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A huge medical step for trans women, cis women and other people struggling with fertility 💕

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RainbowHealthOntario.ca > Service Directory TheSexYouWant.ca > ASO’s

Culturally Aware Health Services

LGBTQ+ Affirming Counselling ServicesLGBTQ+ Community Organizations

2 Spirited People of the 1st Nations 145 Front Street, Suite 105 Toronto, M5A 1E3 (416) 944-9300 www.2spirits.com

Action positive V1H/sida 543 Yonge Street, 4th Floor Toronto, M4Y 1Y5 (647) 393-6656 www.actionpositivevihsida.org

Africans in Partnership Against AIDS 526 Richmond Street East, 2nd Floor Toronto, M5A 1R3 (416) 924-5256 www.apaa.ca

AIDS Committee of Ottawa 19 Main Street Ottawa, K1S 1A9 (613) 238-5014 www.aco-cso.ca

AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo & Area 637 – 641 King Street West, Unit 203 Kitchener, N2G 1C7 (519) 570-3687 www.acckwa.com

AIDS Committee of Durham Region 22 King Street West, Suite 202 Oshawa, L1H 1A3 (905) 576-1445 www.aidsdurham.com

AIDS Committee of North Bay and Area 269 Main St. West, Suite 201 North Bay, P1B 2T8 (705) 497-3560 www.aidsnorthbay.com

AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) 543 Yonge Street, 4th Floor Toronto, M4Y 1Y5 (416) 340-2437 www.actoronto.org

AIDS Committee of Windsor 511 Pelissier Street Windsor, N9A 4L2 (519) 973-0222 www.aidswindsor.org

AIDS Committee of York Region 10909 Yonge Street, Suite 203 Richmond Hill, L4C 3E3 (905) 884-0613 www.acyr.org

The AIDS Network 140 King Street, East, Suite 101 Hamilton, L8N 1B2 (905) 528-0854 www.aidsnetwork.ca

The Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention 120 Carlton Street, Suite 315 Toronto, M5A 4K3 (416) 599-2727 www.asaap.ca

Asian Community AIDS Services 260 Spadina Avenue, Suite 410 Toronto, M5T 2E4 (416) 963-4300 www.acas.org

Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention 20 Victoria Street, 4th Floor Toronto, M5C 2N8 (416) 977-9955 www.black-cap.com

Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples 201 – 120 Carlton St, Toronto, ON Toronto, M5A 4K3 (416) 928-2500 www.spanishservices.org

Centre Francophone 555 Richmond Street West Toronto, M5V 3B1 (416) 922-2672 http://www.centrefranco.org/

Elevate North West Ontario 574 Memorial Ave Thunder Bay, P7B 3Z2 (807) 345-1516 www.elevatenwo.org

Gay Men’s Wellness Initiative 251 Bank Street, 2nd Floor Ottawa, K2P 1X3 (613)-440-3237 roberto@ogmwi.onmicrosoft.com

The Gilbert Centre 80 Bradford Street, Suite 555 Barrie, L4N 6S7 (705) 722-6778 www,gilbertcentre.ca

Gay Zone 420 Cooper St Ottawa, K2P 0H2 (613) 580-2610 http://www.aco-cso.ca/gayzonegaie

Group Health Centre HIV/AIDS Resource Program (HARP) 240 McNabb St. Sault Ste. Marie, P6B 1Y5 (705) 759-5690 https://www.ghc.on.ca

Hassle Free Clinic 66 Gerrard St. East Toronto, M5B 1G3 (416) 922-0506 www.hasslefreeclinic.org

HIV/AIDS Regional Services (HARS) 844a Princess Street Kingston, K7L 1G5 (613) 545-3698 www.hars.ca

HIV/AIDS Resources & Community Health (ARCH) Unit 115–89 Dawson Road Guelph, N1H 1B1 (519) 763-2255 www.archguelph.ca

Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy (Oahas) 7 Hayden Street, Suite 201 Toronto, M4Y 2P2 (416) 944-9481 www.oahas.org

Ottawa Sexual Health Clinic 179 Clarence Street Ottawa, K1N 5P7 (613) 580-2424 http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/public-health

Peel HIV/AIDS Network (PHAN) 7700 Hurontario Street Misissaugua, L6Y 5B4 (905) 361-0523 www.phan.ca

Peterbourough AIDS Resource Network (PARN) 159 King Street, Suite 302 Peterbourgh, K9J 2R8 (705) 749-9110 www.parn.ca

Positive Living Niagara 120 Queenston Street St. Catharines, L2R 2Z3 (905) 984-8684 www.positivelivingniagara.com

