the same day.” (Pg. 104)
They report, “Popping up all over the United States are clinics that claim to offer ‘medical services for gender noncomforming youths and their families…’ Who are these ‘youths’ they serve? … it appears that most patients are teenage girls---more specifically, girls with no history of childhood gender identity issues… Why are our adolescent girls believing that they were born into the wrong body? Why is this trending highest among adolescent girls? And why does it seem these girls are being rushed into the medical transition?” (Pg. 145, 147)
They explain, “Dr. Lisa Littman’s 2021 study included one hundred detransitioners who gave a variety of reasons for detransitioning … The participants said they detransitioned because they became more comfortable identifying as their natal sex (60%), they had concerns about potential medical complications from transitioning (40%), or they realized that their gender dysphoria was caused by something specific, such as trauma, abuse, or mental health issues (38%).” (Pg. 148)
They suggest, “It does seem plausible that young people might be subconsciously motivated to present themselves as transgender out of a desire to fit in and improve their social status at school and within their peer groups, online or otherwise.” (Pg. 158-159) Later, they add, “There are very few studies evaluating the influence of societal perceptions of homosexuality on adolescent girls who transition. However, some believe that children and teens are adopting a transgender identification to avoids the stigma and bullying associated with being same-sex attracted; that is, transitioning creates the illusion that their same-sex orientation is actually a heterosexual one.” (Pg. 164-165)
They note, “The number of people, including adolescents, requesting medical treatment to transition has been skyrocketing… recent data show that 1.8 percent of adolescents under eighteen describe themselves as transgender and nearly 2 percent of adolescents believe that they were ‘born in the wrong body.’ This number, 2 percent, may not seem alarming but in just five years, the number of young people claiming to be ‘trans’ has more than doubled, with no signs of slowing. With the rising numbers of youth who consider themselves trans, there is a rapidly increasing demand for medical treatment that goes by the name of gender-affirming care.’” (Pg. 175)
They observe, ‘Even if puberty blockers could be thought of simply as a pause button, they disrupt a child’s normal developmental process. Puberty is not merely a biochemical development; it is also ‘a psycho-social event that occurs in concert with one’s peers.’ … That is, children of the same age tend to go through puberty more or less together. Those who chose to delay puberty are separated from their peers in this regard. So, at the very least, delaying puberty is a social disruption, just as it is in some cases of untreated precocious puberty. The difference here is that transgender medicine is a purposeful tampering with the normal biological system. It is worth noting that sometimes precocious puberty is even left untreated, depending on the cause, a child’s age, and how rapidly it is progressing. Treating a child with puberty blockers, even in the case of a disorder like precocious puberty, has such far-reaching effects that such treatment demands careful professional consideration before it is employed.” (Pg.. 181)
They argue, “It remains unclear whether attempting to transition actually relieves any psychiatric distress or decreases suicide risk in adults and children, given contradictions and unknowns in the research. In fact, the case could be made that medically transitioning can even exacerbate these issues. In the case of children, parents are often held hostage by the emotional argument that if they do not agree to transition their child medically, the child will die by suicide. ‘Do you want a live son or a dead daughter?’ But there is no science to support these coercive statements.” (Pg. 196)
They conclude, “While the mainstream media has generally been remiss by failing to report on the risks and harms of medical gender treatments… [A recent] crack in the narrative of ‘gender-affirming care’ helps prepare the way for legal cases alleging medical abuse. Raising awareness was the first step to common recognition of … the abusive Tuskegee experiment in Alabama, the harm done by lobotomy, and the brutality of mass involuntary sterilizations---all atrocities committed at the hands of physicians, who are charged with healing, not harming,
their patients.” (Pg. 225-226)
Although published by Ignatius Press, this book is (thankfully) not devoted to religious arguments against transitioning. It will interest many who are studying this issue.
The Foreword to this 2024 book by ‘The Christian Post’ investigative reporter Brandon Showalter states, “In this book, the stories of three women who were harmed by this brutal medicalization (and were featured in [Lahl’s] more recent film of the same same) are told in greater depth, as are the harrowing experiences of two other women and two men who also detransitioned. Remarkably, these men and women have bravely related their own mistakes and failures as well as the medical malfeasance of which they were victims.”
Authors Jennifer Lahl and Kallie Fell wrote in the Introduction, “We are nurses who happen to make movies. The book is partially based on our 2022 film… The work we do is, in part, to challenge the medical industry when it loses its connection to the ancient precept of ethical medicine: ‘Do no harm.’ When we released our documentary film. ‘Trans Mission: What’s the Rush to Reassign Gender?’ we wanted the film to be sharply focused on the debate on the ethics of allowing children to block their puberty, take cross-sex hormones, and undergo what is called sexual-reassignment surgery, all of which can cause irreparable harm… when we learned that children, before they are put on a path to ‘transition’ to the opposite sex, are offered so-called fertility preservation technologies, such as the freezing of female ova for future use, we knew we had to weigh in on this current debate, using the powerful medium of film. It is unconscionable that children are rendered infertile by ‘transitioning therapies’ while also being promised that they can reproduce later, and it is alarming how little publicized this common occurrence is…
“Upon the film’s release… it was clear that the audience connected strongly with the ‘detransition voices.’ Detransitioners are those who had bought into the lie that they could transition to the opposite sex and who now regret the terrible decision they made, decisions that are often associated with irreversible consequences and that they were oftentimes encouraged by others to make. The power of these first-account personal testimonies … should never be discounted.” (Pg. 15-17)
They continue, “While the principles presented and supported in this book apply to any attempt to transition medically, through the use of hormones and/or surgery, and although we have included the stories of two men, this book has a special focus on girls and young women who have gender dysphoria and on the social pressures they experience… We present the stories of young women interviewed for our film … who made the decision to transition [and later] regretted that decision, and then reversed course to detransition. We explain how they were persuaded to make a decision they would later regret and how the same thing can happen to other vulnerable young people who … might well believe, the lies they are being told---such as ‘If you don’t love your body, you must be trans’ or ‘Once you transition, all your problems will go away.’ Parents are being told another lie: ‘If you don’t allow your child to transition, she will kill herself.’ It is our hope that readers will come to understand how these regrettable decisions were made so that they can help others, such as family members and friends, avoid making them.” (Pg. 18-19)
They assert, “we do not intend to imply that we believe it is ever possible for a person to change biological sex… we will refer to people by their natal sex, which is the only sex people can have. Men will be called ‘he’ or ‘him,’ and women will be called ‘she’ or ‘her,’ even if we are referring to a person who believes his or her sex to be otherwise.” (Pg. 20)
They report, “In 2006, a group of international human rights advocates met in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to set forth principles to protect people from abuse and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity… It is of course a worthy goal to protect vulnerable people from unjust treatment and violence, But the Yogyakarta Principles broadly define human rights to include, for example, the right not to be identified by sex in birth certificates and passports. They would prevent gender dysphoria, as medically diagnosed, from being considered a mental illness. Instead, the principles demand that transsexualism be regarded as a form of gender diversity that must be accepted, embraced, and even celebrated as normal. Yet… these principles are the product of a political movement that is heavily influenced by the sexual predilections of its founders and based on insufficient and questionable medical evidence.” (Pg. 44)
The story of ‘Cat’ is presented, and they recount: “Her first step was to call Planned Parenthood because she knew that they offered transitioning services. She thought she would have to go through some sort of process to get the hormones---a certain number of therapy visits or some kind of psychological evaluation. Instead, she was told that a doctor would call her. After they talked for about thirty minutes, Cat received a prescription for testosterone, which she picked up the same day.” (Pg. 104)
They report, “Popping up all over the United States are clinics that claim to offer ‘medical services for gender noncomforming youths and their families…’ Who are these ‘youths’ they serve? … it appears that most patients are teenage girls---more specifically, girls with no history of childhood gender identity issues… Why are our adolescent girls believing that they were born into the wrong body? Why is this trending highest among adolescent girls? And why does it seem these girls are being rushed into the medical transition?” (Pg. 145, 147)
