Chloe Cole
This content was last updated Nov. 16, 2023, 4:37 p.m. UTC
Chloe Cole is the chosen name of Chloe Brockman, a California-born anti-trans activist who is notable for detransitioning before the age of eighteen. Her activism revolves around attempts to limit the availability of gender-affirming health care to transgender minors. Critics have noted inconsistencies in her descriptions of her treatment and shifting claims about how she came to understand gender affirming care wasn’t right for her.
Most of Cole’s activism involves testifying and speaking in support of state bills that attempt to criminalize treatment of trans minors, reflecting her own disillusionment with her transition.
In your seemingly infinite confusion you’ve again confused grooming children into sterilizing themselves as a human right.
Legislature Appearances
Since 2022, Cole has traveled the country telling her story in support of various pieces of legislation introduced with the intent of blocking health care for transgender minors. She appeared before the legislatures of at least 10 states during 2022 and 2023 in this capacity. States Cole visited include Missouri, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming. The Wyoming law was even named “Chloe’s Law” after Cole. Cole’s trip to support Idaho’s House Bill 71 was sponsored by the Idaho Freedom Foundation.Cole also spoke during a press conference for Marjorie Taylor Green during the introduction of a measure attempting to ban health care for minors nationally.
According to the New York Times she is one of fewer than 10 activists with detransition history who have made similar appearances nationwide, and is the most prominent.
Personal Life
Cole is a rare example of a transgender person who has expressed regret over her transition. Transgender Map has assembled a timeline based on interviews in which Cole shared her story. She describes experiencing gender dysphoria beginning around the age of 9 and coming out to her parents at 12 years old, leading them to pursue treatment options. By 13, Cole began taking hormone blockers and started a routine of testosterone injections. Following sexual assault by a school bully at age 14, she began wearing a chest binder, eventually culminating in a request for top surgery with parental consent that was fulfilled one month before her 16th birthday.
One year later Cole began to express doubts about her transition and ultimately discontinued hormone therapy.
In a February 2023 interview, Cole expressed that she still struggles with gender dysphoria. “I don’t necessarily think that it was a misdiagnosis, I mean, I still struggle with distress relating to my birth sex to this day, but I think the problem was the course of treatment that they took,” she asserted.
Platforming Organization and Interviews
Cole’s decision to stop taking hormones led to the creation of a GoFundMe page for Imperfectly Me, an organization created with the intent of providing a platform to other detransitioners. The fundraiser raised zero dollars and the organization’s website is defunct.
Since detransitioning, Cole has made appearances and given interviews to numerous right wing media outlets. One of her earliest appearances was a profile by Suzy Weiss on sister Bari Weiss’ website the Free Press. She has appeared on a Twitch stream with Blaire White and Buck Angel, along with more formal interviews with Tucker Carlson, Glenn Beck, PragerU, and Jordan Peterson, among others.
During Matt Walsh’s targeted campaign to harass hospitals that provide gender-affirming care, Cole spoke at a Tennessee rally with attendees including the alt-right and white supremacist Proud Boys.
Kaiser Permanente Lawsuit
On February 22, 2023, Cole’s lawyers brought a lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente, the health care organization which provided resources for Cole’s transition. The lawsuit argues Kaiser attempted to railroad her into transitioning, although she was advised against hormone treatment during initial consultations. Cole is represented by Harmeet Dhillon and Dhillon’s nonprofit the Center for American Liberty, a firm which focuses on conservative causes.