Chloe Cole#Reception

{{Infobox person

| name = Chloe Cole

| image = File:Chloe Cole (54234712376) (cropped).jpg

| caption = Cole in 2024

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2004|7|27}}

| birth_place = California, U.S.

| years_active = 2022–present

| known_for = Opposing medical gender transition for minors

}}

Chloe Cole (born July 27, 2004{{Cite tweet |author=Chloe Cole |user=ChoooCole |number=1684679139125563392 |title=Thank you for all the birthday wishes!}}) is an American activist who opposes gender-affirming care for minors and supports bans on such care following her own detransition. She has appeared with conservative politicians and in the media, supporting and advocating for such bans.{{Cite news |last=Ennis |first=Dawn |date=September 11, 2022 |title=California ex-trans teen is national right-wing media's darling |language=en-US |work=Los Angeles Blade |url=https://www.losangelesblade.com/2022/09/11/california-ex-trans-teen-is-national-right-wing-medias-darling/ |access-date=February 1, 2023}}{{Cite news |last1=Respaut |first1=Robin |last2=Terhune |first2=Chad |last3=Conlin |first3=Michelle |date=December 22, 2022 |title=Why detransitioners are crucial to the science of gender care |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-outcomes/ |access-date=February 1, 2023}}{{Cite news |last=Clark |first=Quinn |date=January 27, 2023 |title=Panel of right-wing activists claim schools are 'sexually grooming' children by teaching gender identity, event at Pewaukee hotel draws protests |language=en-US |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/2023/01/27/parents-on-patrol-event-at-ingleside-hotel-in-pewaukee-draws-protest/69845712007/ |access-date=February 1, 2023}} Cole says that she began transitioning at 12, having undergone treatment which included puberty blockers, testosterone, and a double mastectomy at age 15.{{cite news |date=March 7, 2023 |title=Legal action may change transgender care in America |newspaper=The Economist |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/03/07/legal-action-may-change-transgender-care-in-america |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230307123041/https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/03/07/legal-action-may-change-transgender-care-in-america |archive-date=March 7, 2023}} She began detransitioning at 17 after experiencing hallucinations during an LSD trip, and converted to Christianity.{{Cite news |last=Stanford |first=Peter |date=August 27, 2023 |title=Chloe Cole: 'I was told transitioning would save me. It destroyed my life' |language=en-US |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/27/chloe-cole-detransition-awareness-us-congress/ |access-date=December 4, 2024}}

Personal life

Cole is from California's Central Valley.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=February 27, 2023 |title=Fifth & Mission Podcast: The anti-trans culture war hits the Bay Area |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/podcasts/article/transgender-care-lawsuit-kaiser-chloe-cole-17804243.php |access-date=March 3, 2023 |work= San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US}} Cole is the youngest of five children having two sisters and two brothers. She reported facing mental health challenges as a minor, which included being on the autism spectrum.{{Cite web |last= Schemmel |first=Alec |date=February 24, 2023 |title='Detransitioner' sues doctors after being given irreversible gender treatments as child |url= https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/detransitioner-sues-doctors-over-medical-negligence-after-she-was-given-irreversible-gender-treatments-as-minor-chloe-cole |access-date=March 3, 2023 |website=The National Desk |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Heipel |first=Edie |date=September 24, 2022 |title=Meet the 18-year-old leading the fight to protect children from transgender surgeries |url= https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252376/chloe-cole-leading-fight-to-protect-children-from-transgender-surgeries |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}} She is a detransitioner and describes herself as a "former trans kid".

Cole says that she first experienced gender dysphoria when she was 9 years old, and discussed her condition with her pediatrician for the first time at age 12. Cole has filed a lawsuit that claims that between the ages of 13 and 16 years old, Kaiser Permanente physicians placed Chloe on puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone treatment, and performed a double mastectomy on her.

She has described herself as having been a "tomboy" who did not fit social norms and only started thinking about transitioning after creating an Instagram account.

In February 2018, she was prescribed the puberty blocker Lupron when age 13. A month later, she started testosterone injections, which she continued for two years. Cole had a double mastectomy at age 15 in June 2020.

