You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist 156. Not Man Enough to Be a Woman: How William Allen Detransitioned After 30 Years
In this powerful episode, I speak with William Allen, a man who lived for 30 years as a “transgender woman” named Maggie before detransitioning between 2020-2023. William shares his remarkable life story, from his earliest childhood memories of gender dysphoria through his transition in 1993, to his religious awakening and eventual detransition. His newly released book, "Not Man Enough to Be a Woman," details this extraordinary journey.
William begins by sharing the viral social media post that caught my attention on Detrans Awareness Day. He then takes us back to his childhood in the 1960s, where despite appearing as a typical boy who played with neighborhood friends and joined the Boy Scouts, he secretly wished he had been born a girl and would dress in his mother's clothes when alone.
He describes how throughout his youth, he couldn't understand why he had these feelings, finding no answers even in psychology textbooks during college. William shares the story of his first marriage, when his gender dysphoria temporarily subsided during the initial years of falling in love, only to return "with a vengeance" later, ultimately destroying his marriage.
By 1993, William began hormone therapy, had his beard removed through electrolysis, and underwent surgeries. He details the physical changes from estrogen, the workplace transition, and how he was able to "pass" in society as a woman for many years.
William speaks candidly about his life as Maggie. He describes a deathbed reconciliation with his estranged father in 2015 and the conversation decades earlier that gave his book its title - when his father told him he wasn't "man enough to be a woman."
The turning point in William's story came in 2020 when he experienced a profound religious transformation that changed his perspective on his life and identity. This led to his decision to detransition, a three-year process that included saving money, finding a surgeon willing to perform a mastectomy, legal name changes, and rebuilding relationships.
William's story raises profound questions: What happens when a false identity embraced for decades no longer aligns with one's deepest values? After living thirty years as Maggie, William's return to his birth identity offers a rare window into the complexities of gender dysphoria, transition, and detransition that few have experienced over such an extended period. His story challenges simplistic narratives while offering compassion for those struggling with gender identity issues.
William Allen struggled with gender identity disorder from childhood in the 1960s. Hiding his condition throughout his teenage, college, and young adult years, his obsession only grew stronger, eventually ruining his marriage. He began his “transition” in 1993. After hormones, beard removal, voice coaching, and surgery, he "passed" and settled into a successful life, until he rediscovered his faith. He completed his detransition in 2023, after 30 years living as a “transwoman.” William now speaks out against the transgender movement’s deceptions and intentional targeting of children. Find him at notmanenoughtobeawoman.com or get his book on Amazon. Follow him on X @wmallen2024.
00:00 Start
[00:01:08] Detransitioning after long-term experience.
[00:07:03] Life as a man pretending.
[00:09:36] Transition and survival narrative.
[00:14:45] Transformation through faith.
[00:18:10] Childhood aspirations and challenges.
[00:23:35] Antisocial behavior in childhood.
[00:26:39] Antisocial behavior and redemption.
[00:35:05] Father-son relationship and reconciliation.
[00:37:33] Gender identity and parental conflict.
[00:40:21] The power of affirmation.
[00:48:25] Decision to transition.
[00:49:49] Hormone effects and personal experiences.
[00:56:24] Euphoria of life-changing transitions.
[01:02:25] Trans community's impact on women.
[01:03:34] Transformation through faith and repentance.
[01:08:30] The nature of sin.
[01:12:50] Transformation through faith.
[01:18:47] Dating after gender transition.
[01:20:47] Detransitioning and surgical challenges.
[01:27:44] Detransitioning and its consequences.
[01:29:23] Support for parents of “trans” youth.
[01:33:25] Promoting William's new book.
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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.
Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.
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