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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

BREAKING: Canada's first detrans lawsuit

39 replies

MeanCanadianLady · 21/02/2023 07:11

The brave Michelle Zacchigna, 34 from Ontario is speaking out about her experience and struggle with her mental health and her long road from transitioning from female to make and eventually transitioning back to female again. She suffered from undiagnosed ADHD, tic disorder, borderline personality disorder, anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorder, and traits of PTSD. She did not know any of this until two years after she was allowed to self diagnose herself with gender dysphoria which fast tracked her to take testosterone, and then eventually have her breasts and uterus removed.

Her mastectomy was paid out of pocket after traveling to Florida but her hysterectomy was paid for by the province of Ontario.

thepostmillennial.com/woman-who-lost-breasts-uterus-to-sex-change-sues-doctors-mental-health-providers-who-facilitated-her-transition

Michelle Zacchigna, 34, of Orillia has filed legal action against a total of eight doctors and mental health professionals who treated her during the years that she identified as transgender. Zacchigna alleges that each failed to address her complex mental health needs and instead allowed her to self-diagnose as transgender and undergo irreversible procedures that she now deeply regrets.

Zacchigna has struggled to come to terms with the permanent changes from her hormone treatments and hysterectomy surgery have caused: a low voice, male-pattern balding, facial hair, an enlarged clitoris, a flat chest, and the inability to ever become pregnant.

It’s been eleven years since my mastectomy. About 99% of the time, I’ve accepted what my chest looks like," Zacchigna wrote in a recent blog post. "But there are still moments where I remove my shirt to change, my breath catches, and my mind leaves my body. And I have no way of predicting when it will happen. This reality will never go away for me. I will still be living in this body long after everyone has moved on to whatever the next big scandal is."

"Acknowledging that I cannot bear my own children has been devastating. Some days, the pain of what I’ve done to myself is overwhelming. I cry and I can’t stop. Other days, I’m angry that I wasn’t screened for the diagnoses I later received before I was prescribed hormones."

This is terrible news but I can't imagine how hard it was for Michelle to open up about something so insanely person and heart breaking. There are many of us already with you. Your story may be tragic but it gives us hope of positive change.

You deserved better Michelle.
We stand with you. 💐🇨🇦💐
You are not alone!

OP posts:
Helleofabore · 21/02/2023 07:52

Thank you MeanCanadianLady.

Is she the Michelle from the newly released Affirming Generation doco?

Each of the detransitioners bringing the cases in US, Australia, UK and now Canada are very brave. These are landmark cases against different health systems and very obviously different legal systems. I hope though, that each of them win.

I fear that this will be the only way that affirming only will be finally scrapped. Because it has been manipulated to be put in place by those with political agendas that have been not about best care for trans people. I don’t believe best care was ever affirming only and without extensive mental health support and exploratory therapy.

And yet, we will see posters come and post about conversion therapy where that exploratory therapy is framed as conversion. While not once acknowledging they have read the propaganda and dismissed all the clinicians raising alarms in their pursuit to shame other posters, who have done all that reading, discussing it.

By the way, Michelle is gardening for the additional costs for her case such as reports and evidence. She is on GiveSendGo.

ArabellaScott · 21/02/2023 08:13

Flowers Michelle.

EdgeOfACoin · 21/02/2023 08:47

This is so sad, yet so predictable.

Unfortunately the lawsuits have to happen in order to turn this juggernaut around. I hope Michelle succeeds - it's going to take a lot of mental strength.

BabyStopCryin · 21/02/2023 08:49

11 years ago? This was happening that long ago?

Rainbowshit · 21/02/2023 08:55

Brave woman.

Boiledbeetle · 21/02/2023 08:56

Is she the Michelle from the newly released Affirming Generation doco?

it is the same woman.

CryptoFascistMadameCholet · 21/02/2023 09:30

BabyStopCryin · 21/02/2023 08:49

11 years ago? This was happening that long ago?

This Channel 4 reality show series featuring transitioning young adults aired in 2011:

My Transsexual Summer

www.channel4.com/press/news/my-transsexual-summer

and gender transition was directly promoted to prepubertal girls via CBBC 9 years ago!

I Am Leo

www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2014/46/my-life

By 2015 Channel 4 was promoting transman YouTube influencers

’Girls to Men’

distribution.channel4.com/programme/girls-to-men
(viewable via the following link)
www.dailymotion.com/video/x3h43gv

I expect Canada was showing similar programmes at the same time period - FtM transition was certainly all over YouTube/Tumblr at the time Michelle was influenced into believing she had Gender Dysphoria.

Blister · 21/02/2023 09:35

I remember a bbc radio 4 women's hour story sequel about a young lad who was a lass. The child in the story must have been under 5. The mother was being compassionate and changing the words of nursery rhymes. It was cute. Cute grooming and plain homophobia. It was about 8 or 9 years ago.

