YouTuber Oli London is a British influencer, actor and singer who has amassed a huge global following over the last few years.
He shocked the world on Friday, announcing that he was in the process of detransitioning back to a man after living as a transgender woman for the last six months.
“I am no longer trans and have gone back to living as a man,” he shared on Twitter. “Grateful if everyone could respect my new pronouns- He/Him KOR/EAN. Thank you.”
“Six months ago I had facial feminization surgeries, 11 in one day,” he exclusively told Fox News Digital.
“I changed my bone structure. I got hair extensions, changed wardrobes, started wearing makeup, had my hair removed. I did it because I thought it would make me happy. I felt happy at the time but over a period of reflection, I felt I was chasing happiness. Being a woman is not for me.”
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Immediately following the announcement, London garnered intense scrutiny and backlash.
Born a White man, London has undergone 32 different procedures over eight years to look Korean.
“I had been unhappy throughout my life with how I look and was bullied as a child,” London tells Fox News Digital. “In 2013, I used to live in South Korea, and plastic surgery is everywhere there. I felt, ‘Maybe I can change myself and find happiness.’”
He explains that his desire to look Korean stemmed from living in South Korea and his love for the people and culture.
“Originally, I went to the doctor and chose a member from [Korean pop boy band] BTS, and the surgeries would go wrong, and so I’d do it again,” he says. “And then when I decided to become a woman, I wanted to focus on Rosé from Korean girl group BLACKPINK]. She’s beautiful and has a cute face, and I felt I could emulate that. I just find Koreans so beautiful; they’re such nice people and so beautiful.”
London explains that while he felt he could be happier as a woman, he realized this wasn’t the case and had simply been confused about his identity.
Upon his personal announcement to his fans, London received immense hate, which he explained he’s used to. He also spoke out against what he calls the hypocrisy of his detractors.
“I’m so used to them,” London tells Fox News Digital. “Who are they to say to an individual they can’t be who they want to be? They aren’t living through my personal experience. I get vilified by the media and left-wing people. It’s a double standard. Last year, when I came out as transracial, people attacked me. But then I became trans, and people started celebrating me; they criticized me for wanting to look like a Korean pop star, but praised me for being trans. It’s so hypocritical. When I became a woman, they were suddenly loving me. It’s a confusing world.”
London shares that even as a transgender woman, he would not use women’s restrooms, out of his “respect” for women.
“I’m a real feminist,” he says. “Even when I was living as a trans woman, I would not use the women’s restroom; I never wanted a woman to feel threatened. I would use the men’s room still.”
He also criticized transgender female athletes being allowed to play on women’s teams and leagues, such as swimmer Lia Thomas.
London also scrutinized the increase of young children wanting to change genders, stressing that parents should let their kids wait until they become adults to decide whether transitioning is right for them.
“I want to help parents, to tell their kids to wait until they’re adults,” he says. “I think people think it’s normal to change our gender. Especially for children these days, there are school boards pushing these ideas on children, when they’re 5 years old, identifying as a different gender. And I think it’s wrong. These are children and should be making these decisions as adults. I feel like children are changing gender without realizing what they’re doing, and then they become adults and regret it. I support changing sex, but if you’re a child and taught things like that, you can easily be influenced with whatever adults are speaking to.”
Recently, London shaved his hair off completely, which he views as the beginning of his journey back to being a man. He’s also tossed his makeup out and is lifting weights at the gym. He says that the last six months of living as a woman have provided him with the clarity of his identity, and he’s taking proactive steps, like therapy, to continue on his journey to happiness.
“I’m still the same person in the inside, so I’m now focusing on positivity, I’m going to therapy to be more happy with who I am. I’m happier than ever now.”
London also added that he’s donating his hair to charities in Iran that support women, in response to the death of Mahsa Amini and other suppressed woman in the country.
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“This is for the women of Iran. I stand with you all,” he wrote on his Instagram alongside a photo of him with his new buzzed head. “I am auctioning my Korean hair to raise funds to support women’s charities in Iran. All women deserve the same equal rights as men and deserve dignity and respect and freedom to make their own choices. So many women have been killed by the Iranian regime we must all speak up and support the women of Iran.”
