Hi, I'm Michelle. I am a detransitioned woman, and I am pursuing legal action against the health professionals who facilitated my medical transition. 

I began identifying as transgender in young adulthood with no dysphoria beforehand. (This was not a red flag to me as I was assured that people frequently discover their true gender identity later in life.) Less than a year after "coming out to myself," I was prescribed synthetic testosterone which permanently virilized my voice and appearance. I underwent a bilateral mastectomy fourteen months later. Finally, eight years into my transition, I had a medically unnecessary hysterectomy covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. 

Each step involved irreversible alterations to my body and came with serious risks but all were met with little challenge despite my longstanding history of mental health struggles and no indication of gender-related distress in adolescence or childhood. I am alleging that this lack of inquiry is a failure of due diligence amounting to medical negligence towards a vulnerable patient. I will live with the effects of this "treatment" for the rest of my life. 

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. My advocacy is largely not for me - what happened to me cannot be undone - but rather to prevent it from happening to anyone else. It took me ten years to sort out *why* I could have falsely believed something (and why so many professionals could have wrongly encouraged it). I can imagine there are many people in my same position who will eventually come to the conclusion I have - some vulnerable adults like I was and some too young to understand the long-term consequences. 

Through this action I am not only seeking justice for myself but also hoping to raise awareness about the reckless nature of "gender-affirming" health care. Concerns about it have been raised internationally, with several countries altering their approach in response to systematic reviews of the evidence. However, here in Canada, discussion about it has barely gotten off the ground. I hope to start the conversation.

I am being represented on a contingency basis. I am crowdfunding to cover out-of-pocket expenses, such as those for obtaining records and hiring experts. I'm a low-income individual who has been on disability for the past couple years. It's always been difficult for me to ask for help, but I will not be able to move forward without it. 

At present, the statement of claim has been filed, the Defendants have been served, and we are in the prices of collecting medical records. I will keep everyone informed of updates as I receive them.

I'm truly grateful for everything that is given to me. I appreciate your time. Thanks so much.