A therapist who examined Cole said in a court filing that Cole decided to detransition during an LSD trip at 16 when she heard a female voice, telling her that she was lying to herself about being a boy, and that following this she became a Christian, and requested a Christian therapist.{{Cite news |last=Mays |first=Mackenzie |date=25 July 2024 |title=How California teen Chloe Cole emerged as a leader of the 'detransition' movement — and a right-wing icon |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-07-25/chloe-coles-rise-from-a-transgender-teen-from-manteca-to-national-republican-darling |work=LA Times}}

= Detransition =

Less than a year after her mastectomy, after a discussion in school about breastfeeding and pregnancy, Cole began to regret her transition. At 17, she reverted to using her birth name and detransitioned. Cole has said that her doctor did not follow the standards of care from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and that she did not know detransitioners existed until she was one.{{Cite news |last=McHugh |first=Rich |date=December 16, 2022 |title=3 teens who thought they were trans explain why they detransitioned |language=en-US |work=NewsNation |url=https://www.newsnationnow.com/lgbtq/3-teens-who-thought-they-were-trans-explain-why-they-detransitioned/ |access-date=February 1, 2023}} When she expressed regret to her gender care specialist, they offered to recommend a surgeon for breast reconstruction, which she decided not to pursue.

Cole's parents have stayed out of the media spotlight. Cole says she does not hold them responsible for consenting to her treatment and surgery and that they "received intense social pressure and pressure from medical professionals".

Activism

= Legislation =

Starting in May 2022, Cole began testifying in the United States against medical transition and appeared on Fox News to denounce gender-affirming care for minors. She has said that neither minors nor their parents should be able to consent to such care and that parents face "extreme external pressures to consent." Cole's views on gender-affirming care for minors diverge from those of most major associations of medical professionals, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and WPATH.{{cite news |last1=Sheeler |first1=Andrew |title=The culture war comes to Sacramento as anti-transgender 'de-transitioner' rally planned |url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article272865310.html |access-date=10 March 2023 |work=The Sacramento Bee |date=9 March 2023}}

File:Chloe Cole speaks about the Protect Children's Innocence Act.jpg

In May 2022, Cole testified in support of Ohio House Bill 454, which would ban gender-affirming care for minors.{{Cite web |date=May 26, 2022 |title=Ohio House Families, Aging and Human Services Committee: Testimony – Chloe Cole, Proponent |url=https://www.ohiochannel.org/video/ohio-house-families-aging-and-human-services-committee-5-26-2022?start=10185 |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=The Ohio Channel}}{{Cite web |last=Bailey |first=Brittany |date=May 19, 2022 |title=Bill banning gender-affirming care for minors sparks debate at Ohio Statehouse | url=https://www.10tv.com/article/news/politics/bill-banning-gender-affirming-care-for-minors-sparks-debate-ohio-statehouse/530-e26d3ca0-c9b6-4fc6-9406-1dfc1cfd4fce | access-date=March 6, 2023 |website=WBNS |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Bailey |first=Brittany |date=February 22, 2023 |title=The SAFE Act returns to the Ohio Statehouse |url=https://www.10tv.com/article/news/politics/safe-act-returns-to-the-ohio-statehouse/530-1bea8f86-6011-4036-bf94-d35fb66f923c |access-date=March 6, 2023 |website=WBNS |language=en-US}} In July, Cole testified in favor of an eventually passed Florida bill that denied Medicaid coverage for puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones or surgery for all ages.{{cite news |last1=Ghorayshi |first1=Azeen |title=Florida Restricts Doctors From Providing Gender Treatments to Minors |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/04/health/florida-gender-care-minors-medical-board.html |access-date=9 March 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=4 November 2022}}{{Cite news |last=Kam |first=Dara |date=July 9, 2022 |title=Florida's transgender treatment rule draws raucous response |language=en |work=WUWF |url=https://www.wuwf.org/florida-news/2022-07-08/transgender-treatment-rule-draws-raucous-response |access-date=February 1, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=CBS Miami Team |title=Florida House panel eyes treatments for trans kids |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/florida-house-panel-eyes-treatments-for-trans-kids/ |access-date=9 March 2023 |work=CBS News |date=21 February 2023}} In October Cole spoke to the Florida Board of Medicine in favor of a measure that would bar minors from "receiving puberty blockers, hormone therapy or surgeries as treatment for gender dysphoria".{{Cite news |last=Yurcaba |first=Jo |date=October 29, 2022 |title=Florida medical board votes to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors |language=en |work=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/florida-medical-board-votes-ban-gender-affirming-care-transgender-mino-rcna54632 |access-date=February 1, 2023}}