Grammarnut · 21/02/2023 10:21

It looks like Rishi Sunak may have caved in on not banning what TRAS call 'conversion therapy' for transpeople. Originally it was to be the one 'conversion therapy' not banned but now actually talking to transteens about why they are dysphoric and exploring their issues and mental health looks like being made illegal along with abusive practices against gays. This is a step back, sadly, which will damage more young people in the way Michelle was damaged.

Ofcourseshecan · 21/02/2023 11:47

Grammarnut · 21/02/2023 10:21

It looks like Rishi Sunak may have caved in on not banning what TRAS call 'conversion therapy' for transpeople. Originally it was to be the one 'conversion therapy' not banned but now actually talking to transteens about why they are dysphoric and exploring their issues and mental health looks like being made illegal along with abusive practices against gays. This is a step back, sadly, which will damage more young people in the way Michelle was damaged.

This is very worrying news, @Grammarnut. Could you make a new thread for it, please? Any more info, eg where this was reported? Thanks.

Ofcourseshecan · 21/02/2023 11:49

Blister · 21/02/2023 09:35

I remember a bbc radio 4 women's hour story sequel about a young lad who was a lass. The child in the story must have been under 5. The mother was being compassionate and changing the words of nursery rhymes. It was cute. Cute grooming and plain homophobia. It was about 8 or 9 years ago.

Sickening. I hope these lawsuits are successful and get masses of publicity. And all the enablers should be brought to account too.

littlbrowndog · 21/02/2023 11:54

Och poor Michelle. Terrible to read.

being mutilated like that.
not being helped

I dunno how anyone can defend this

EndlessTea · 21/02/2023 11:59

That made me cry. I want to put my arms around her.

miri1985 · 21/02/2023 12:50

I've never understood the push for informed consent in transition. Surely in order to be sure that someone is capable of informed consent you need to do a comprehensive mental health work up.

I hope Michelle can find peace with what happened and that the doctors acknowledge what their affirmation model did to this woman

DarkOphelia · 21/02/2023 13:28

I didn't know about Chloe Cole in the US.

Holy moley. WTF?! A double mastectomy at 15?!

"Cole, who describes herself as a "former trans kid," was put on puberty blockers and testosterone at age 13, had a double mastectomy at 15, and then detransitioned at 16."

>> About Chloe Cole

Who the hell processes that such a thing is okay? Did no-one stop and go "Erm, wait a minute here, are we sure about this?"

Fuck me.

TheBiologyStupid · 21/02/2023 13:42

Blister · 21/02/2023 09:35

I remember a bbc radio 4 women's hour story sequel about a young lad who was a lass. The child in the story must have been under 5. The mother was being compassionate and changing the words of nursery rhymes. It was cute. Cute grooming and plain homophobia. It was about 8 or 9 years ago.

I think it was called Just a Girl, although I don't remember the child being quite so young. But it looks like there were four series, so perhaps I didn't hear the earliest one.

TheBiologyStupid · 21/02/2023 13:49

The bloody thing is still available. Surprise, surprise: "Thanks to Susie Green and the parents at Mermaids, a charity offering support to gender variant children, teenagers and their families, and the Tavistock Clinic".

It seems to have been first broadcast in 2014.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v2ynx

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 21/02/2023 14:04

This Channel 4 reality show series featuring transitioning young adults aired in 2011....

Way back in 2003, there was 'There's Something About Miriam' on UK television, which was also designed to introduce the idea of confusion around transgender and to deceive people into unwittingly giving consent that they otherwise most likely never freely would have done.

All 'fun and lighthearted', but it sounds like Miriam's life was far from a stable, happy one - ending by suicide by the age of 38.

It's been said before many times, but can you imagine the outrage if the law were changed to prevent HCPs from being able to help people suffering from anorexia - and if they were only permitted to put them on strict diets and pressure them into bariatric surgery? How is this any different?

nilsmousehammer · 21/02/2023 14:13

That poor woman.

It may only be the impression given, but it would appear too that it was far easier and faster to get active, purposeful treatment for gender related needs than it was (and now so very much worse post covid) to get active, purposeful assessment and treatment for Autism, ADHD and mental health needs.

CompleteGinasaur · 21/02/2023 16:22

Just donated (was probably a bit mean, had no idea of exchange rate for Canadian dollars!). And bumping...

HettySucks · 21/02/2023 16:25

This is so sad.

And the worst part is that I would probably assume she is a transwoman now. Because the voice and testosterone alterations.

GrassIsGreenerExpat · 21/02/2023 17:29

Sorry that's her crowdfunding page. Such a brave woman and such a sad story. Watched affirmation generation yesterday eye opening

DemiColon · 21/02/2023 17:42

I'm going to be really curious to see how this is reported in the Canadian press.

MissFlitworth · 21/02/2023 17:48

A friend of my DDs is having her breasts removed in the next few months. Beautiful sweet girl with MH issues. She has only been using a boys name for about 8 months. It is insane how quickly they are allowing her to physically transition. She is a teenager. I hope more stories come out to make her pause and think about it all a bit longer. But unfortunately this is Canada where the mainstream media will not report on these issues.