EPISODE · Feb 19, 2026 · 37 MIN
Trans 101: What Detransitioners Want You to Know
from Taboo Science · host Ashley Hamer Pritchard
If you support trans people, you probably believe that detransition almost never happens and when it does, it's only due to discrimination. But new research shows that's not the full picture—and avoiding the conversation isn't protecting anyone. This episode explores the largest study ever designed to understand detransition, featuring two people with completely opposite experiences. One transitioned in her twenties and later regretted it, losing her entire friend group not when she detransitioned but when she admitted the regret. The other was blocked from hormones by a gatekeeping therapist and spent 13 years forced to live as the wrong gender before finally retransitioning. One needed more scrutiny before accessing care, the other needed fewer barriers—yet both were failed by the system. Researcher Kinnon MacKinnon breaks down what the data actually shows and why preventing detransition might be the wrong goal entirely. This isn't ammunition for either side of the political battle. It's about what happens when we're too afraid to acknowledge complexity.More from Kinnon MacKinnon:The One Percent on Substack: https://theonepercentdetrans.substack.com/Website: https://www.kinnonmackinnon.com/Citations and transcript: https://www.tabooscience.show/trans-101-what-detransitioners-want-you-to-know/Connect with the show:Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscienceLeave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscienceInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscienceYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscienceWebsite: https://www.tabooscience.show/ Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473
What this episode covers
If you support trans people, you probably believe that detransition almost never happens and when it does, it's only due to discrimination. But new research shows that's not the full picture—and avoiding the conversation isn't protecting anyone. This episode explores the largest study ever designed to understand detransition, featuring two people with completely opposite experiences. One transitioned in her twenties and later regretted it, losing her entire friend group not when she detransitioned but when she admitted the regret. The other was blocked from hormones by a gatekeeping therapist and spent 13 years forced to live as the wrong gender before finally retransitioning. One needed more scrutiny before accessing care, the other needed fewer barriers—yet both were failed by the system. Researcher Kinnon MacKinnon breaks down what the data actually shows and why preventing detransition might be the wrong goal entirely. This isn't ammunition for either side of the political battle. It's about what happens when we're too afraid to acknowledge complexity.More from Kinnon MacKinnon:The One Percent on Substack: https://theonepercentdetrans.substack.com/Website: https://www.kinnonmackinnon.com/Citations and transcript: https://www.tabooscience.show/trans-101-what-detransitioners-want-you-to-know/Connect with the show:Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscienceLeave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscienceInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscienceYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscienceWebsite: https://www.tabooscience.show/ Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473
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Trans 101: What Detransitioners Want You to Know
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