In September, Cole spoke at a press conference organized by Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene in support of her "Protect Children's Innocence Act", which would make it a felony to provide any gender-affirming care to a minor, prohibit the use of federal funds for gender-affirming care or towards health insurance covering it for all ages, and prohibit colleges from offering instruction in such care. Cole said that while she did not agree with everything any politician says, this bill which "protects children from the harm" that she endured was a cause she "could get behind".{{Cite news |last=Bollinger |first=Alex |date=September 8, 2022 |title=Marjorie Taylor Greene shares child's medical photos in bizarre anti-trans rant |work=LGBTQ Nation |url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/09/marjorie-taylor-greene-shares-childs-medical-photos-bizarre-anti-trans-rant/ |access-date=February 1, 2023}}{{Cite web |last=Brooke Migdon |first=Emily Brooks |date=August 19, 2022 |title=Marjorie Taylor Greene introduces bill to make gender-affirming care for transgender youth a felony |url=https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/3607955-marjorie-taylor-greene-introduces-bill-to-make-gender-affirming-care-for-transgender-youth-a-felony/ |access-date=August 19, 2022 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}{{Cite act |url= https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8731/text?s=1&r=2 |legislature=US Federal |type=HR |index=8731 |date=August 19, 2022}} The same month, Cole testified against a bill introduced by Senator Scott Wiener to make California a sanctuary state for children seeking gender-affirming care.

In September 2022, Dawn Ennis, writing for the LGBT newspaper Los Angeles Blade, described Cole as "the poster child for far-right politicians and religious conservatives working to ban gender-affirming care and to prosecute the doctors and parents who support their children's transitions for child abuse."

In January 2023, Cole testified in support of bills banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors in Utah{{Cite news |last=McKellar |first=Katie|date=January 24, 2023 |title=Utah lawmakers reject hardline ban on transgender treatments for kids |language=en |work=Deseret News |url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2023/1/24/23568290/transgender-surgeries-hormone-therapy-utah-legislature-lgbtq-law |access-date=February 1, 2023}} and Tennessee.{{Cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Chris |last2=West |first2=Emily |date=January 31, 2023 |title=Bill restricting gender-affirming care among minors nudged forward in Tennessee legislature |language=en |work=News Channel 5 |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/bill-restricting-gender-affirming-care-among-minors-nudged-forward-in-tennessee-legislature |access-date=February 1, 2023}}{{Cite news |work=The Tennessean |url= https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/01/31/tennessee-bill-to-ban-trans-treatments-for-minors-advances-in-committee/69858331007/ |date=Jan 31, 2023 |title= Tennessee bill to ban trans treatments for minors advances in committees}} She also voiced support for a law proposed by Wyoming state senator Anthony Bouchard, Senate File 144, which he dubbed "Chloe's Law" after Cole, that would lead to doctors' licenses being revoked if they administer gender-affirming care to minors.{{Cite news |last=McFarland |first=Clair |date=January 23, 2023 |title=Bouchard Introduces Bill That Would Ban Child Sex Change Surgeries In Wyoming |language=en-US |work=Cowboy State Daily |url=https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/01/23/bouchard-introduces-bill-that-would-ban-child-sex-change-surgeries-in-wyoming/,%20https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/01/23/bouchard-introduces-bill-that-would-ban-child-sex-change-surgeries-in-wyoming/ |access-date=February 1, 2023}} In February, Cole testified in favor of Kansas Senate Bill 233, which would ban gender-affirming care for minors, revoke the licenses of doctors who provided such care, and allow for civil suits against them.{{Cite news |last=Mipro |first=Rachel |date=February 14, 2023 |title=Bill blocking gender-affirming care for Kansas transgender youths panned by opponents |language=en-US |work=The Kansas Reflector |url=https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/14/bill-blocking-gender-affirming-care-for-kansas-transgender-youth-panned-by-opponents/ |access-date=March 3, 2023}} She also accepted an invitation from the conservative think tank the Idaho Freedom Foundation to testify in support of an Idaho bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors and make providing such care a felony.{{Cite news |last1=Holmes |first1=Brian |last2=Baertlein |first2=Andrew |date=February 2, 2023 |title=Idaho bill to ban gender affirming care for minors is met with opposing perspectives |language=en-US |work=KTVB7 |url=https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/politics/local-idaho-bill-to-ban-gender-affirming-care-for-minors-is-met-with-opposing-perspectives/277-217363de-44ba-4e9e-9fec-69c5c66a9936 |access-date=February 3, 2023}}