Regional HIV/AIDS Connection (RHAC) #30 – 186 King Street London, N6A 1C7 (519) 434-1601 www.hivaidsconnection.ca

Reseau ACCESS Network 111 Elm Street, Suite 203 Sudbury, P3C 1T3 (705) 688-0500 www.reseauaccessnetwork.com

Toronto People with AIDS Foundation (PWA) 200 Gerrard Street East, 2nd Floor Toronto, M5A 2E6 (416) 506-1400 www.pwatoronto.org

Toronto Public Health 277 Victoria Street, 9th Floor Toronto, M5B 1W2 (416) 338-7600

Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services 340 College St., Ste. 500 Toronto, On Accessalliance.ca 416-324-8677 LGBTQ Settlement Counseling-Social work-Community Programs Men, Women, Trans people, Youth, Adults, Seniors, LGBT parents, Family members of LGBT people

Anishnawbe Health Toronto – Community Health Centre 225 Queen Street East Toronto, On http://www.aht.ca/ (416) 360-0486 Our mission is to improve the health and well being of Aboriginal People in spirit, mind, emotion and body through both Traditional and Western healing approaches. The programs and services we offer are based on our culture and traditions through a multi-disciplinary team of dedicated healthcare professionals and service providers. Men, Women, Trans people, Children, Youth, Adults, Seniors, Two-Spirit, Intersex, People Living with Disabilities, Racialized Communities

Bramalea Community Health Centre 40 Finchgate Blvd., Suite 224 Bramalea, On www.bramaleachc.ca 905-451-8090 Bramalea Community Health Centre, a member of the WellFort family, providing primary health care focusing health promotion and prevention to the residents of Bramalea since 2008. An interdisciplinary team of health professionals; physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, chiropodist, dietitian, physiotherapist, social worker collaborate to provide a holistic approach to health care to address, both health and social needs. Our approach to client service is client centered, open focused, which includes: fluid and mobile, anti-oppressive, asset based, open and accessible. We value diversity and we provide culturally competent care.

Central Toronto Community Health Centre – Queen West 168 Bathurst Street Toronto, On (416) 703-8480 http://www.ctchc.com/site_qw CTCHC works as a resource to improve the health and quality of life of the communities that Queen West and Shout each serve. CTCHC achieves its mission through health promotion, education, community development, and advocacy, and through the provision of medical, nursing, dental and counselling services. This community health centre provides trans specific healthcare including hormone therapy.

Centretown Community Health Centre 420 Cooper Street Ottawa, On (613) 233-4443 Centretownchc.org We offer a wide range of services for people in GLBTTQ+ communities who live in Centretown, the Glebe and Old Ottawa South. Hormone Therapy assessment services are provided to trans identified adults seeking hormone blockers and/or cross hormones

Canadian Mental Health Association – Halliburton, Kawartha and Pine Ridge 466 George Street, North Peterborough, On 705-748-6711 ext. 2102 http://www.cmhahkpr.ca/ Canadian Mental Health Association of Halliburton, Kawartha and Pine Ridge areas provides programming for LGBTQ people with many groups supporting trans* and gender non-conforming folks. Gender Journeys offers many groups for both transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, as well as support groups for partners, friends, parents, and family. These groups include: Gender Journeys  -   Youth Gender Journeys   - Beyond Gender Journeys  -  Parents’ Support   -  Partners’ Support

KW Counselling 480 Charles St E, Kitchener, ON N2G 4K5 519-884-0000 info@kwcounselling.com http://www.kwcounselling.com/ Sliding scale fee & EAP Provides 8 sessions with extension possibility Walk-in Clinic from 12-6 pm on Thursdays

Family Counselling Centre of Cambridge & North Dumfries 18 Walnut St, Cambridge, ON N1R 2E7 519-621-5090 http://fcccnd.com/ Sliding scale fee, EAP Minimum of 8-12 sessions with possible extensions Walk-In clinic from 1- 7 pm on Thursdays

Self-Help Alliance Rainbow Connections Peer Support 519-570-4595 ext 4052 (Jasmina) or 4061 (Brenda) No fee or registration peer support group that discusses LGBTQ+ issues and mental health. http://self-help-alliance.ca/contact/kitchener/ First and Third Thursdays of each month 7-9 pm Family Counselling & Support Services 109 Surrey St E, Guelph, ON N1H 3P7 519-824-2431 info@familyserviceguelph.on.ca http://www.familyserviceguelph.on.ca/ Sliding scale, EAP, free sessions if on Ontario Works or ODSP Minimum 3-6 sessions with possibility of extensions

Ruthie Neustifter, PhD, RMFT 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 519-824-4120 ext. 53975 Provides on-going individual, couples, family therapy on a sliding-scale fee basis

