“For me, transitioning was the closest I could come to killing myself without actually doing it.”
Those frightening but honest words described Daisy Strongin’s mental state as a teenager when she experienced gender dysphoria, which ultimately led her to attempt to become a male.
Strongin’s statement may seem ironic, given the widely accepted view that young people struggling with gender identity are at a heightened risk of suicide if they are not provided with “gender-affirming care.”
So-called gender-affirming care encompasses a range of protocols, such as assistance in social transitioning, puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, sex-reassignment surgeries, and other immoral and unethical practices.
Fortunately, many medical professionals, ministries, and organizations are sounding the alarm on the dangers of such psychological and medical malpractice, while also providing resources aimed at educating the public about the realities of transgender ideology.
One such eye-opening resource is Detrans: The Dangers of Gender-Affirming Care, a 20-minute documentary produced by PragerU (prageru.com). It offers a profile of two young adults – Daisy Strongin and Abel Garcia – who, as children, were influenced and misled into believing that changing sexes was the answer to their internal struggles.
The film sheds light on the ever-growing number of people who have been hastily encouraged to transition but have since regretted their decision and chosen to affirm their biological sex.
Deceiving the innocent
Strongin’s and Garcia’s testimonies also serve as a warning to parents about the harmful influences young people can encounter when left to browse the internet unattended.
Having already developed an interest in a male persona, Strongin admitted that, as a middle schooler, the more time she spent online exploring the trans community, the more it felt like a solution to her problems.
Strongin confessed that she did not know how to deal with her mental struggles and found comfort in hearing others say that transitioning relieved their pain.
“I wanted to alleviate my pain. I also didn’t want to be who I was,” Strongin said. “So, with transitioning, I could do both of those things.”
Looking back on that impressionable time in her life, Strongin said, “It’s really dark, when you think about it, because the people who are consuming this [information] are children. And it’s so easy for them to literally be groomed.”
Likewise, Garcia expressed that his masculinity did not meet the expectations of his Mexican culture. Similar to Strongin’s experience, Garcia said a video about gender transitioning caught his attention when he was in middle school. He said the video planted seeds of doubt about his gender in his mind, and it became a catalyst that drew him into transgender ideology.
Fast track to transition
The similarities between Strongin and Garcia extend beyond what influenced them in their formative years. Their stories also illustrate how easy those who are gender-confused can receive life-altering drugs and surgeries.
When Garcia told his therapist he wanted to transition, she recommended he begin both social and medical interventions as soon as possible.
Only 11 months after starting hormone treatment, Garcia’s insurance approved surgery for him, including the removal of his genitals, even though he had not requested it.
Featured in the film is Leor Sapir, an expert on transgenderism and a fellow at Manhattan Institute. He attests that Strongin’s and Garcia’s experiences are not outliers.
“When parents of trans-identified kids are referred to specialized gender clinics, they’re often told that they’re going to get comprehensive, multidisciplinary, mental health assessments,” Sapir said. “We know that that’s not true. In practice, these kids are put on a fast track to medical transition.”
Sapir explained that the gender clinics often neglect to ask basic questions that could potentially identify events that may have triggered the onset of the child’s gender dysphoria.
He stated that the doctors in those clinics often put parents in difficult situations.
“Doctors are telling parents – in front of their distressed children – ‘If you don’t consent to the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, your child is going to die by suicide.’”
Regret and return to reality
Ultimately, both Strongin and Garcia came to the realization that they could never truly become the opposite sex.
“I would go out into the world, and everyone … [would see] me as a guy, but then at the end of the day, when [I was] home … looking in the mirror, [I was] like, What did I do?” Strongin said. “I [would] start getting these really scary thoughts of, like, You’re incomplete; you’re not a guy; you never will be.”
Garcia expressed the same sentiments: “I just woke up one day, looked at myself in the mirror, and asked myself, What … am I doing?” he said. “Because I realized no matter if I would have gone [through with] every surgery, continued with hormones, … I would have never been a woman.”
Though Strongin had a double mastectomy and Garcia received breast implants, neither had their genitals surgically altered, and both were able to detransition and move toward living consistently with their biology. Since her detransition, Strongin has married and given birth to two babies.
Strongin knows how blessed she is and how her life could have turned out terribly different.
“There are so many young people who are going through very similar things that I did and are still being told that transition will save them, and … it’s just not true,” Strongin said.
“My story is tragic in some ways, but it’s very redemptive in many ways,” she continued. “That cannot be said for many detransitioners, and … that’s just heartbreaking.”
(Digital Editor's Note: This article was published first in the May 2025 print edition of The Stand. Click Here for a free six-month subscription.)
