Manipulated by Trans Activists, She “Changed Her Sex.” A Polish Court Restores Her Biological Sex in Documents

The Regional Court in Świdnica issued a ruling on the restoration of the biological sex in identity documents of a woman who had previously undergone legal and medical “transition.” The woman filed for “detransition” after years of suffering and serious consequences for her mental and physical health.

The case concerned Magdalena, who at a young age experienced sexual violence. Struggling with trauma and family relationship issues, she sought support online and found her way to a forum dedicated to the topic of so-called transgenderism. There, she was convinced that her suffering was due to a mismatch between her gender identity and biological sex. She was advised to lie during her psychological evaluation, claiming to feel disgust toward her sexual organs, and to attend the appointment with a female friend whom she would present as her “life partner.” Soon after, she began and completed the full “transition” process—she took male hormones, had her female reproductive organs removed, and obtained a court ruling that allowed her personal data to be changed in government registries and identity documents.

Over time, however, Magdalena began experiencing very serious effects from taking male hormones and undergoing surgeries: chronic pain, depression, and an increasing sense of isolation. When she voiced doubts about her decision on the forum, she received no support and was excluded from the community.

Years later, she stopped hormone therapy and decided to return to her true sex.  Magdalena received expert opinions from a psychologist and psychiatrist stating that her “transition” lacked justification and that—since she had already stopped taking male hormones and was again socially functioning as a woman—legal “detransition” was recommended.

With the assistance of Ordo Iuris lawyers, she filed a petition to the court to “restore” her biological sex in official documents. The court proceedings lasted nearly two years, however. Unlike in many similar cases across Poland involving individuals seeking to “change sex,” the Regional Court in Świdnica did not accept the opinions attached to the petition alone. Nor was the opinion of the psychologist and sexologist appointed early in the proceedings sufficient, although these experts did not doubt that the court had grounds to determine that Magdalena was a woman. After hearing testimony from her and her father, the court decided to seek additional opinions from another psychologist and psychiatrist. Both confirmed the appropriateness of the “detransition” without hesitation. However, the wait for their examination of Magdalena, the preparation of written opinions, and the scheduling of a court hearing extended the case by many more months. At the last moment, the presiding judge was also replaced.

An additional complication arose when, in March 2025, the Polish Supreme Court issued a resolution stating that cases involving “sex change” should proceed in non-litigious proceedings before district courts, not—as previously—before regional courts. There was a risk that the Regional Court in Świdnica, despite having conducted an evidentiary hearing and obtained three expert opinions, would not issue a substantive ruling but only a formal order transferring the case to the new procedure, in which a district court in another city would have jurisdiction. This would have delayed the resolution of the case by at least several more months.

Ultimately, however, on June 17, 2025, a ruling was issued restoring Magdalena’s right to her true sex.