Tiffany Burtch, MSc, RP 5420 Highway 6 North, Guelph, ON N1H 6J2 http://www.tiffanythetherapist.ca/ 226-820-4243 Private practice therapist that provides individual, couple, and family therapy

Couple & Family Therapy Centre, University of Guelph 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 http://www.uoguelph.ca/family/cft-centre 519-824-4120 ext. 56335 Ongoing individual, couple, and family therapy provided by supervised Master’s students Sliding scale fee ($5 – 75)

Guelph Community Health Centre 176 Wyndham Street North Guelph, On Heather Mackenzie: 519-821-6638 ext. 404 or go to main reception http://www.guelphchc.ca/ Provides counselling along with health care if one does not have a primary health care provider (i.e. family doctor) Social workers will provide 8 -12 counselling sessions depended on need

Self-Help Alliance Rainbow Connections Peer Support Meghan: 519-763-4014, ext. 2350 http://self-help-alliance.ca/contact/guelph/ Peer support group that discusses LGBTQ+ issues and mental health. Tuesdays from 1:15 – 2:15 pm Drop-in, no fee or registration

Audra Petrulis Counselling 4-433 Guelph Line Burlington, ON. 905.220.5565 Low cost/sliding scale, Fee for service Men, Women, Trans people, Youth, Adults, Seniors, LGBT parents, Family members of LGBT people, Intersex, Racialized Communities

The 519 519 Church St, Toronto, ON M4Y 2C9 (416) 392-6874 The 519 is a city organization dedicated to advocacy for the inclusion of LGBTQ communities. See upcoming events, programming, and location details

Out on the Shelf 10 Carden St, Guelph, ON N1H 3A2 Outontheshelf.com We offer a library and resource centre for the LGBTTTSIQQ* community and allies in Guelph and the surrounding areas. We host Guelph Pride Week every May, and other programs and events for the community. We are located at 10 Carden Street in Guelph, ON, and our library is staffed 3 days a week.

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Guelph

Trans Community Connections

Hosted by ARCH (HIV/AIDS Resources & Community Health), transgender and gender diverse community member hosted drop-in space, offering all kinds of support.

Tuesdays, 9:30am - 12:30pm and 1:30pm - 4:30pm (519) 763 2255 ext. 135, eduation@archguelph

http://www.archguelph.ca

Free

Family Counselling & Support Services:

519-824-2431, info@familyserviceguelph.on.ca

http://www.familyserviceguelph.on.ca/

Sliding scale, EAP, free sessions if on Ontario Works or ODSP

Minimum 3-6 sessions with possibility of extensions

Ruthie Neustifter, PhD, RMFT

519-824-4120 ext. 53975

Provides on-going individual, couples, family therapy on a sliding-scale fee basis

Tiffany Burtch, MSc, RP

http://www.tiffanythetherapist.ca/

226-820-4243

Private practice therapist that provides individual, couple, and family therapy

Couple & Family Therapy Centre, University of Guelph

http://www.uoguelph.ca/family/cft-centre

519-824-4120 ext. 56335

Ongoing individual, couple, and family therapy provided by supervised Master’s students

Sliding scale fee ($5 – 75)

Guelph Community Health Centre:

Heather Mackenzie: 519-821-6638 ext. 404 or go to main reception

http://www.guelphchc.ca/

Provides counselling along with health care if one does not have a primary health care provider (i.e. family doctor)

Social workers will provide 8 -12 counselling sessions depended on need

Self-Help Alliance Rainbow Connections Peer Support

Meghan: 519-763-4014, ext. 2350

http://self-help-alliance.ca/contact/guelph/

Peer support group that discusses LGBTQ+ issues and mental health.

Tuesdays from 1:15 – 2:15 pm

Drop-in, no fee or registration

Tri-Cities (Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge)

Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge

KW Counselling: 519-884-0000, info@kwcounselling.com

http://www.kwcounselling.com/

Sliding scale fee & EAP

Provides 8 sessions with extension possibility

Walk-in Clinic from 12-6 pm on Thursdays

Family Counselling Centre of Cambridge & North Dumfries:

519-621-5090, http://fcccnd.com/

Sliding scale fee, EAP

Minimum of 8-12 sessions with possible extensions

Walk-In clinic from 1- 7 pm on Thursdays

Self-Help Alliance Rainbow Connections Peer Support

519-570-4595 ext 4052 (Jasmina) or 4061 (Brenda)

No fee or registration peer support group that discusses LGBTQ+ issues and mental health.

http://self-help-alliance.ca/contact/kitchener/

First and Third Thursdays of each month 7-9 pm

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Voice Changing/Coaching Apps

For many trans folks, overcoming vocal gender dysphoria is a key aspect to transitioning. Hormone therapy doesn’t have a huge impact on how your voice sounds, especially for trans feminine people, and vocal cord surgery carries a high degree of risk of permanent damage with a relatively low success rate. This is why voice therapy is usually the more advisable choice for trans folks who want to change their voice. However, not everyone is able to access a speech pathologist.

