Largest-ever survey of trans people reveals the real reason trans people detransition

The U.S.A. Trans Survey, recognised as the most comprehensive study on trans health in the U.S.A., reinforces that gender-affirming care is life-saving and life-enhancing. The survey shows that those who transitioned but returned to living as their assigned sex primarily cite anti-trans discrimination from friends and family as the reason.

Conducted by Advocates For Trans Equality (A4TE) and released on June 11, the survey involved over 84,000 trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming individuals aged 18 and above in 2022. Among the participants, 9% had detransitioned at some point. It also highlights that familial support significantly affects trans individuals’ mental health, overall well-being, lifetime experiences, and risk of suicidality, ‘LGBTQ Nation’ reports.

“Social and structural explanations dominated the reasons why respondents reported going back to living in their sex assigned at birth at some point,” states the report. Isolation from one’s support network can severely impact mental health, as shown by the findings.

These findings contradict conservative media narratives about transition regret, which often suggest that many trans people detransition due to regretting their transition. The survey found that detransition is rare and mainly influenced by external pressures.

“Only 4% of people who returned to living in their sex assigned at birth temporarily did so because they realized gender transition wasn't for them. For all transition respondents, this represents just 0.36%,” stated the report. Furthermore, 98% reported higher life satisfaction post-transition.

The survey holds significant importance given the efforts during the Trump administration to erase trans people from government resources, hindering crucial data collection essential for informed public policy-making. This erasure enables conservative groups to misrepresent trans people's lived experiences.

“Having real concrete and rigorous data about the realities of trans people’s day-to-day lives is also a vital part of dispelling all of those assumptions and stereotypes that plague the public discourse about our community,” commented Olivia Hunt, A4TE’s Director of Federal Policy, during a press briefing this week.

The report also examines trans healthcare from 2015 to 2022, noting improved trust between trans individuals and healthcare providers. However, it also highlights racial disparities, with trans people of colour experiencing more violence than their white counterparts.

Significant mental health challenges remain prevalent in the trans community, with 44% of respondents experiencing serious psychological distress, compared to less than 4% of the broader U.S.A. population.

Many of these issues have likely worsened since 2025, during Trump’s second presidential term, marked by increased anti-trans policies, healthcare access challenges, and rising transphobic hostility.

A4TE has been releasing the survey’s extensive findings incrementally as it analyses the data over time.