Alia Ismail is de-transitioning to female after six years of medical transitioning to male. Alia, from Michigan, came out as trans at the age of 18, adopting male pronouns and dressing more masculinely.
Alia changed her name to Issa in the years after, and at the age of 20, she began a medical transition that included taking male hormones to boost testosterone and having a double mastectomy.
“Socially, at 18 years old, I came out, used male pronouns, and dressed masculine,” Alia explained.
“At the age of 20, I had a medical transition in which I began hormone therapy and legally changed my name in August 2015, followed by a double mastectomy in 2016.”
“When I first came out as g*y, my family was quite accepting. My grandparents were accepting but not understanding of my transition, and as time went on, my mother began to understand my sentiments better.”
Alia, now 27, felt that her new identity didn’t truly reflect who she was after the transition, and after much thought, she opted to de-transition to female and now uses they/she pronouns.
“I have no regrets about having surgery or taking hormones,” Alia said. That was a pivotal point in my development into the person I am today.
“My family was emotionally apathetic. They knew I was brave enough to embark on this new adventure and were proud of me for remaining true to myself.
“I stopped taking hormones and underwent laser hair removal.” I have no immediate plans to do anything else, but I am aware that things may change in the future.
“My testosterone level dropped dramatically, but my oestrogen level remained unchanged.” I’ve only been off hormones for a year, after roughly seven years on testosterone. My body only needs time to adjust, and we’ll see if I need to take anything to increase my oestrogen levels later.”
Alia has been very open about her struggle and wishes to help others who are having identity issues.
“I believe that those who do not understand do so out of ignorance and a lack of empathy,” Alia continued.
Alia is willing to assist anyone who is going through a similar time because she is very honest about her path. “By sharing my stories, I have aided countless individuals who were struggling with their s*xual orientation and gender. I frequently receive messages from people asking for advice, and I take pleasure in fostering others’ sense of trust.”
“Decisions are difficult no matter what they are, and I hope that instead of projecting our fears and judgments, we can all remain open-minded to understand why.”