While there are a lot of voice coaching apps available, most are targeted towards singers. If you are looking to change your voice, here are a couple of options that you can try out.

Voice Analyst

Voice analyst comes as a lite and paid version that is targeted towards singers, people with Parkinson’s disease or voice difficulties, and trans folks.

It was created by a speech and language therapist and allows you to record and analyse the pitch and volume of your voice in real-time. The lite version offers the same tools as the full version apart from disabling saving your voice, showing statistics, and shortening the recording time.

Although this app does say that trans people can use it as at-home voice therapy, it doesn’t give any coaching tips or training lessons. Because of this, Voice Analyst is really a tool to be used in addition to consulting with a qualified speech therapist.

Eva

The lack of a voice training app prompted speech pathologist Kathe Perez to take her years of experience with trans clients to develop one. The result is Exceptional Voice App, or Eva for short.

Eva is the first transgender voice training app and provides vocal coaching lessons to help trans women feminize and trans men masculinize their voices. The app helps change your voice through pitch retraining and recorded voice exercises.

Each app has a training program that consists of courses users can follow to gradually transform their voice. Given that both apps are fairly new (especially Eva M), the full training program is still being developed and new lessons are added as they are created. According to their website, once complete, Eva F’s voice training program will consist of three courses:

Voice Feminization Fundamentals– for transgender women who are just beginning to transform their voices.

Beyond the Fundamentals– for women who already have some voice training experience.

Mastery of Your Feminine Voice– for women who feel confident in the skills they have developed, and want high-level advanced techniques to maintain their feminine voices.

Currently, the first seven lessons of Voice Feminization Fundamentals are available for purchase. Eva M’s training program is about 50% complete and once fully developed will consist of one course (Trans Masculine Voice) with 10 lessons.

Both Eva F and M currently provide a pitch tuner, pitch tracker, metronome (for speech pacing), and a voice recorder in order to practice the skills that the lessons teach.

Eva is only available for iPhone and iPad users running iOS 6 and higher and the Samsung Galaxy S3 (due to Android compatibility issues) for an initial purchase of about five dollars. Each lesson is available as an in-app purchase.

Although the full training program is not complete yet and the apps are unavailable to android users, Eva does provide a slightly more accessible way for people to start changing their voice. VoxPop, the company behind Eva, estimates that it will take users at least six to twelve months to refine and master their altered voices.

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Sex Toy Care Tips

Sex toys can be a great addition to anyone’s sex life, but if they’re not cleaned and maintained they can bring the addition of bacteria to your sex life which no one wants. Taking proper care of your sex toys can not only prevent the transmission of bacteria that can cause bacterial vaginosis, UTIs, and yeast infections, it also extends the toy’s life. So to make sure you’re getting orgasms and not infections out of your toys, here are some care tips to keep the good times coming.

1. Check to make sure the toy is in good shape

First things first, are your toys in good physical condition? Are there tears or cracks? Any discoloured spots or generally irregular smells beyond the sex toy scent? If it uses batteries, is there any rusting in that area? If there’s any of these things don’t use it. These are signs that the toy is at the end of its life and bacteria can be lurking in those cracks.

2. Use the right lube

Lube is great, the more lube the better. Lubricating your toy reduces friction and reduces the tearing of your thin mucous membranes. But if you’re not using the right kind of lube to coat your toys, it can break down the surface of your toy. Water-based lube is the most sex toy-friendly and washes off the easiest. Silicone-based lube is water resistant which is great if you’re using the toy in the shower, but silicone lube on a silicone or jelly toy will degrade it. Oil-based lube should really be avoided, but if you’re using it, ONLY use it with stainless steel toys because anything else will get eaten right up by the oil.

3. Make sure to wash them after each use

Even if you’re not using the toy with a partner you want to make sure that you’re cleaning them every time. Washing the toy every time keeps the material from degrading or becoming discoloured. Plus if you’re storing an unwashed sex toy with other toys, those can also get contaminated with bacteria.

4. Wash them before you use them if you want to

If you store your toys correctly (which we’ll cover a bit later), this step is really just to be extra safe. But if you’re not storing them correctly they can get lint, pet hair, or other bacteria on them which is probably stuff you don’t want inside your body.

