The Detrans Archive

My name is Jonni Skinner, I am 23 years old. I’m from Michigan, in the US, and when I was 13 years of age, I began transitioning socially and medically. I was a very effeminate little boy growing up. I was obsessed with butterflies, enjoyed musicals, liked to dress up and pretend to be princesses with my friends in school etc.

I knew from a very young age that I liked boys as well and that this set me apart from other boys. In the town/family I grew up in they weren’t accepting of gay or gender nonconformity, I was often bullied for my expression and interests by both the men in my family, as well as other kids once their parents and some teachers had pointed out that I was different. Between this and an early autism diagnosis I was in and out of school a lot growing up. My mom eventually found a Lutheran private school for me to attend, one with a smaller population and we were hoping less bullying. An atmosphere where I could be more open about my faith and not have to worry as much about standing out, or so I had thought.

Not long after being placed on the blocker I started having horrifically painful muscle spasms and developed full urinary incontinence as my muscle mass had also begun to atrophy leaving me unable to hold in urine. The effects I experienced on blockers were numerous and affected my life and schooling heavily. Not only was I having horrible muscle spasms and urinary incontinence, but I also started to have extreme sharp pain should my body have tried to have an erection and I was having sharp flank pain. I had terrible tension headaches that felt like my eyes were about to pop out.

I also started to have recurrent episodes of hematuria (this is blood in the urine, recurrent long episodes that lasted months until my blocker was finally removed). The hospital managing my transition didn’t really investigate the hematuria and seemed to be blaming bathroom usage on my accidents rather than listening to me that I had lost control of my bladder. Instead, my endocrinologist would dismiss my mom’s concerns, have her step out, and so I was on my own when we would talk about surgeries and procedures I needed so that I would pass, for me to be more attractive and how these interventions would ultimately improve my life and make everything better. He, this endo, would point out different features on my face that I needed to correct, my “flaws”.

By this point I was on 6 milligrams of estrogen and went back on spiro. I later started progesterone because this endo told me it would reduce my risk of cancer, but he did not put that in my records. I was only on progesterone for a little while as by the time I was 17 I reduced my meds on my own, I was so sick at this point and missing out on so much in life. I was not simply blending in and “flying under the radar” like my doctors told me I would.

Even if I was passing my life was nothing like I was led to believe it would look like, I was riddled with medical issues, ranging from urinary incontinence to sexual dysfunction to fluid leaking from the breast tissue I developed from an adolescence on estrogen and so much more. Nor was I being treated like a “normal girl” like my doctors and the wider trans community had led me to believe. Even though I was “pretty”, I was still seen as an “other”. In addition, the attention I was receiving as well, while I was beginning to come into my late teens and early adulthood, was not the romantic interest I was led to believe I would draw if I transitioned early, as I did. In reality, I was drawing the attention of much older men who had a fetish for transwomen, ladyboys and effeminate young “twinks”. I was not seen as a normal girl, like I was led to believe would be possible for me if I just transitioned young and began passing. Instead it just overcomplicated my life so much more.

I remember once when my endocrinologist called me, I was venting to him, asking him why he would tell me it would make life easier if that wasn’t accurate and he told me that I was 13 and I made this decision so if there is anyone to blame it was me and he hung up on me. I was left beyond crushed and now did not want to go back to him but still was under the impression that I had a brain condition that made me “gender dysphoric” and thought I still needed the medication, so my mom helped me find a new endocrinologist at a different hospital.

Then in March of 2024 the WPATH Files came out, and upon reading into those and falling down a rabbit hole of research into the organizations and science supporting the interventions I went through, I was horrified. Everything right down to the brain in the wrong body explanation I was given were all based on fringe theories rather than legitimate science. I felt as if my whole world came crashing in and was left with the realization that I was manipulated and my mom’s situation exploited so that my original doctor could shape my body to his whim, and the affirmative model had supported him in that. In fact he is one of the pioneers in the United States for pediatric gender medicine.

I had tried to sue him when I had come of age, it took me almost a year to obtain my medical records and upon receiving them I discovered extensive falsifications. From false billing codes like Tall Stature, Endocrine disorder related to puberty etc. I found out that he and the gender therapist had made up a whole backstory for me claiming I identified as female since age 2 and that I had suppressed my “female gender identity” my whole life. He lied about every single conversation we had in just about every appointment making it sound like I was improving on these treatments while neglecting to mention the side effects I was experiencing or the conversations he was having with me behind closed doors or via phone.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find a lawyer that was willing to help me file a lawsuit as many lawyers handling detrans cases have politicized their battles and would not accept my gender nonconformity, I couldn’t in good conscience proceed in an inauthentic way. I was also told I’m simply beyond the statute for medical malpractice, no one wanted to touch false claims, because these lawyers felt I should have realized the harm by 15 or 16 and that I’m a man so I’ll “metabolize the trauma” anyways.