Social transition in youth
A study on youth who 'retransition' after a social gender transition
Image: Gender by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images
The Study:
Lily Durwood, Katherine A. Kuvalanka, Shira Kahn-Samuelson, Ashley E. Jordan, Jennifer D. Rubin, Pauline Schnelzer, Aaron H. Devor & Kristina R. Olson (2022): Retransitioning: The experiences of youth who socially transition genders more than once, International Journal of Transgender Health, DOI: 10.1080/26895269.2022.2085224
A recent qualitative study out of the US looked at the experiences of 23 youth who had, in the study’s terminology, ‘retransitioned’ socially after an initial social transition to a gender different from their gender at birth. Important to note that this study was not focused on medical transition, but on social transition only. The sample was recruited from a larger longitudinal study following 317 youth who had started an initial binary transition by age 12. The 23 youth selected for this offshoot study had all ‘retransitioned’ prior to 2021. The study defines ‘retransition’ as follows: “some children who socially transition may later wish to transition genders again”.
At the time of the study, 8 of the 23 were self-identifying as cisgender, 11 as nonbinary, and 4 as binary transgender after having identified as nonbinary for a period of time. Participants were mainly from USA and Canada, and were generally supported in their initial transition by their parents. Notably, a large majority (65%) of participant youth were ‘assigned male at birth’. I say notably, because many gender clinics have noted a sharp increase in female-at-birth youth accessing gender services. Therefore this study’s sample may not be representative of more recent gender-related service trends.
The researchers (Durwood et al.) take great lengths to argue that though their original sample of 317 youth had a 7% ‘retransition’ rate (i.e. 23 youth), most of these retransitioners did not regret their original transitions and felt that it was a necessary part of their identity development. The researchers repeatedly emphasize the lack of regret expressed by the youth and their parents as an indicator that their experiences should not be used to withhold gender-affirming care.
Common themes identified among study participants were that many experienced evolving gender identities over time, a point that was also observed among study participants in the Re/Detrans Canada study on detransitioners. The researchers also noted social influences or inputs to youth’s gender identity, which I found interesting, as this is often a point of contention among some circles of trans activism — and it is a point that Littman made in her study, that external influences might be playing a role in gender identity development.
Other themes in the Durwood et al. study included that most participant youth received acceptance and support from their families both during their initial transition and ‘retransition’. The importance of support is a key theme in the study, both from families and from the larger community. A lack of community support was noted as a risk factor for those who chose to ‘retransition’. One parent noted, for example, that when their child ‘retransitioned’, their child’s LGBT+ support network evaporated. Despite being supportive overall, some parents expressed feeling relief when they found out their children were no longer seeking a binary transition, presumably because it meant their child would not need medical interventions.
The parent narratives in the study were particularly insightful, and painted a picture of many difficult emotions along the way for the youth’s family members, even when parents were generally wanting to be supportive of their children’s changing identities. One parent noted that they worried that they had pressured their child into a binary gender when their child was now more comfortable with a nonbinary identity.
The researchers speculate that some of the youth may have retransitioned to nonbinary identities following exposure to nonbinary role models, as nonbinary identities have received increasing attention in the public discourse around gender. I find this point very interesting, as it seems to support the social aspect of identity formation, and also suggests that at least some young people may be transitioning without considering other ways of being gender nonconforming.
The study has some constraints and limitations. First of all, the researchers note that much of the information collected came from the 21 parents they interviewed; 10 youth were interviewed. They noted that parent’s recall of their children’s experiences may differ from the youth’s subjective experiences. The researchers make the observation that they cannot know if others in the larger sample are also dealing with feelings of wanting to ‘retransition’ or feelings of regret, and acknowledge that those with more severe regret would have been less likely to have wanted to talk to the researchers about their experiences.
When interviewing the participants about their original reasons for transitioning, I noticed quite a lot of overlap with the reasons for detransitioning that Littman identified among her study participants, though Littman’s study participants had transitioned both socially and medically. In the Durwood et al. study, the narratives suggest that at least one participant realized he was gay not trans after seeing gay representation. This seems to confirm that for some individuals wrestling with gender dysphoria, sexual orientation may be a salient area to explore prior to initiating gender transition. In one of the parent interviews, a parent noted that bullying had preceded their child’s decision to transition.
While the researchers end their article on an optimistic note, suggesting that the data they collected provides “evidence that when retransitions do occur, they do not invariably lead to social rejection and regret, as they have been feared to do,” I felt an uneasiness. While these youth did have options to reverse their social transitions with minimal longterm health consequences, many other youth - and adults - are being placed on a medical pathway with minimal oversight or acknowledgement that their gender dysphoria might be informed by similar issues (e.g. social pressure, bullying, internalized homophobia). For those who are medicalized, the path to undoing a transition that is later regretted will not run as smoothly as it did for these young social transitioners.
Given that gender identity appears to be fluid and socially mediated, good healthcare must involve thoughtful guidance, not only regarding the risks inherent to medical interventions, but also in considering the many different factors that can contribute to the development of gender dysphoria.