They explain, “Dr. Lisa Littman’s 2021 study included one hundred detransitioners who gave a variety of reasons for detransitioning … The participants said they detransitioned because they became more comfortable identifying as their natal sex (60%), they had concerns about potential medical complications from transitioning (40%), or they realized that their gender dysphoria was caused by something specific, such as trauma, abuse, or mental health issues (38%).” (Pg. 148)
They suggest, “It does seem plausible that young people might be subconsciously motivated to present themselves as transgender out of a desire to fit in and improve their social status at school and within their peer groups, online or otherwise.” (Pg. 158-159) Later, they add, “There are very few studies evaluating the influence of societal perceptions of homosexuality on adolescent girls who transition. However, some believe that children and teens are adopting a transgender identification to avoids the stigma and bullying associated with being same-sex attracted; that is, transitioning creates the illusion that their same-sex orientation is actually a heterosexual one.” (Pg. 164-165)
They note, “The number of people, including adolescents, requesting medical treatment to transition has been skyrocketing… recent data show that 1.8 percent of adolescents under eighteen describe themselves as transgender and nearly 2 percent of adolescents believe that they were ‘born in the wrong body.’ This number, 2 percent, may not seem alarming but in just five years, the number of young people claiming to be ‘trans’ has more than doubled, with no signs of slowing. With the rising numbers of youth who consider themselves trans, there is a rapidly increasing demand for medical treatment that goes by the name of gender-affirming care.’” (Pg. 175)
They observe, ‘Even if puberty blockers could be thought of simply as a pause button, they disrupt a child’s normal developmental process. Puberty is not merely a biochemical development; it is also ‘a psycho-social event that occurs in concert with one’s peers.’ … That is, children of the same age tend to go through puberty more or less together. Those who chose to delay puberty are separated from their peers in this regard. So, at the very least, delaying puberty is a social disruption, just as it is in some cases of untreated precocious puberty. The difference here is that transgender medicine is a purposeful tampering with the normal biological system. It is worth noting that sometimes precocious puberty is even left untreated, depending on the cause, a child’s age, and how rapidly it is progressing. Treating a child with puberty blockers, even in the case of a disorder like precocious puberty, has such far-reaching effects that such treatment demands careful professional consideration before it is employed.” (Pg.. 181)
They argue, “It remains unclear whether attempting to transition actually relieves any psychiatric distress or decreases suicide risk in adults and children, given contradictions and unknowns in the research. In fact, the case could be made that medically transitioning can even exacerbate these issues. In the case of children, parents are often held hostage by the emotional argument that if they do not agree to transition their child medically, the child will die by suicide. ‘Do you want a live son or a dead daughter?’ But there is no science to support these coercive statements.” (Pg. 196)
They conclude, “While the mainstream media has generally been remiss by failing to report on the risks and harms of medical gender treatments… [A recent] crack in the narrative of ‘gender-affirming care’ helps prepare the way for legal cases alleging medical abuse. Raising awareness was the first step to common recognition of … the abusive Tuskegee experiment in Alabama, the harm done by lobotomy, and the brutality of mass involuntary sterilizations---all atrocities committed at the hands of physicians, who are charged with healing, not harming,
their patients.” (Pg. 225-226)
Although published by Ignatius Press, this book is (thankfully) not devoted to religious arguments against transitioning. It will interest many who are studying this issue.
June 30, 2024
I would recommend this book to any parent whose son or daughter suffers from gender dysphoria. The book brings hope to those who would want to break free from the lies of the new gender ideologies.
April 15, 2024
This is just anti-trans propaganda from an anti-LGBT hate group activist (Jennifer Lahl) who has been at this for years. Lahl's original schtick was anti-surrogacy propaganda and picking on gay parents. Her earnings with that have waned and she keeps losing her battles against surrogacy state by state, so she switched to anti-trans propaganda.
It gets two stars as a study in how to craft propaganda. This was not a particularly hard book to write, as Lahl has worked with all of the people in the book for a while now and has interviewed several of them for her anti-trans films and podcasts. Most of the people featured in the book transitioned as adults and their (unverified) "stories" have been published in several conservative rags. One of them even lost their lawsuit over their supposed "malpractice" right after the book was published. Of course the advertising for the book tries to make it seem as it is all happening to children.
