Keith Caputo, lead singer of Life of Agony, announced that he was detransitioning to live as a man again, after previously living as a transgender woman. Keith plans to complete the process, including surgery, by 2025. Detransitioning remains rare but increasingly visible, often fueling polarizing debates about trans issues.
Taking to his Instagram page on November 19, on which he still uses his previous name “Mina,” Keith announced in a Reels video that he had scheduled surgery to “remove” his breasts.
He further stated that he was finally embracing his “divine male self” after “curing” his gender dysphoria, which took “many ears.”
Gender dysphoria is a feeling of distress or unease that can occur when a person’s gender identity doesn’t match their biological sex.
Keith Caputo, lead singer of Life of Agony, announced that he is detransitioning to live as a man again
It can affect people at any age, from childhood to adulthood, the NHS explains.
Keith said he “rose above my misunderstanding of my soul and spirit,” emphasizing that he was detransitioning.
“I’ll be physically completely de-transitioned in 2025. I can’t wait. I feel so free,” the New Yorker added.
In July 2011, Keith came out as transgender and assumed the name Mina Caputo. Nevertheless, he has since affirmed that “I am a man. I always was a man.”
Image credits: lifeofagonyofficial
Moreover, the 50-year-old has since posted on social media statements many have criticized as being transphobic, as Keith called hormones “disgusting” in addition to stating he was “very against transitioning children medically and especially surgically.”
Keith has since used his platform to advocate against transgender health care. On Sunday, (November 24) the singer took to his Instagram page to announce that he believes only two genders exist.
He also wrote that “gender-affirming care is a euphemistic label for the biggest medical scandal to hit the Western world in recent years.”
He previously lived as a transgender woman
While many conservatives agreed with Keith’s statements, experts have expressed that these types of views delegitimize medically and scientifically backed practices that improve the mental and physical well-being of transgender individuals.
Gender-affirming care, which includes counseling, hormone therapy, and surgical interventions, is supported by major medical organizations worldwide, such as the World Health Organization, as essential and often lifesaving treatment for gender dysphoria.
Transitioning for a transgender person is the process of aligning their outward appearance and/or physical body with their gender identity, which may include social changes like adopting a new name or pronouns, medical interventions such as hormone therapy or surgeries, and changes in clothing or presentation.
Detransitioning, on the other hand, involves halting or reversing these changes, which could include stopping hormone therapy, undergoing surgeries to remove prior modifications, or reverting to a previous name or presentation.
Both processes are deeply personal and can stem from a variety of reasons, including evolving self-understanding, societal pressures, or health considerations.
Detransition rates for transgender people in the USA vary depending on the study and methodology used and can range from 1% to 8%, according to Oxford Academic.
Keith plans to complete the process, including surgery, by 2025
A study suggested that 8% of respondents detransitioned, with higher rates for transgender women.
Meanwhile, an Amsterdam Cohort of Gender Dysphoria Study showed that 0.6% of trans women and 0.3% of trans men experienced regret after gonadectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the gonads, which are the organs that develop into ovaries or testes.
Additionally, research by Dr. Jack Turban showed that 90% of people who return to their assigned gender in the US do so due to social pressure, not regret.
Image credits: AllMusic
Testimonies of detransitioners have often been used to promote transphobic narratives. Advocates have consequently warned that such coverage of such testimonies exaggerates the prevalence of transition regret, NBC News reported in December 2019.
Experts have emphasized the need for accurate reporting and consultation with medical professionals to counter the stigma and misinformation surrounding transgender health care.
Detransitioning remains rare but increasingly visible, often fueling polarizing debates about trans issues
“I think the reason why detransition stories are popular in this given time is because it neatly fits into this idea that young people especially are being made to be trans,” Lui Asquith, a legal counselor for UK-based LGBTQ group Mermaids, told NBC News.
Lui added: “The media are conjuring up a panic about trans lives, and the first victims of that panic are the young people who are indirectly being told that they’re a phase.”
Dr. Stephen Rosenthal, medical director for the University of California, San Francisco, Child and Adolescent Gender Center, said before the onset of puberty, there’s “no role” for medical intervention in a person who might be transgender, something that is not always made clear in media coverage, as per NBC News.
Before puberty, transgender health experts reportedly recommend mental health support and allowing kids to socially transition, like changing names or clothes, to reduce depression and help them thrive.
Taking to his Instagram page on November 19, he revealed that he had scheduled surgery to “remove” his breasts
A groundbreaking study published by The Trevor Project in September found that state-level anti-transgender laws significantly increased suicide attempts among more than 61,000 transgender and nonbinary youth in the US between 2018 and 2022.
The study highlighted how policies restricting gender-affirming care, bathroom access, and participation in activities aligned with gender identity harm mental health.
