New scientific research has challenged a widely used right-wing claim that most transgender youth eventually stop identifying as trans.

The study, titled “Desistance: A multimethod review of the literature on gender identity variability in transgender and gender diverse youth,” was conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University. The term “desistance” refers to the idea that children who identify as transgender revert to a cisgender identity after puberty.

Published in the journal Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, the study responds to a frequently cited 2016 blog post claiming that 60 to 90 percent of young people seeking gender-related care eventually “desist.” According to the new analysis, that claim does not hold up under scrutiny.

Researchers reviewed eleven studies cited in the blog post, alongside five more recent publications. They found that outcomes vary widely depending on how data is interpreted. Estimates of “desistance” ranged from 0 to 100 percent, highlighting the unreliability of earlier conclusions.

The study also notes that many of the older studies relied on small sample sizes and were conducted before 1990. Lead author Catherine Wall stressed the importance of scientific accuracy, especially as such figures are increasingly used in political debates and legislation concerning transgender healthcare.