“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 is a member of ex-trans group Beyond Trans.
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 didn’t 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 didn’t 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 “inconsistent” 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 wasn’t screened for the diagnoses I later received before I was prescribed hormones.” Zacchigna 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:
“I’ve been holding this card close to my chest for a while, and I’m ready to show it. In November 2022, I commenced legal action against the Canadian healthcare providers that facilitated my medical transition in Ontario,”
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
Anti-trans coverage
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/
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
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
Selected writing by Zacchigna
“Alleva, Michelle” (May 2022). “Removing my completely healthy uterus is my greatest regret.” Michelle Alleva’s Story: Detransition. Lighthouse https://www.lighthouseforum.ca/stories/michellealleva
Staff report (June 30, 2021). Meet Scarlett P. Gender Dysphoria Alliance https://www.genderdysphoriaalliance.com/post/meet-scarlett-p [archive]
Media
Some Kind of Therapist with Stephanie Winn and “Michelle Alleva” (July 18, 2022). 14. Michelle Alleva: The Long Way Home – a detrans journey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bnyysw-8Yo
BC SOGI Information (March 14, 2024). Michelle Alleva Lawsuit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzQS9H_Orsg
Thoughts on Things and Stuff with Jonathan Streeter (November 9, 2022). From Genspect Symposium 2022: Michelle Alleva – From Transition to Detransition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=errNVIoqMi0
Thoughts on Things and Stuff with Jonathan Streeter (November 9, 2022). Clipped: “Deception” in the Trans Activist Community? (Detrans Perspective). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnfsOx8vQJ8
Thoughts on Things and Stuff with Jonathan Streeter (November 8, 2022). Clipped: “Induced Phobias” in the Trans Activist Community? (Detrans Perspective). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bycRHzyPO9w
Thoughts on Things and Stuff with Jonathan Streeter (November 9, 2022). Clipped: “Milieu Control, Propaganda Saturation” in Trans Activist Community? (Detrans Perspective). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E9wI3wKxao
Genspect with Stella O’Malley and “Michelle Alleva” (February 24, 2024). We’ve Got to Stick with Evidence and Truth and Build from That – Michelle Alleva. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN2utU1Lguo
Transparency with Aaron Kimberly, Aaron Terrell, and “Michelle Alleva” (November 7, 2021). EP 16 – Right Mind, Wrong Spectrum: With Michelle Alleva. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jak-yNfS2y0
Resources
X/Twitter (x.com)
GiveSendGo (givesendgo.com)
YouTube (youtube.com)
Detrans.ai (detrans.ai)
- Michelle Alleva
- detrans.ai/th/vdoh/139-michelle-alleva-the-long-way-home-a-detrans-journey
Substack (substack.com)
- somenuanceplease
- Some Nuance, Please
- michellealleva.ca
- original url: somenuanceplease.substack.com [archive]
IMDb (imdb.com)