= Rallies =

In October 2022, Cole was among a number of speakers at a "Rally to End Child Mutilation" hosted by right-wing commentator Matt Walsh in Nashville.{{Cite news |last=Villarreal |first=Daniel |date=October 28, 2022 |title=GOP senator speaks at transphobic rally where people threatened to kill doctors |work=LGBTQ Nation |url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/10/gop-senator-speaks-transphobic-rally-people-threatened-kill-doctors/ |access-date=February 1, 2023}}{{Cite news |last=Herner |first=Hannah |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Anti-Trans Rally Led by Matt Walsh Brings Right-Wing Media Stars to Nashville |language=en |work=Nashville Scene |url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithinthewind/anti-trans-rally-led-by-matt-walsh-brings-right-wing-media-stars-to-nashville/article_62c08340-5160-11ed-81bb-53478d4387aa.html |access-date=February 1, 2023}}

In January 2023, Cole was one of five panelists who spoke at an event titled "Stolen Innocence: A Panel on the Insidious Ideology Infecting Your Children's Education",{{Cite news |last=Schemmel |first=Alec |date=February 7, 2023 |title='Hateful, Dangerous': Event warning about consequences of gender transitions dropped |language=en |work=KATV |url=https://katv.com/news/nation-world/hateful-dangerous-event-warning-about-consequences-of-gender-transitions-dropped-eventbrite-trans-transgender-gender-identity-transgenderism-parents-on-patrol |access-date=March 1, 2023}} about schools allegedly sexually grooming students by teaching them about gender identity and sexual orientation.

The same month in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Cole was a speaker at a "Teens Against Gender Mutilation Rally", sponsored by Turning Point USA. Cole described the trans community as "a cult" and spoke against gender-affirming care for minors.{{Cite news |last=Masters |first=Hamilton Matthew |date=January 30, 2022 |title=Proud Boys and LGBTQ Rights Supporters Face Off in Murfreesboro |language=en |work=Nashville Scene |url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithinthewind/proud-boys-and-lgbtq-rights-supporters-face-off-in-murfreesboro/article_4434885c-a0c7-11ed-9435-df49b232d251.html |access-date=February 1, 2023}}{{Cite news |last=Michael |first=Olivia |date=January 29, 2023 |title='Teens Against Gender Mutilation Rally' draws opposing crowds in Murfreesboro |language=en |work=News Channel 5 |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/teens-against-gender-mutilation-rally-draws-opposing-crowds-in-murfreesboro |access-date=February 1, 2023}} Eventbrite reportedly unpublished the listing due to violating their policies on "Hateful, Dangerous, or Violent Content and Events".

