“Michelle Alleva” is the stage name of Michelle Zacchigna, a Canadian ex-transgender activist. Zacchigna gets money and attention by making it more difficult for others to get trans healthcare.
Zacchigna has used a number of aliases and handles:
- “Scarlett P”
- “Michelle Alleva”
- somenuanceplease
- sumenuancepls
Zacchigna transitioned as an adult and made additional identity and expression changes ten years later.
Background
Zacchigna was born in 1988. Zacchigna reports being bullied in school, especially from ages 8 to 13. After a close adolescent friendship ended, Zacchigna experienced even more social isolation. Zacchigna alleges having the following problems as a teen:
- developmental trauma
- dissociation
- low self-esteem
- self-harm
- anxiety
- depression
- 2008 suicide attempt
- dated older people “who didnāt seem to have my best interests at heart”
At age 20, Zacchigna identified as asexual:
Although I had never had gender dysphoria before, the more I thought about gender and how I wanted to present myself, the more self-aware I became about my body, and the more I wanted to change it. I thought about my past and became convinced that I had been bullied because I was trans and just didnāt know it.
In spring 2010, at age 21, Zacchigna went to the Gender Journeys support group at Toronto’s Sherbourne Health. Two years later, in 2012, Zacchigna saved up and then paid out of pocket for elective top surgery in Florida.
Because transition doesn’t make you a new person or change who you are, Zacchigna felt better for a while, but then reported problems started again:
- social anxiety
- still difficult to make friends
- depression
- gender dysphoria
- couldn’t cry anymore “because of the hormones”
- uncontrolled acne
- poor self-care
- gained about 70-80 pounds
- fired for āinconsistentā work output
- irregular sleep schedule
- stopped caring about appearance
- became low income
- moved back in with family
- failed out of college
- autism spectrum disorder
- ADHD
- post-traumatic stress symptoms
- major depressive disorder
- medical trauma
- low voice
- male-pattern balding
- facial hair
- an enlarged clitoris
- a flat chest
- the inability to ever become pregnant
- “among other things”
Following a 2017 evaluation that added to Zacchigna’s long list of problems, in 2018 Zacchigna had a “medically unnecessary” partial hysterectomy because “it was covered by provincial insurance, and I liked the idea of not having any more periods or pap exams.”
Zacchigna is upset and angry “that I wasnāt screened for the diagnoses I later received before I was prescribed hormones.” Zacchinga was screened prior to the hysterectomy but still blames others for that decision made at age 30.
Anti-transgender activism
Now based in Orillia, Ontario, Zacchigna’s income is now supplemented by making it harder for other adults to get trans healthcare:
“I have spent the last 18 months involved in health care advocacy related to this topic. I’ve presented at webinars, spoken at universities, been featured in news articles, appeared on Podcasts, and written blogs semi-regularly sharing my experiences and my thoughts about how this could have happened.”
In 2022 Zacchigna announced a planned lawsuit:
āIāve been holding this card close to my chest for a while, and Iām ready to show it. In November 2022, I commenced legal action against the Canadian healthcare providers that facilitated my medical transition in Ontario,ā
Zacchigna is now a source for a number of anti-trans activists and outlets, including Michael Shellenberger, the National Post, and Western Standard. Zacchigna is also active in the anti-trans “parental rights” movement, appearing in Lighthouse and the 2023 film No Way Back.
References
Oldcorn, Christopher (February 23, 2023). Ontario woman sues healthcare professionals over irreversible gender transition. Western Standard https://www.westernstandard.news/news/ontario-woman-sues-healthcare-professionals-over-irreversible-gender-transition/article_28765010-b3a4-11ed-9dca-7f4bb5988028.html
Murphy, Madeline (November 2, 2022) Michelle Alleva Shares Her Story of Detransitioning. Irish Rover https://irishrover.net/2022/11/michelle-alleva-shares-her-story-of-detransitioning/
GD Alliance (June 30, 2021). Meet Scarlett P. Gender Dysphoria Alliance https://www.genderdysphoriaalliance.com/post/meet-scarlett-p
Humphrey, Adrian (February 22, 2023). Ontario detransitioner who had breasts and womb removed sues doctors. National Post https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/michelle-zacchigna-ontario-detransitioner-sues-doctors
Alleva, Michelle (May 2022). āRemoving my completely healthy uterus is my greatest regret.ā Michelle Allevaās Story: Detransition. Lighthouse https://www.lighthouseforum.ca/stories/michellealleva
Shellenberger, Michael (March 22, 2023). Why This Detransitioner Is Suing Her Health Care Providers. Public https://public.substack.com/p/why-this-detransitioner-is-suing
Resources
Twitter (twitter.com)
GiveSendGo (givesendgo.com)
YouTube (youtube.com)
Substack (substack.com)
IMDb (imdb.com)