1. Where the words came from
The phrases “assigned female at birth” (AFAB) and “assigned male at birth” (AMAB) were first used by doctors and intersex activists to describe babies whose bodies did not fit typical male or female patterns and who were given a sex label that later turned out to be wrong. “AMAB, AFAB were intersex terms used to recognize the mistakes made in the cases of some intersex people like my own” – DetransIS source [citation:8a89dae0-5df6-465d-bdc9-b1399b8a2643]. These words were meant to document real medical errors and to fight for the right of intersex people to decide what happens to their own bodies.

2. How the words were borrowed
Over time, the same terms were taken up by parts of the transgender community. Detransitioners point out that this borrowing can feel like an attempt to give a biological stamp to something they experience as psychological. “They pointed out that the afab/amab language comes from the intersex community… but intersex is a physical thing while trans is purely mental” – brightescala source [citation:dac4cb58-10d4-4984-8fd0-034e2b8b4870]. In other words, the language created for a rare medical condition is now used for everyone, which some feel erases the specific history of intersex people.

3. The emotional impact on detransitioned women
Several women who have detransitioned say that being called “AFAB” can feel both silly and painful. One woman jokes that her first thought is “a fab-ulous person” instead of “assigned female at birth,” adding “It’s all sooooooo stupid” – New-Examination8400 source [citation:eede315c-de7a-48c2-9861-7ae875db79e0]. Others explain that the label hides a core part of who they are: “One of the reasons why I stopped identifying as trans is because being AFAB is a big part of my identity… it’s something that has been ignored” – Odd-Associations source [citation:a90d4963-c84e-43db-9a0a-a619d7d13c7d].

4. A gentler path forward
Understanding that gender is a set of social expectations—not an inner essence—can free people to express themselves without labels or medical steps. Choosing gender non-conformity—wearing what you like, pursuing the hobbies that thrill you, speaking in the voice that feels natural—lets you be fully you while keeping your body intact. The stories above remind us that words have histories, feelings matter, and the most liberating question is not “Which box do I fit?” but “What kind of life feels true to me?”