help.senate.gov
2026-06-19
My name is Chloe Cole. I am a detransitioner and currently serve as a Patient Advocate with Do No Harm. As a child, I was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and underwent medical transition as a minor, including puberty suppression, cross-sex hormones, and an irreversible double mastectomy.
I am providing this statement because what happened to me should not be allowed to happen to other children.
When I was young, I struggled with my body and my identity. I was not a boy. I was a girl in distress. I needed time, counseling, patience, and help accepting my body. Instead, the adults around me treated my healthy female body as the problem.
My parents never believed I was their son. They knew I was their daughter. But doctors and psychologists told them that ordinary traits and interests, such as having short hair or wanting to be athletic, were signs that I was actually male. They were also told that if I did not transition, I would be at serious risk of suicide.
That placed enormous pressure on my family. My parents were led to believe that medical transition was necessary to keep me alive. In reality, they were given a false choice: allow their daughter to transition, or risk losing her. I have heard similar stories from many other families.