Jonni Skinner is an American ex-transgender activist. Skinner began a gender transition that included hormones as a teenager, then made additional gender changes as an adult. Skinner is associated with anti-trans hate group Genspect and spoke at their 2025 conference.
Background
Jonathon Hunter Skinner was born on November 9, 2002 to entrepreneur Melissa Lei Mojica-Skinner and grew up in Michigan. They attended a fundamentalist Christian church.
Skinner was diagnosed with autism around age 4 and was homeschooled on and off during childhood after having troubles in the public school system. Around fifth grade, Skinner left school for a few years and was a ward of the state. Being isolated led Skinner to seeking friends online on Kik and Omegele, which led to problematic interactions with older men. Skinner began to feel uncomfortable with pubertal body changes, which intensified body and facial image issues.
In around 2016, Skinner contacted University of Michigan’s gender program to inquire about services. Skinner made a social transition and began using feminine pronouns at 13 and using the name Scarlet at 14. Skinner came out to Melissa, started therapy, and started growing out hair. Following an uncomfortable intake assessment with a therapist at the gender clinic, Skinner was referred to the prescribing clinician and was placed on estrogen and spironolactone. Skinner was often unhappy with the answers from clinicians. Skinner later got a puberty blocker implant. At around age 16, after around 2.5 years, Skinner had the implant removed due to unwanted side effects, including depression and urinary issues. Skinner was then noncompliant with spironolactone dosage, taking lower doses intermittently.
In the dating world, Skinner had a hard time finding romantic partners of the same age.
Around 2023, Skinner started reducing hormone use, eventually stopping in late 2023. Skinner later found another doctor who Skinner felt was more upfront about side effects. Skinner was never interested in surgical options.
In May 2025, Skinner earned a GED from Bangor public schools, listed as Jonnie Skinner on the certificate.
Ex-trans activism
At age 18, Skinner did a livestream, and viewers questioned inconsistencies in the transition timeline Skinner presented. In 2024, Skinner appeared on anti-trans podcast Gender: A Wider Lens.
According to the promotional materials for the 2025 Genspect conference:
Jonni is a 22–year-old detransitioner who shares his personal experience and works to raise awareness about the complex intersections between childhood gender transition and conversion therapy. He began taking estrogen and testosterone blockers at the age of 13 and lived as a transgender girl until the age of 21. Since detransitioning, Jonni has become a vocal advocate against the medical transitioning of minors, dedicating his time to public education and advocacy.
In 2025, Skinner appeared on the Beyond Gender anti-trans podcast. Skinner joined Erin Friday and other anti-trans activists testifying in opposition to California Assembly Bill 1540, a bill that called for restoration of the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s “Press 3” option for young LGBTQ+ people. Skinner also testified against California SB 934, which sought to extend the statute of limitation for people harmed by anti-LGBTQ conversion therapy.
References
Song, Kristie (March 19, 2026). LGBTQ+ youth mental health bill makes progress despite anti-trans advocacy. Los Angeles Blade https://www.losangelesblade.com/2026/03/19/lgbtq-youth-mental-health-bill-makes-progress-despite-anti-trans-advocacy/
Anti-trans coverage
Edwards, Jonathan (May 3, 2026). The Human Cost of the Transgender Experiment on Minors. Jonathan Edwards, MD https://johnathanedwardsmd.substack.com/p/the-human-cost-of-the-transgender
Buchanan, Cecilia (April 30, 2026). Detransitioner Goes Viral After Opposing California Pro-Trans Law. BeliefNet https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/news/2026/04/detransitioner-goes-viral-after-opposing-california-pro-trans-law
Parks, Kristine (April 20, 2025). A detransitioner confronted a California lawmaker on the harms of gender transition. Here’s why he spoke out. Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/media/detransitioner-confronted-california-lawmaker-on-the-harms-gender-transition-heres-why-he-spoke-out
Silverio, Nicole (April 8, 2026). California’s Most Degenerate Lawmaker Listens Stone-Faced As Man Describes Horrors Of Minor Trans Procedures. Daily Caller https://dailycaller.com/2026/04/08/scott-wiener-stone-faced-trans-procedures/
Aldaco, Soren (April 7, 2026). After Childhood Transition Left Him Bleeding and Debilitated, Trans Activists Called Him a Liar. Independent Women https://www.iwfeatures.com/commentary/after-childhood-transition-left-him-bleeding-and-debilitated-trans-activists-called-him-a-liar/
“Buttons, Christina” (November 14, 2025). The Essentialism Bias in Transgender Medicine. City Journal https://www.city-journal.org/article/transgender-medicine-biological-bias-gender-affirming
Selected writing by Skinner
Skinner, Jonni (May 5, 2026). I De-transitioned. My Body Will Never Be the Same. The Free Press https://www.thefp.com/p/i-de-transitioned-my-body-will-never-be-the-same
Media
Genspect with Soren Aldaco and Jonni Skinner (April 21, 2026). Jonni Skinner – Transitioned at 13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aic5adFaZ6U
Genspect with Stella O’Malley and Jonni Skinner (January 10, 2026). The Cost of Early Medicalization: Detransition in Adulthood | Jonni Skinner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBFiRA0efDk
Beyond Gender with Stella O’Malley, Bret Alderman, and Jonni Skinner (September 18, 2025). I Was Thirteen When They Put Me on Estrogen – Jonni Skinner (#39). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EFckKmYcgU
Gender: A Wider Lens with Stella O’Malley, Sasha Ayad, and Scarlet Skinner (March 12, 2024). “My Entire Childhood Was Medicalized” with Scarlet | Episode 154. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s96WlMza2f0
Resources
X/Twitter (x.com)
Quora (quora.com)
The Free Press (thefp.com)
- Jonni Skinner
- thefp.com/w/jonni-skinner