The exception is Chloe Cole, who had her surgery as a minor. Lahl uses her story from a previous video interview she did with her back in 2022. (Cole requires payment for being interviewed, so that is why Lahl didn't use a fresh interview for the book. Why pay twice for the same unverified story?). Anyone who follows Cole knows she is being flown around the US by older, wealthy conservative men to campaign against trans people and that there are several holes in her story.
Lahl presents the usual anti-trans activists in her book, such as Quentin Van Meter, Lisa Littman, and Natasha Chart. Chart isn't any sort of medical expert, and her inclusion as a "woman with autism" in this book is odd. It is telling that Lahl didn't interview Kara Dansky for the book. Dansky is an even bigger anti-trans activist and worked with Natasha Chart once, but Dansky is shunned by the religious right crowd, which Lahl is a part of. An entire chapter on how puberty blockers and hormones are bad and harmful is obviously a misrepresentation. It is also clear that Lahl didn't bother to reach out to anyone outside of her little group of anti-trans friends.
The book heavily leans on questionable sources and anecdotal accounts, lacking broader statistical or scientific backing while selectively choosing data to bolster a predetermined storyline. A trustworthy research endeavor typically rests upon a foundation of peer-reviewed studies and empirical evidence. This books isn't it.
It gets two stars as a study in how to craft propaganda. This was not a particularly hard book to write, as Lahl has worked with all of the people in the book for a while now and has interviewed several of them for her anti-trans films and podcasts. Most of the people featured in the book transitioned as adults and their (unverified) "stories" have been published in several conservative rags. One of them even lost their lawsuit over their supposed "malpractice" right after the book was published. Of course the advertising for the book tries to make it seem as it is all happening to children.
The exception is Chloe Cole, who had her surgery as a minor. Lahl uses her story from a previous video interview she did with her back in 2022. (Cole requires payment for being interviewed, so that is why Lahl didn't use a fresh interview for the book. Why pay twice for the same unverified story?). Anyone who follows Cole knows she is being flown around the US by older, wealthy conservative men to campaign against trans people and that there are several holes in her story.
Lahl presents the usual anti-trans activists in her book, such as Quentin Van Meter, Lisa Littman, and Natasha Chart. Chart isn't any sort of medical expert, and her inclusion as a "woman with autism" in this book is odd. It is telling that Lahl didn't interview Kara Dansky for the book. Dansky is an even bigger anti-trans activist and worked with Natasha Chart once, but Dansky is shunned by the religious right crowd, which Lahl is a part of. An entire chapter on how puberty blockers and hormones are bad and harmful is obviously a misrepresentation. It is also clear that Lahl didn't bother to reach out to anyone outside of her little group of anti-trans friends.
The book heavily leans on questionable sources and anecdotal accounts, lacking broader statistical or scientific backing while selectively choosing data to bolster a predetermined storyline. A trustworthy research endeavor typically rests upon a foundation of peer-reviewed studies and empirical evidence. This books isn't it.
June 8, 2025
My relatively low rating of this book is not because I feel any degree of disagreement with its stance, but I felt the quality was, while not substandard per se, unremarkable. Those chapters that were not devoted to personal stories were interesting, particularly the ones at the end about the health consequences of puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery, but I felt they lacked a deeper analysis and were rather cursory. The personal stories were valuable, but the prose in which they were written occasionally felt hollow and prosaic, lacking emotional impact - and not because of the stories themselves, which were powerful, but the way they were written. In short, I imagine this made a much better movie than book. That said, I wouldn't not recommend this book - it is still a solid contribution to the growing collection of books on this topic, and I learned a few things, as it's quite recent and contains some updates I wasn't aware of.
June 16, 2025
What a disturbing eye opener regarding the ease puberty blockers and sex hormones are prescribed. No reliable long term research, minimal psychological care and rendering young adults infertile and in need of meds for entire life.
October 2, 2025
A sad and necessary narrative about the damage we are doing to our children! Thank you for bringing awareness to the shocking and horrific medical practices.
October 21, 2025
very good book in understanding everything related to gender transitions and all the medical stuff involved. some of the medical changes done to the body is disturbing
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews