Chole Cole, a seventeen year old girl who de-transitioned after a fruitless attempt to become male, shared her story to a large public hearing in Florida on state involvement in gender-affirming care. Beginning her transition at thirteen, she took puberty blockers and had a double mastectomy. These procedures and drugs did permanent and serious damage to Chole, who is now at a much greater risk for cancer and may never have children.
Chole Cole also detailed how she was radicalized into the LGBTQ+ community at the age of 11 on social media, primarily Instagram. “I saw how trans people online got an overwhelming amount of support, and the amount of praise they were getting really spoke to me because, at the time, I didn’t really have a lot of friends of my own,” she told the New York Post.
This girl’s powerful story comes right after Ron DeSantis announced Rule 59F-1.050, which would bar children from undergoing sex-change treatments and stop Medicaid from funding transitions for adults.