Trans resources

Trans Lifeline is a grassroots hotline and microgrants non-profit organization offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community.

The Gender Affirming Assistance Project (GAAP) seeks to provide support to Two-Spirit, trans, non-binary and gender diverse individuals in Kingston. Their ID Change Clinic offers support in changing document names and gender markers. This checklist covers everything you need prior to visiting the ID Change Clinic. 

In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in anti-trans organizing worldwide and in the country colonially known as Canada. This has especially been the case since 2023. Egale Canada identified “nearly 6,500 instances of online hate and protests against the 2S/LGBTQIA+ community in Canada within the first three months of 2023”1 . The purpose of this project was to study this worrying trend so trans communities and our allies may better understand the anti-trans movement and fight back more effectively.

“Trans” is used here to include many distinct identities including 2Spirit as well as trans, non-binary, and gender diverse identities. This usage does not indicate that 2Spirit peoples are defined as part of the trans umbrella: these Indigenous identities are beyond the scope of non-Indigenous understandings of sexuality and gender. Nor does it aim to conflate these identities as one. This guide uses the word “trans” throughout instead of 2S/TNBGD because that makes text more accessible, especially since this acronym is not well known. Please note we still think intentional language is important. We also use trans instead of 2S/TNBGD because, unfortunately, the anti-trans movement is targeting anyone and anything it perceives as trans or transaffirming. Please be advised that the topic covered in this guide is violent and may be triggering. Many participants described their experiences as traumatic. Please prepare yourself mentally and think of self-care you can do while during and after you read.

Given the spectrum of gender identity and the variation in each person’s expression, there is no single pathway for a trans person to follow in order to actualize the presentation of their authentic self. Non-binary patients may also seek hormone therapy to modify their secondary sex characteristics. When hormones are chosen as part of transition, some patients may seek maximum feminization/ masculinization, while others may seek a more androgynous appearance.

This quick reference guide was derived from Sherbourne’s Guidelines for Gender-Affirming Primary Care with Trans and Non-Binary Patients and is designed to be used in conjunction with the full Guidelines.

Organized by the Rainbow Coalition of Refuge and Rainbow Refugee Society in the Spring of 2023, this webinar focuses on the unique and particular challenges of LGBTQIA refugees and newcomers, and shares some skills, knowledge, and resources. 

In this one hour webinar Tatiana Ferguson (she/her), Co-founder of Black Queer Youth Collective and EDI specialist, in conversation with Sizwe Inkingi (she/her), Program Officer, Rainbow Railroad and former Bilingual PSI Coordinator, OCASI-PSI, review data from Trans PULSE Canada Report to share insights about Trans and Non-binary newcomers to Canada. In the second part they have a candid discussion about resettlement and finding & building community by, for, and with Trans and Non-binary refugees, im/migrants, and newcomers. Tatiana and Sizwe talk about identity, programs and supports, and why we need more Trans-led newcomer spaces. Recorded on Monday, March 27th, 2023. 

The Trans PULSE Resource Guide is a compilation of resources available for trans and transitioned people across Canada.

This resource, in its second edition, was last updated in September 2011. As the Trans PULSE Project wraps up, the guide will no longer be updated. Please note that information may be outdated. 

A research report released in the summer of 2022 by the Department of Justice Canada. It examines the extent and effects of legal problems experienced particularly by transgender, two-spirit, and non-binary people for the last three years. The report consists of semi-structured interviews with 27 transgender, two-spirit, and non-binary people recruited across Canada. It shows that numerous legal problems encountered by the research participants have “lasting social and legal consequences” that expose them to additional problems in the future. These legal problems were categorized thematically under five domains: (1) legal statuses; (2) economic security and standard of living; (3) health care and services; (4) violence and other forms of abuse; and (5) detention facilities and law enforcement.

People who identify as non-binary are those whose gender identities resist/reject the gender binary (man vs. woman). They include people who identify with a gender other than man or woman, who do not identify with any gender, or who have a gender identity that fluctuates, among other identities. Previous research has found that up to 1 in 3 transgender (trans) people identify as non-binary. Thus, although not all non-binary people identify as transgender or trans, it is important to consider the unique experiences of non-binary people when assessing the health and well-being of broader trans communities. This is a report released by TransPulse Canada in 2021, it details the experiences of trans and nonbinary peoples navigating Canadian healthcare systems.

SPECTRUM, Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space, developed this toolkit on trans mental wellness and suicide prevention in response to trans community needs and priorities. Given that many trans and gender diverse people struggle with suicide, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, this toolkit was created to:

1) Help trans and gender diverse people in and beyond Waterloo Region who may be struggling with suicidality or poor mental health.

2) Provide concrete tools and strategies to service providers working with trans and gender diverse people on inclusive care and trans suicide prevention.

3) Support parents, caregivers, friends and loved ones of trans and gender diverse people to be supportive of trans and gender diverse people in their lives.

4) Increase awareness of trans mental health and suicidality in and beyond Waterloo Region.