Summary: Is gender ideology at odds with the goals of feminism?

Based on the personal accounts of detransitioned individuals, gender ideology is seen as fundamentally incompatible with feminism because it reinforces the very gender stereotypes feminism seeks to dismantle. These individuals argue that instead of liberating people from rigid gender roles, modern gender ideology enforces them by insisting that any deviation from traditional "masculine" or "feminine" behaviors means one must be the opposite sex. This erases tomboys and feminine men, pushing them toward transition rather than accepting their natural gender non-conformity.

Detransitioners describe how trans narratives often require hyper-performance of stereotypes—such as trans women adopting ultra-feminine presentations (pink, makeup, skirts) to "prove" their womanhood—which directly contradicts feminist goals of breaking down these roles. They view this as a form of misogyny and patriarchal control, where womanhood is reduced to performing femininity rather than being a neutral physical characteristic. The ideology is seen as regressive, medicalizing gender non-conformity instead of expanding acceptable expression for one's actual sex.