In March 2023, she spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington DC, on a panel titled "A Time for Courage".{{cite news |last1=Woodward |first1=Alex |date=March 4, 2023 |title=CPAC offers a platform for an avalanche of anti-trans attacks |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cpac-transgender-marjorie-taylor-greene-b2293986.html |access-date=March 5, 2023}}

Later that month, Cole headlined a Detransition Awareness Day rally in Sacramento, CA. Roughly 40 people gathered in opposition to gender-affirming care. Nearby, counter-protesters gathered.{{cite news |last1=Hatch |first1=Jenavieve |title=Protesters, counter-protesters square off in Sacramento over gender-confirming health care |url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article273005655.html |access-date=12 March 2023 |work=The Sacramento Bee |date=11 March 2023}}

On April 17, 2023, Cole spoke along with Dr. Carrie Mendoza at an event at Dartmouth College. Chloe said that she believed that children were too young to make "lasting medical decisions", adding that "if you are a fully grown adult … and completely understand the consequences, yes, I support you getting that surgery."{{cite news |last1=Qusba |first1=Aryanna |title=Activist Chloe Cole sparks campus protest |url=https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2023/04/qusba-activist-chloe-cole-sparks-campus-protest |access-date= 23 May 2023 |work=The Dartmouth| date=23 May 2023}}

= Platform =

In mid-July 2022 she started a GoFundMe called "Imperfectly Me", aimed at providing a platform for detransitioners.

Lawsuit

On November 9, 2022, Cole filed a 90-day notice of intent to sue against the healthcare company Kaiser Permanente along with the individual endocrinologist, psychiatrist, and plastic surgeon involved in her treatment. Cole was represented by Harmeet Dhillon (the chief executive of the Center for American Liberty) and the law firm LiMandri & Jonna LLP.{{cite web |title=Notice of Intent to Sue |date=November 9, 2022 |website=Center for American Liberty |url=https://libertycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Notice-of-Intent-to-Sue-Ltr-11-09-22-Redacted.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111023158/https://libertycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Notice-of-Intent-to-Sue-Ltr-11-09-22-Redacted.pdf |archive-date=November 11, 2022}}{{Cite news |last=Allday |first=Erin |date=February 23, 2023 |title=Conservative group sues Kaiser Permanente over transgender care |language=en-US |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/anti-trans-lawsuit-17801484.php |access-date=February 26, 2023}} The lawsuit{{cite news |last1=Abou-Diwan |first1=Antoine |title=Stockton woman one of few to sue over transgender surgery |work=San Francisco Daily Journal |issue=39 |publisher=Daily Journal Corporation |date=February 28, 2023 |page=2}} was filed in the San Joaquin County Superior Court in Manteca on February 22, 2023.{{cite web |title=Complaint |date=February 22, 2023 |website=Center for American Liberty |url=https://libertycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Complaint1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226135232/https://libertycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Complaint1.pdf |archive-date=February 26, 2023}}

File:Chloe Cole (53808758359).jpg in Detroit, Michigan in 2024]]

According to the lawsuit, Cole's care included "off label" treatment and "amounted to medical experimentation." According to the suit, Cole was not given adequate information to provide informed consent to her hormone therapy and later developed joint pain, weak bone density, and ongoing urinary tract infections.{{Cite news |last=Fairley |first=Juliette |date=November 18, 2022 |title=Trans teen who regrets double mastectomy is poised to sue Kaiser Permanente |language=en |work=Southern California Record |url=https://socalrecord.com/stories/635272240-trans-teen-who-regrets-double-mastectomy-is-poised-to-sue-kaiser-permanente |access-date=February 3, 2023}} Cole says that doctors did not inform her parents (or other parents) of alternative, less invasive treatments like psychiatric care, and that they told her that her gender dysphoria would "never resolve unless she chemically and surgically transitioned". The case is the second known lawsuit filed in the United States on this topic; Camille Kiefel, a 32-year-old woman, filed a similar case in Multnomah County, Oregon, in 2022.

The San Francisco Chronicle described Cole's case as a "political touchstone for conservative groups pushing against transgender rights and access to gender-affirming care for young people." The Economist opined that, should detransitioning suits such as Cole's be successful, insurers could come to regard gender transition treatments as a liability, which would raise the treatment costs and make providers more careful about advertising; it added that, if the facts of the case were as claimed, that could cause rethinking of how care is currently provided.