5. Use the right kind of soap

Since there are so many types of sex toys the most standard way to clean them is to use a mild, unscented hand or dish soap with warm water. Antibacterial soaps can leave a residue on the toy’s surface so you might want to give them a pass for this job.

If your toy has batteries or plugs into the wall make sure you don’t submerge it in water to wash it. Just give it a wipe down with a warm, soapy washcloth.

If you don’t want to haul your sex toys out in front of your housemates or parents to clean them in the bathroom each time, you can also use a commercial toy cleaner.

6. You can clean them more based on the material they’re made of

There are two different categories of materials that sex toys are made out of: porous and nonporous. Nonporous toys have surfaces that are impenetrable to bacteria so you can share them safely. These include silicone, glass, Pyrex, and stainless steel. Porous toys are more absorbent and are made from materials including hard plastic, jelly rubber, cyberskin, elastomer, nylon, and neoprene.

Silicone: You can wash them with soap and water, place them in the top rack of your dishwasher, or disinfect it in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Glass: Wash with warm soap and water. Using boiling water can cause the glass to warp.

Pyrex: Soap and water, top rack of the dishwasher, or boiling are all options.

Stainless steel: Stainless steel can be cleaned in so many ways. Wash it with soap, dishwasher it, boil it, or soak it in bleach and water and make sure you rinse it thoroughly. Seriously, make sure you rinse all that bleach off.

All porous toys: Porous toys can’t be completely disinfected and can warp if you clean them with extremely hot water. All porous sex toys (hard plastic, cyberskin, nylon, neoprene, jelly rubber, vinyl and soft vinyl, acrylic, elastomer, and leather) should be cleaned the same way, with soap and warm water, either in the sink or with a washcloth. Nylon is the only exception and can be machine washed.

7. Use a condom with porous toys

Like I said, you can’t completely disinfect porous toys so if anyone other than you is using it, a condom can keep your toys from spreading bacteria between partners.

8. Store them properly

It can be tempting to just toss your toys into your bedside table or tuck them under the bed when you’re not using them, but this option opens up the door to a whole mess of other problems. Dust, lint, pet hair, food crumbs, and bunch of things you don’t want in your body can get on the toy that way. Wrapping them in a cloth or putting them in a cloth bag before putting them in your drawer helps keep them clean.

Using a Tupperware or plastic bag is also something to avoid since the chemicals can eventually leach into the toys.

Most toys come with a dust bag when you buy them which will do the trick or you can invest in a toy-specific storage box.

9. Keep the batteries out when you’re not using it

Leaving the batteries in a toy can corrode it and drain the battery life. Do future you a favour and take them out so it’s good to go when you want to use it.

On a final note, a lot of sex toys come with their own cleaning instructions so if there’s anything unique to your toy that wasn’t covered in these tips make sure you follow them.

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Clue

As far as period/mood trackers go, Clue is about the only option for people who don’t want to be overwhelmed by feminine icons or have an app make them feel weird about not wanting to be pregnant. Hopefully though, other app developers will get a clue and incorporate some of these features into their trackers as well.

Learn more here:  https://www.autostraddle.com/5-apps-to-track-and-predict-your-period-and-more-265766/

Something that people who menstruate can agree on is that periods suck. They extra suck when you’re not prepared and shark week catches you off guard and unsupplied. Keeping track of your period can help you predict when your next cycle will start or when you should take extra precaution if you want to avoid pregnancy.

Thankfully we live in the 21st century and there are apps for that! Unfortunately, even though we live in the 21st century, people still have trouble wrapping their heads around the fact that not only women menstruate and not everyone who menstruates wants to get pregnant or wants a flowery, pink app that tells the world what it’s there for.

Seriously…we aren’t kidding about the flowers

In order to help you track your period without navigating some of the most gendered apps out there, here is an option that might float your boat a little more.

Clue is hands down the most highly recommended period tracker out there (seriously, it’s rated as the top free menstrual tracking app by the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology) and for good reason. To start, the colour scheme is super sleek and neutral with none of the frilliness that other trackers love.

Clue treats you like an adult and not like a mother-to-be and was designed with trans men in mind. It uses past cycles you’ve logged to predict up to three future cycles and can alert you 2 days before it’s predicted to start if you want it to. There are 28 tracking categories including cramps, emotions, skin, hair, sleep, exercise, energy, and more. It also comes with in-depth information about the menstrual cycle backed up with citations in case you want to know more about what it’s telling you. You can also turn off the fertile window option so that you don’t have to deal with all that if you don’t want to.

