Detransitioner Soren Aldaco’s lawsuit against her former therapist reached the Texas Supreme Court last week as she seeks justice after undergoing a surgical “transition” at 19 at the therapist’s recommendation. In an exclusive interview with Zeale News, she shared updates on her case and said she’s hopeful that the cultural tide is turning away from gender ideology.
During the Feb. 11 oral arguments, Aldaco’s lawyers asked the court to determine whether the state’s two-year statute of limitations on medical malpractice began when her double mastectomy was performed or when her former therapist issued a letter to the surgical center a few months earlier, recommending that Aldaco undergo the procedure. Aldaco argues that the clock started once she had the mastectomy in June 2021, seeking to overturn a previous ruling from the Second Court of Appeals, which held that the statute of limitations began when the therapist wrote the letter in February 2021.
>> Texas Supreme Court to hear detransitioner’s suit over surgery decision <<
Aldaco told Zeale News by email Feb. 16 that the oral arguments went “extremely well,” adding that she has “a good feeling about the outcome of this hearing.”
“The justices asked solid questions,” she continued, adding that the justices’ questions to her legal team “seemed more confirmatory than anything,” while those to the therapists’ attorneys “sounded much more skeptical.”
Aldaco said she doubted the court would side with the therapist but said that she will continue moving forward “no matter the outcome.”
“This issue is bigger than me, and I feel good that we all will feel the impact of justice in this area in due time,” she said.
Should the court rule in her favor, Aldaco’s case could become a precedent for other states’ decisions on similar cases. Aldaco said she hopes other states would take their cue from Texas and “feel motivated to act,” adding that a ruling in her favor could influence other courts to make sure detransitioner cases are heard and fairly evaluated.
Aldaco’s case is one of several precedent-setting lawsuits filed by detransitioners across the country, which she attributed to the fact that “the truth is becoming increasingly hard to ignore.” In early February, a New York jury awarded detransitioner Varian Fox $2 million in damages after finding her psychologist and surgeon liable for medical malpractice. Two more high-profile detransitioner cases filed by Luka Hein and Chloe Cole are set for 2027, and Aldaco said she considers the current wave of detransitioner lawsuits to be just the beginning.
“It's becoming apparent that the details of our cases are anything but fringe,” she said. “Where I once hesitated to seek justice because I feared my experience was siloed, I now look at Luka Hein and Chloe Cole … and recognize that harm in this area is undeniably systemic.”
Aldaco said that as more detransitioners come forward, young people — and those who make their medical decisions — are being forced “to confront the reality of treatment in this area.” She added that public opinions on gender ideology are turning more skeptical, especially following research and systematic reviews that she said show “treatments” for gender dysphoria “aren’t actually that effective.”
Aldaco later continued, “With recent shifts in culture, and the paths ahead increasingly clear, I can only imagine that the dam is bursting or about to burst.”