By Daria Okruta
Staff Writer
Chloe Cole, activist and de-transitioner, gave her testimony and spoke on the subject of transgenderism here at Franciscan University, on Nov. 7, to a large crowd with some standing in the back.
An activist at 20 years old, Cole has spoken and testified at several rallies, conferences and against bills nationwide, advocating for the protection of children and raising awareness against dangerous and mutilative transgender ideology.
Among transgender communities, most appear to be happy and content. Newcomers find the community comforting as someone finally understands them and accepts their individual ideas and beliefs with no sense of objective truth.
In reality, transgenderism is a physiological issue preceded by other physical, mental, spiritual or social problems. Often trauma, past abuse and strained familial relationships are involved; it is also common among individuals on the autism spectrum or with ADHD. These individuals seek to explain their struggles by creating a new and false identity.
Cole defines transgenderism as “Taking steps to mimic the opposite sex that you’re observed to have at birth.” This includes adopting “new labels and a new name to kill off your old self.”
She began transitioning when she was only thirteen years old and underwent surgery before she was legally allowed to drive. Her parents, despite their best efforts to protect their daughter, were pressured by doctors and activists to sign off on medical procedures, saying, “It’s better to have a child who is trans than one who is suicidal.”
At the time, Cole didn’t think it was possible to regret her decisions.
“They don’t speak about grief for de-transitioning during consultations,” she said. “They lied to me and my mom and my dad. They’re so convincing at marketing their snake oil that it isn’t until you’re poisoned that you realize it’s killing you.”
Studies on the transitioning process often show a low transition regret rate. However, those studies are also poorly conducted, spanning a short period, giving subjective questions and actively excluding those who no longer identify as transgender.
Cole described transitioning as a “fleeting gratification” and chasing “a deeper and more intense high after every stage, as if you’re battling an addiction.” She then realized everything about her life was wrong and untrue. Transitioning was only new trauma covering old wounds that never healed.
For Cole, this period was marked by a sense of loss and grief for her childhood. She was too quick to grow up, even with encouragement from doctors and therapists. And at such a young age, she couldn’t have predicted how much transitioning would hurt. All she wanted “was to grow into a beautiful young woman.”
When she began de-transitioning, those same doctors refused to help her, and former allies within the trans community turned into enemies. But Cole learned there were others like her: people who transitioned and realized it had been the wrong choice.
While finding a new community was comforting, a new horror came with it — there were people like her, and no one was talking about it.
So, Cole took her suffering and her trauma and turned to activism, speaking out against the dangers of transitioning and fighting to protect children.
She also met with believers in Christ, who, “unlike the transgender movement, … were the people who showed … unconditional love.” Coming to the faith gave her support to lean on as Christ provides truth and moral authority — which is, unfortunately, lacking in the world.
“In God’s eyes,” she said, “I always only had been His daughter. No matter what was taken from me. Because that is how He had created me, and He created me in this way with love, and with intention.”
Cole said she is an “advocate for our generation, which many in power are convinced is completely lost and not worth fighting for … we are going to turn out to be the strongest and most influential age group since the baby boomers.”