One of the best things is that it learns from the data you give it to get better at tracking your periods over time. The developers are also easy to communicate with and are always open to taking in your feedback to make the app more accessible. Finally, you can set a passcode on the app in case you want to keep all the information you’ve inputted away from those who might come across your phone.

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Safer Sex Strategies: Barrier Methods

For people who are having sex, it’s important to protect ourselves and our sexual partners. This means practicing safer sex by using barrier methods to prevent the transmission of HIV and other STIs.

When people start talking about safer sex strategies, a lot of times the conversation begins and ends with condoms. Even though condoms are a great option for some kinds of sex, they can’t be used for every sexual activity or every kind of body.

This article will cover different types of protective barriers that can be used for a bunch of different activities.

Penetrative Condoms

Sometimes referred to as external or “male condoms”, these can be used on a penis (including for trans men who have had phalloplasty), strapless, or sex toy for vaginal, anal, and oral sex.  Trans women should use condoms with their strapless when having sex with a cis woman or trans man if you don’t want to get them pregnant. Remember to change condoms between holes and between partners. This helps prevent the spread of bacteria and STIs between different body parts and partners.

Penetrative condoms can also be cut to use as dental dams.

Insertive Condoms

These are sometimes referred to as “female condoms.” Insertive condoms can be used by cis women in their vaginas, trans guys in their front holes, and everyone in their ass. Just like insertive condoms, they can also be cut in half to use as a dental dam.

If you’re using an insertive condom, you should not also use a penetrative condom because the friction between the two can cause them to break.

Dental Dams

These are barriers that reduce the risk of STI transmission during oral sex. Dental dams are basically thin latex rectangles that can be placed between your mouth and one of your partner’s orifices like their vulva or butt.

Dental dams can be more difficult to find, but can be easily made out of a penetrative condom.

Gloves

Gloves are great for a whole bunch of activities. Gloves can be cut up to be used during mutual masturbation by trans guys on their t-dicks and as dental dams for people having oral sex. Some trans guys who haven’t had phalloplasty find that dental dams don’t work well after they’ve been on T for a long time (or if they have had a metoidioplasty), so one solution is to cut the fingers off of a glove leaving the thumb attached and then cutting down the side opposite the thumb. This can cover their t-dick, while the rest can hang down and be used as a dental dam. Make sure you’re not using powdered gloves!

Image source: http://www.queensjournal.ca/blogs/columns/2012/11/qjsex-diy-dental-dams/

In order to protect both yourself and your sex partners against HIV and other STIs, you’ll both need to use condoms, dental dams, and/or gloves where appropriate. Safer sex can help add variety to sexual pleasure, make sex last longer by postponing orgasms, and make sex more satisfying without worrying about STIs. The bottom line is that safer sex can be fun. It is a great way to explore who we are sexually, express our feelings, bond with others, and have a good time. Practicing safer sex can enhance our pleasure — and at the end of the day, that’s what sex is all about.

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Transmisogyny is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but may not be one that we completely understand so in this article we’re going to break it down.

Transphobia is the discrimination of and negative attitudes towards transgender people and the trans community.

Misogyny is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women and femininity.

Based on these definitions, transmisogyny is where these two meet to create the negative attitudes, hate, violence, and discrimination directed towards trans women and gender nonconforming folks who were not assigned female at birth who fall on the feminine end of the gender spectrum.

Transmisogyny is based on the assumption that “femaleness” is inferior to, and exists primarily for the benefit of, “maleness.” Under this assumption, the feminine is deserving of hatred, mockery, and violence because it is second-rate compared to the masculine.

How is Transmisogyny Different from Sexism?

When you define transmisogyny it sounds a lot like sexism and transphobia so why do we need a whole other word to describe the experience of trans feminine folks?

Trans women experience two identities that are devalued in society, being both trans and feminine. Therefore, they experience a specific kind of overlapping oppression that is not adequately captured by just the concept of sexism.

Why Does This Exist?

The binary gender system, the idea that men and women are the only kinds of people, is one that is deeply rooted in the institutional structures of Western society. People who exist outside of this binary or who don’t fit neatly into either category can be seen as confusing and worthy of hate

When people view masculinity to be superior to femininity, trans women are seen as a threat to the male gender hierarchy. Under this view, trans women are “giving up” their position of power as a man to “choose” to be a woman and feminine. To transgress the rules of the gender binary is a threat to the masculinity of cisgender men.

How does Transmisogyny Manifest?

Transmisogyny isn’t just a concept feminists throw around at parties. It is present in our societal systems and institutions and has very real impacts of people’s lives.

