Airiel D Salvatore is a detransitioner based in Seattle. Airiel started cross-sex hormones at sixteen and flew alone to Thailand at twenty-five for a colovaginoplasty. Now, he shares what he has learned from nearly two decades of medical transition and works to provide perspective and practical tools for others.
In this conversation ahead of Detransition Awareness Day (Thursday, March 12), Airiel describes growing up in California’s Central Valley in what he calls a chaotic home life involving abuse, addiction, and mental illness. He talks about how his gender dysphoria crystallized during childhood, his path to medical transition in the mid-2000s, and the years of homelessness that followed. He discusses the colovaginoplasty in detail, including how it was sold to him and what came after. He also explains how Peter Boghossian’s street epistemology work and a reexamination of his childhood led to what he calls a cascade of clarity.
Airiel also talks about his girlfriend, who he met two weeks before he flew to Thailand and who has been with him for over twelve years through his detransition. Both plan to attend the Life Beyond Transition summit in Washington, DC this Detrans Awareness Day.
Detransition Awareness Day 2026: Life Beyond Transition
Thursday, March 12, 2026 | Washington, DC
The largest gathering of detransitioners ever held. Tickets and livestream available at: genspect.org/detrans-awareness-day-2026.
Airiel D Salvatore
Airiel D Salvatore on X: https://x.com/Sackless_Jack
Airiel D. Salvatore on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Sackless_Jack
Airiel D. Salvatore on Substack: https://substack.com/@sacklessjack
Airiel’s essay (shared by Peter Boghossian): https://substack.com/home/post/p-176366413
Other References
Peter Boghossian on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drpeterboghossian
Transition Justice:
https://www.transitionjustice.org/
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: https://www.newharbinger.com/9781626251700/adult-children-of-emotionally-immature-parents/
