
Detransitioner Files First Lawsuit In Canada Against Medical Providers
By Christina Buttons
A woman in Ontario who identified as transgender and underwent hormone therapy, a bilateral mastectomy, and a hysterectomy filed the first lawsuit in Canada against her healthcare providers for facilitating her transition.
Michelle Zacchigna, a 34-year-old woman from Orillia, Ontario, recently announced a lawsuit she filed against the eight doctors and mental health professionals who treated her over the years, alleging that they failed to address her complex mental health needs and instead allowed her to self-diagnose as transgender and undergo irreversible procedures that she now regrets.
“I’ve been holding this card close to my chest for a while, and I’m ready to show it,” said Zacchigna on Tuesday. “In November 2022, I commenced legal action against the Canadian health care providers that facilitated my medical transition in Ontario.”
Zacchigna’s story began in 2009 when she was 21, after having spent years dealing with depression, anxiety, self-harm, and a suicide attempt, when she discovered the concept of “gender identity” online. She became convinced that all her problems were due to being transgender, a belief that was never challenged by healthcare providers.
In spring 2010, Zacchigna attended a support group in Toronto called “Gender Journeys,” where she met a doctor who referred her for male hormone therapy after a single hour-long appointment. Zacchigna’s regular therapist also recommended hormone therapy, despite being aware of her long history of serious mental health issues. After three appointments with another doctor, Zacchigna was prescribed testosterone.
In 2012, a surgeon in Florida removed Zacchigna’s breasts after she received a letter from her doctors recommending her for a bilateral mastectomy. In 2017, Zacchigna underwent a hysterectomy after being referred by another doctor. By 2019, Zacchigna made the decision to detransition after realizing that her mental health diagnoses and developmental disabilities explained the problems she was experiencing “much more succinctly than identifying as transgender ever had.” She now deeply regrets the irreversible procedures that she underwent.