Violence

Violence is an incredibly common manifestation of transmisogyny. Trans women, especially trans women of colour, are disproportionately affected by hate crimes. A report by the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce found that 20% of trans women surveyed had been subjected to sexual assault. Trans women also made up over 50% of anti-LGBTQ+ homicides with 73% of those victims being trans women of colour.  

Media

Trans women are often depicted in the media as drag queens, sex workers, dead bodies, or tragic, ugly objects to be pitied or scorned. They are mocked, over-sexualized, fetishized, and exoticized for a shocking or newsworthy story.

The news reports on trans women only in association with hate crimes and misgenders or mocks them in headlines where their existence as a trans woman is shown to be confusing.

In the media they are often portrayed as someone who is actively hiding their trans identity to manipulate a man into a sexual or romantic relationship. They are often portrayed as sex workers. They are portrayed as unattractive or pathologized or the object of mockery for wanting to be feminine.

Transmisogyny in Queer and Women’s Spaces

Even though LGBTQ+ spaces are populated by marginalized groups, trans women still deal with the presence of transmisogyny. Remember, the notion that the masculine is more valuable than the feminine exists in all spaces even if that space is queer. Queer cis male leaders have frequently talked over trans women, dismissed their experiences, and accused them of “hurting the LGBTQ+ movement.”

Trans women are also frequently excluded from cis women’s spaces. Some “feminists” argue that trans women are not “real” women and exclude them from feminist events.

Domestic violence shelters and crisis spaces for women who face violence have been known to turn away trans women who seek out their services.

So What Can We do About it?

Transmisogyny is so embedded into our society that it can be hard to recognize especially if you don’t know what it is. You know when you were a kid and could just blissfully travel on long car rides, but now that you have your license and understand the rules of the road you always notice the dumb stuff people do on the road even when you’re not driving? Transmisogyny is like that; once you understand what it is, you’ll start to see it everywhere. Conversations with others, shows on tv, the news, social movements all start to show their shades of transmisogyny.

This can make knowing about it feel like a burden (ignorance is bliss after all), but when we are aware of the problematic elements in society we can begin to call it out. We can educate others about this system of oppression and refuse to just accept it as the way things are. This includes calling out feminists and gay rights activists who perpetuate transmisogyny. Inclusive spaces for women and queers should include trans women fully and give their voices value.

Working to eliminate transmisogyny is intertwined with the fight against transphobia, sexism, and homophobia. Calling out transmisogyny, educating others about it, and standing with and supporting the trans women in our community are all a part of creating a safer and more inclusive world.

Want to learn more? Check out these great articles:

http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/01/transmisogyny/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmisogyny

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There are thousands of children in the foster care system in Canada and just like the rest of the youth in in the country, a significant number of them are LGBTQ+. Queer youth are overrepresented in the foster care system meaning that the percentage of youth in foster care who are LGBTQ+ identified is larger than the percentage of LGBTQ+ youth in the general youth population.

Their reasons for entering the foster care system are the same as many non-LGBTQ+ youth including abuse, neglect, and parental substance abuse. However, many queer foster youth have the additional challenges associated with their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression affecting their care and treatment in the system.  Queer youth in foster care face additional challenges surrounding homophobia, transphobia, navigating the safety of schools, social networks, and homes. They may experience repeated return to the system when they come out to their families. Reports published by Egale Canada Human Rights Trust and the City of Toronto highlight LGBTQ+ foster youths high risks for sexual abuse, verbal and physical assault, and suicide.

These reports and data indicate the need for improvements to the system in order to ensure LGBTQ+ foster youth have better life outcomes.  However, as with most systems, catching up with the changing values of society takes years and in Ontario there was no agency dedicated to the care of queer foster youth.

Enter Five/Fourteen

Five/Fourteen is Canada’s first and only foster care agency specifically focused on LGBTQ+ youth. The agency received approval in the summer of 2016 and seeks to ensure better conditions and outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth in the foster care system.

The agency is run by Chad Craig and his husband Lucas Medina, a former crown ward who lived in an emotionally abusive foster home due to his sexual orientation. Craig and Medina’s agency has established partnerships with social service agencies, the Government of Ontario, and university research centres in order to fully support LGBTQ+ youth. Five/Fourteen provides foster care services in family homes as well as community integration support so that youth can transition out of the foster care system with the skills and support they need to be successful adults.

How to Foster with Five/Fourteen

Five/Fourteen is based in Windsor and is most interested in foster caregivers in and around Windsor, London, Hamilton, Toronto, and Ottawa because of their proximity to medical programs for trans youth. However, they do accept applications from potential foster parents across Ontario.

Individuals or couples who are interested in fostering with the agency are provided with compensation for the costs of care, room, and board. The most qualified applicants are those with:

experience providing foster care and/or parenting,

professional, volunteer, or life experience supporting LGBTQ, two-spirit, or otherwise gender-independent children and youth, and

a background in helping people who have suffered abuse, trauma and loss.

