This article analyzes the experiences of former travestis (transgender sex workers) in Bolivia who abandoned a travesti identity in favor of returning to life as a man. It focuses primarily on the life history of José Luis‐Natalia, and to a lesser extent, two other former travestis. Exploring the theme of why a travesti would become a man again reveals that experiences of HIV care influence gender subjectivity, as HIV care has become a collision point for contradictory ideologies related to gender. This article shows how the existence of competing ideologies is tied to Bolivia's post‐dictatorship history and a relationship with international development agencies that contributed to an NGO boom that facilitated the ability of evangelical and LGBT organizations to play a central role in HIV interventions. Ethnographically, this article interrogates how HIV‐positive travestis and former travestis experience the support provided by these organizations and how these experiences shape gender subjectivity. [Bolivia, Evangelical church, gender identity, HIV care, LGBT activism]