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Facing Fears of Detransition on the Trans Day of Visibility
While recognizing that others have it even worse
March 31 is the International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), an annual event to recognize and celebrate the achievements and resilience of the trans community. In the face of relentless attacks from the Trump administration, community members throughout the U.S. are rallying in support of trans and nonbinary people.
As I posted on the Trans Day of Remembrance in November, though I am fortunate to live in the relatively trans-friendly city of San Francisco, I no longer attend most in-person events. As I discussed in a recent interview with Black trans leader Aria Sa’id, I do not put a lot of hope in our status as a “sanctuary city” for trans people. I have even less faith in the sanctuary status of the state of California, given the aggressiveness of the current presidential administration and the willingness of Democrats like Governor Gavin Newsom to agree with anti-trans viewpoints.
Though I have no crystal ball, I predict that unless there’s a major, successful revolt, life for marginalized people in the U.S. is going to get steadily worse in the coming years. As a pacifist, I will not participate in, and do not condone, any armed conflict, but I do support nonviolent resistance. Regardless, I feel the need to prepare at least mentally for the possibility that I will be forcibly detransitioned.
Despite narratives to the contrary, many people who detransition do so not because they realize they are not actually trans or nonbinary, but because they find it too difficult to live as their authentic selves. Living authentically as a trans person is especially challenging in today’s political environment. With President Trump issuing numerous explicitly anti-trans executive orders, beginning on the day of his inauguration, he and his allies have pushed forward with an agenda of penalizing and criminalizing members of our community for merely existing, and erasing us from history.