If you are already a foster parent who is fostering an LGBTQ+ youth, you can become a Five/Fourteen foster parent so that you can access their support system and specialized services.

For more information about becoming a foster parent with Five/Fourteen can fill out a form on their website.

How to be Placed with Five/Fourteen

If you are an LGBTQ+ foster youth who wants a placement through Five/Fourteen, you can confidentially request one through the office of the Provincial Advocate for Children. Their office can be reached at 416-325-5669 or email them at advocacy@provincialadvocate.on.ca.

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If you are a trans-identifying person in Ontario who wants to get some form of gender affirming surgery, you may be able to have the cost of your surgery covered by OHIP.

The process is time consuming and frustrating, but in order to make the application process easier to understand here are the steps you need to go through.

OHIP covers both reproductive and external genital and chest surgeries including:

clitoral release, glansplasty, metoidioplasty, penectomy, penile implant, phalloplasty, scrotoplasty, testicular implants, urethroplasty, vaginectomy, vaginoplasty, salpingo-oophorectomy, hysterectomy, orchidectomy

Mastectomy (top surgery)

Augmentation mammoplasty for individuals with no breast enlargement following 12 continuous months of hormone therapy

In order to qualify for funding for any of these procedures you need to be assessed and recommended for surgery, have a referral for surgery submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), and have the surgery approved by the MOHLTC before you have the surgery. If you have any surgeries before the ministry has approved it, the cost will not be covered.

Assessment and Referral

In March 2016 a change was made to the funding criteria that allows “qualified providers” to assess and refer patients for gender affirming surgeries. Prior to this change, only the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) was able to provide referrals meaning a huge waiting list just to get assessed for the possibility of having surgery. This change removes an unnecessary and highly challenging barrier to access.

Qualified primary care providers include family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, psychologists, and social workers with Masters level education. In order for providers to feel prepared and comfortable with the assessment and referral process, the MOHLTC requires that they take training in accordance with WPATH Standards of Care. Unfortunately, that means that until this training occurs, people who want gender affirming surgery will still need to go through CAMH.

Approval for Chest Surgery

To be approved for chest surgery you’ll need one assessment from a qualified doctor or nurse practitioner that confirms you:

Have a diagnosis of persistent gender dysphoria

Have completed 12 months of continuous hormone therapy with no breast enlargement (unless hormones are not recommended) if you’re seeking breast augmentation

After being approved for chest surgery, your family doctor or nurse practitioner can refer you to a specialist who can perform the surgery.

Approval for Genital Surgery

Getting approval for genital surgery is a more difficult and longer process than chest surgery approval. You will need two assessments recommending surgery from a qualified doctor, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, psychologist, or registered social worker. One of the assessments must be from a doctor or nurse practitioner. Both assessments must confirm you:

Have a diagnosis of persistent gender dysphoria

Have completed 12 months of continuous hormone therapy (unless hormones are not recommended)

Have lived 12 continuous months in the gender role you identify with (also known as the “real-world experience)

Referral Form and Applying for Surgery

To apply for gender affirming surgery, your doctor or nurse practitioner needs to fill out and submit the application along with the assessments and recommendations for surgery to the MOHLTC. The same application form is submitted whether you’re seeking services in Ontario, within Canada, or outside of the country.

Your doctor or nurse practitioner will let you know if your application is approved.

A note about downloading the application: When you follow the link to the application form it will say you need Adobe Reader 8 or higher. If you don’t have it, follow the instructions to install it. If you already do have it, just download the file and when you open it in Adobe Reader on your computer, it will be the full form. The government just likes their websites to be super frustrating.

Additional Resources

Rainbow Health Ontario: Trans Health Guide

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health: Gender Identity Clinic (Adult)

Sherbourne Health Centre: Stay up-to-date with changes to gender affirming surgery access in Ontario.

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Big thanks to all of you who have signed up to volunteer with our various trans programming iniatives, in partnership with our friends at ARCH!

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Welcome!

Gender Intersect is your local hub for all things trans, non-binary, gender diverse/variant/wonderful/wild, and we’re here to help!

We appreciate your patience as we fill out this site with resources, Q&A, and other bits that might be helpful for folks navigating life outside of the (cis) gender binary -

Want to help us out? We need passionate and knowledgeable folks from our community to write articles, posts, and suggestions for folks in the region. Contact genderintersect@gmail.com to find out more.

You can also visit us on our facebook page here - which tends to be a lot more active and up to date!

Thanks friends! See ya around ~