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TransFormed: The Power of God's Word and God's People in One Woman's Journey through Gender Confusion, Reassignment Surgery, and Detransitioning
224 pages, Paperback
Published March 17, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 30, 2026
A wonderful eye opening book by Kyla Gillespie! She shows what GOD can do to help those struggling with dysphoria in believing they’ve been born in the wrong body. She tells her whole story and how she felt which was overwhelming to her. How she transitioned to a man and called herself Brycen. And then how Jesus saved her and she gave her body to Christ and how he led her to detransition back to a woman. And how she’s never been more satisfied and loved and accepted by GOD. She still struggles of course because we live in a broken world but she knows she can go to GOD for everything she needs and that her support system, her loving Christian church family, will help and be there for her. It’s a wonderful story of redeeming love through Jesus Christ for Kyla and can be for others as well struggling with this very same thing. Choose Jesus! He can help you through it all! Thank you Net Galley and publishers for the ARC provided to me and the opportunity to read Transformed.
April 23, 2026
I went in thinking this book would be more focused on the author’s transition/detransition, but we spend a fair amount of time talking about alcoholism and competitive hockey instead. The author also talks very personally about her sense of rejection, namely by her biological father, and coping with unhealthy mechanisms to achieve some sort of belonging. More on that in a bit.
When the book actually gets to the part of the author’s transition, I was surprised that the author seemed to have little to no qualms about it. In fact, one of the only major issues regarding transition was that the top surgery didn’t have a desired outcome (aesthetically botched, iirc). The book spends only a moment talking about this, but *much* more time talking about how the author
- Was denied over and over by cis Christian women for a relationship
- Was excluded from participating in larger roles in church
- Had the pastors mention detransitioning at least once
- Had her mom constantly deny her transition
- Had her church friends refuse to show up to her recovery after top surgery
Even though the author states to her doctor/psychiatrist/etc that there was no social pressure to detransition at all, I can’t help but wonder if it was a subconscious desire to please her church and mom.
This is somewhat supported by the fact that the author was hoping that by detransitioning, her relationship with her mom would be repaired.
Of course, no one at church told her straight-up to detransition, but if someone is excluded from certain church activities and feels they can’t find prospective partners there *because* they are trans, it does something to your heart.
It worries me that the author had turned to pastors for mental and emotional guidance instead of a therapist, as it seems to just recreate the scenario of needing to please others.
I also say this because the author doesn’t really talk about being a part of a larger trans or LGBT community, although she did have friends who were, so it doesn’t present itself as a need for acceptance if it was largely unpopular/unknown at the time.
With all that said, this is one of a few books that talk about Christianity and detransitioning in a way that diminishes the reasons and importance of people transitioning. This isn’t to say how the author or other detransitioners are to live or understand their own gender, but instead to critique how Christianity and detransitioning is being used as antonyms for trans people. It also doesn’t help that the theological rational is very surface-level (the Bible says so therefore it is what it is) rather than examining the Bible’s history, culture, and context to why it’s written the way it is today. It mirrors much of what I’ve read from ex-gay and ex-ex-gay Christians who bludgeoned themselves into boxes they never fit into in the first place.
When the book actually gets to the part of the author’s transition, I was surprised that the author seemed to have little to no qualms about it. In fact, one of the only major issues regarding transition was that the top surgery didn’t have a desired outcome (aesthetically botched, iirc). The book spends only a moment talking about this, but *much* more time talking about how the author
- Was denied over and over by cis Christian women for a relationship
- Was excluded from participating in larger roles in church
- Had the pastors mention detransitioning at least once
- Had her mom constantly deny her transition
- Had her church friends refuse to show up to her recovery after top surgery
Even though the author states to her doctor/psychiatrist/etc that there was no social pressure to detransition at all, I can’t help but wonder if it was a subconscious desire to please her church and mom.
This is somewhat supported by the fact that the author was hoping that by detransitioning, her relationship with her mom would be repaired.
Of course, no one at church told her straight-up to detransition, but if someone is excluded from certain church activities and feels they can’t find prospective partners there *because* they are trans, it does something to your heart.
It worries me that the author had turned to pastors for mental and emotional guidance instead of a therapist, as it seems to just recreate the scenario of needing to please others.
I also say this because the author doesn’t really talk about being a part of a larger trans or LGBT community, although she did have friends who were, so it doesn’t present itself as a need for acceptance if it was largely unpopular/unknown at the time.
With all that said, this is one of a few books that talk about Christianity and detransitioning in a way that diminishes the reasons and importance of people transitioning. This isn’t to say how the author or other detransitioners are to live or understand their own gender, but instead to critique how Christianity and detransitioning is being used as antonyms for trans people. It also doesn’t help that the theological rational is very surface-level (the Bible says so therefore it is what it is) rather than examining the Bible’s history, culture, and context to why it’s written the way it is today. It mirrors much of what I’ve read from ex-gay and ex-ex-gay Christians who bludgeoned themselves into boxes they never fit into in the first place.
May 20, 2026
If you've met one trans person, you've met one trans person. Everyone's story is different.
This story shows how complex sexuality is for so many of us - highlights the brokenness that plagues every one of us, and shows us the beauty of Jesus meeting us in all the mess.
This was beautiful. God is so good.
This story shows how complex sexuality is for so many of us - highlights the brokenness that plagues every one of us, and shows us the beauty of Jesus meeting us in all the mess.
This was beautiful. God is so good.
March 23, 2026
Very good read.
May 3, 2026
Powerful story of redemption and transformation.
March 9, 2026
Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind." Kyla Gillespie in her book TransFormed shares her raw, honest struggle with gender dysphoria, which led her to transition, including gender affirming surgeries. But she doesn't leave you there because God didn't leave her there. He reached her at her point of need and TransFormed her into a new creation in Christ. She learned to embrace the beauty of the woman God had designed her to be. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
April 23, 2026
I found Kyra’s story heartbreaking. She grew up lost, confused and deceived. Her story is well told in these pages. But what made her book compelling was when she began to take personal responsibility for her choices.
Chapter 10, the last chapter of her book, was a guide to Truth and victory. In this last chapter she describes God’s love as “different from what is often called love in this world.” She goes on to say that God’s love “pardons, unites, …heals, and …speaks truth.”
She says that she needed “people who would love me enough to tell me the truth.” And she says: “Our identity was designed to be in Christ Jesus at its core, declaring his glory from the depths of our souls.”
May we all be loving truth tellers calling the lost to walk in freedom and Truth.
Chapter 10, the last chapter of her book, was a guide to Truth and victory. In this last chapter she describes God’s love as “different from what is often called love in this world.” She goes on to say that God’s love “pardons, unites, …heals, and …speaks truth.”
She says that she needed “people who would love me enough to tell me the truth.” And she says: “Our identity was designed to be in Christ Jesus at its core, declaring his glory from the depths of our souls.”
May we all be loving truth tellers calling the lost to walk in freedom and Truth.
April 23, 2026
Highly recommend! For anyone who is walking alongside someone with gender dysphoria or who is questioning how to reconcile following Jesus while experiencing gender dysphoria, this is a must read. Kyla shares her story so vulnerably and appropriately, and it’s encouraging to hear how faithful her Christian community was in journeying with her.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews