Older friends usually stay calm; younger, politically-minded friends are the ones who walk away.
"Most of the trans people I knew dropped me like a hot potato when I was going off T... my older trans friends were cool... friends around my age and younger kinda went batshit over all of it." – oldtomboy & 5nine sources [citation:ad68d345-bb9-46bd-a54f-2caf6c7e388d] [citation:d5cd21db-d6ce-4dc4-ab33-6ab3c3d7fb81]
About half of the people you tell will keep loving you exactly as you are.
"If your friends were good friends and loved you for you, they won’t care... the friends I’ve told have responded well enough; my relationship with some of them has even gotten closer." – Springlocked_in & Shiro_L sources [citation:34c7c1f6-b97a-4c72-aa0c-49c62fb31159] [citation:9267e395-590f-4e21-9ef0-a90caa89f512]
The fastest way to lose friends is to criticise youth transition or voice conservative opinions.
"What they didn’t like was that I became rather critical of the trans movement... when I opened up about being conservative... friends went batshit." – 5nine source [citation:d5cd21db-d6ce-4dc4-ab33-6ab3c3d7fb81]
Many detransitioners test the water first, and some simply stay quiet to keep the people they love.
"Maybe I’ll just never tell them what I really think, ’cause those people are still so important to me... I thought about moving again... but I didn’t want to lose them." – hopeofsunrise & quendergestion sources [citation:da90c7c8-3ef2-4e18-ba2b-be649a357c28] [citation:782d9911-c536-49b8-a967-37742540cdb0]
Being dropped hurts, but it often frees you to build calmer, more honest relationships.
"It hurt to be cut out like that... but I did have a friend who was chill about it... I’d rather just stop talking to them than fight it—I’m still healing." – oldtomboy & Hot-Pen-8804 sources [citation:ad68d345-bb9-46bd-a54f-2caf6c7e388d] [citation:a908e457-d410-40cc-ab40-a4bb48a4534b]
You are not alone, and you do not have to choose between being honest and being loved. Start small: share with one trusted person, keep the focus on your own feelings rather than broad politics, and notice who listens with respect. The friends who stay—sometimes older, sometimes just kind—can become the safe circle that helps you rebuild confidence without medical steps, simply by letting you be your full, evolving self.