At 42 , Heyer pursued a “ sex-change ,” only to transition eight years later back to male status . Since then , Heyer has poured his personal energies into helping individuals who experience misgivings about sexchange therapies .
the spiritual climate on campus c h r i s t i a n u n i o n : : t h e m a g a z i n e
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P R IN C E T O N | On Campus
Rethinking Transgenderism
SEXUALITY , INTEGRITY AND THE UNIVERSITY CONFERENCE FEATURES COMPELLING TESTIMONY By Catherine Elvy , Staff Writer
More than three decades ago ,
Walt Heyer was a husband , father , and successful engineer when he made a life-altering decision that ultimately triggered waves of remorse and distress .
At 42 , Heyer pursued a “ sexchange ,” only to transition eight years later back to male status . Since then , he has poured his personal energies into helping individuals who experience misgivings about sex-change therapies .
The California native provides a practical and spiritual perspective absent from much of the existing dialogue from those who identify as LGBTQ . “ They think you ’ re nuts when you de-transition ,” Heyer said . “ I was living a masquerade .”
On October 29 , Heyer shared his compelling story at Princeton University , where he appeared on the Rethinking Transgenderism breakout session at the ninth annual Sexuality , Integrity and the University conference . About 300 students and alumni from 54 colleges across the United States participated in the Love and Fidelity Network ’ s weekend conference , which focused on issues related to marriage , family , and sexual purity .
During one of the panel discussions , Heyer described the childhood traumas and subsequent confusion that sparked his plan to reestablish his life as Laura Jensen . “ I became quite convinced I was born in the wrong body ,” he said .
Heyer recalled his grandmother dressing him in female clothing , including a purple chiffon evening dress , while she babysat him as a young boy . Later ,
At 42 , Heyer pursued a “ sex-change ,” only to transition eight years later back to male status . Since then , Heyer has poured his personal energies into helping individuals who experience misgivings about sexchange therapies .
a family member sexually molested him .
Given his background , Heyer and co-panelist Ana Samuel , a research scholar with the Witherspoon Institute , fielded questions from students about ways to engage classmates who identify as transgender , especially in the hope of pointing to unresolved psychological issues .
“ Learn about their lives . Find out the trigger mechanism that might have started the underlying psychological problem they ’ re struggling with ,” Heyer said . “ You have to love on them .”
In turn , Samuel , Princeton ’ 00 , highlighted some of the research pointing to heightened rates of suicide attempts among transgender individuals .
Samuel has lectured at Princeton and serves as academic director of CanaVox .
The political scientist and mother of six noted the potential role of some mothers who ( even unwittingly ) instigate a child ’ s confusion over their sex , especially if the mother strongly desired a child of a particular sex .
Through his Web site , SexChangeRegret . com , Heyer advocates for greater recognition of some psychological issues behind gender dysphoria – essentially distress over a perceived mismatch biological sex and one ’ s “ true ” sex . “ They all had some very difficult childhoods that caused them to want to be someone else ,” said Heyer , also an author .
At the heart of his message , Heyer highlights that painful experiences and underlying conditions make some vulnerable to confusion over their biological sex , and individuals who believe they are in the wrongly sexed body often are battling untreated psychological or psychiatric disorders .
“ They ’ re struggling with their identity ,” he said . “ Giving people hormone therapy and encouraging them to change their gender is not in any way , shape , or form sound therapy .”
Instead of pursuing sex-change surgeries and hormone blockers , such individuals would benefit from mental health treatment . The underlying issues “ don ’ t rise to the level of carving up the body ,” Heyer said .
As a result , about 30 percent of the individuals who undergo gender-reassignment therapies regret their decisions , typically about six to 15