Amidst a rise of anti-2SLGBTQ+ legislation south of the border, political uncertainty in Canada and tough economic times, trans people in Montreal are working tirelessly to keep their communities afloat. 

‍While trans support networks and services are expanding in Montreal, most organizations run on unpaid labour and shoestring budgets. Community workers share their observations on the state of things.  

‍We met with several trans people who work in these organizations, among them, TRAPs and MtF.

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Over the din of a busy café, Skylar Laidman, a young trans woman living in Montreal, says that working for TRAPs is just part and parcel of being a member of the transfeminine community. In that vein, Skylar doesn't identify herself as a "volunteer," but she says she's been taking on more responsibility for about two years. She's a little shy at first, but as the conversation deepens, Skylar becomes more confident as she tells La Converseabout the challenges trans people are facing today. 

"In these organizations, what we're really trying to do is not [solely] offer a service.. We're trying to build something that people can see as their own," says Skylar.

TRAPs is a radical transfeminine collective that organizes community kitchens, meet-ups, and workshops on community organizing and voice training for transfeminine people in Montreal. 

TRAPs is developing more partnerships and new initiatives to help support trans people in tough times. She says that economic hardships hit trans people harder, as trans people have more difficulty finding employment and accessing housing and public medical care.  

She explains that on a policy level, TRAPs and MtF advocate for free gender-affirming healthcare (RAMQ does not cover facial feminization surgery or breast augmentation, as it's considered "purely aesthetic"), guaranteed income, sex work decriminalization, drug decriminalization, housing and refugee status for 2SLGBTQ+ people, among other things. 

While Skylar says that overall acceptance of trans people has been increasing in Canada, harmful policies stand in the way of trans lives. For example, a lack of access to gender-affirming medical care can lead to trans people trying to do hormone replacement therapy on their own, unsupervised. A lack of affordable housing can mean a trans person has to live with someone who is dangerous and abusive due to transphobia. Delaying approval of a trans person's refugee application can increase the risk of being a victim of transphobic violence in their home country. 

"A lot of trans people are still going to die because it's not about being fine with trans people, it's about what we're able to do and how much power can be over us in policy, with its governmental, legal, and enforcement aspects," says Skylar.

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TRAPs also started a mutual aid fund, which is now managed by their partner not-for-profit, Mouvement Transféministe/Movement for transfeminism (MtF). Mutual aid funds are crowd-sourced pools of money that can be used by people in need to pay their rent, pay for food, pay for medical expenses, or whatever other urgent purchases are needed to keep them alive.

The organization's initials are tongue-in-cheek - MtF also stand for the colloquial "male to female." MtF was incorporated as a not-for-profit in March 2024, and acts as a hub for trans community organizations. MtF's collaborators connect trans people to resources and source funding for the organization. 

According to Judith Lefebvre, one of the organization's co-founders, MtF and TRAPs were created to respond to trans people's immediate needs.

"Transgender organizations receive millions of dollars essentially to educate cis people… which is good, it's valuable, it's important work. But there's this type of refusal to respond to urgent, structural needs that are objective manifestations of transmisogyny and transphobia," she says. 

Judith speaks quickly with no hesitation, referencing trans history and outlining the nuances of different queer movements as she answers questions. She's no stranger to explaining her community's needs to other people, and urgency comes through her voice as she describes the obstacles that trans people face. 

Requests for assistance can be as simple as helping people access pre-existing resources, like requesting social assistance or submitting an employment insurance form, she explains. But between the precarious nature of volunteer work and underfunded, understaffed organizations, people can slip through the cracks at community organizations. She'd like to see front-line intervention workers hired to help trans people navigate existing institutions - and to see trans people develop institutions of their own. 

Recently, MtF received some grants from the federal government - but the volunteer-run organization is still on the hunt for longer-term funding, as are many other community services, says Judith. "It's heartbreaking sometimes, because we're lacking time and resources. We're not always able to help people with what they need," she says. 

The City of Montreal's website indicates that they've committed to supporting the 2SLGBTQ+ with initiatives like educating city workers, using appropriate language and supporting the Centre interligne, a 2SLGBTQ+ hotline, and Fierté Montréal. There is no mention of supporting community-led organizations on their page. La Converse reached out to the city for an update on their Plan solidarité, équité et inclusion, but did not receive a reply.

As for the province, Quebec has recently cut funding to harm reduction organizations - including ASTT(e)Q, a peer support organization under CACTUS Montréal that helps trans people with healthcare and social services. 

"In the last few decades, in the past few years in particular, there has been a huge improvement in the capacity of, for example, organizations for women who are victims of violence and women's shelters. But there hasn't been expertise developed for feminist intervention for trans women. And that expertise can't be developed without us. For that, we're going to need financing and support to build those infrastructures," says Judith.

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"We do many things that doctors should be doing."

Trans Patient Union, one of the services in MtF's network, provides medical resources and advocacy for trans patients in Montreal. Jacob Williams helped found TPU when it was just a McGill student group back in 2022. Now, the organization is branching out to serve the broader Montreal community. Despite his busy schedule, Jacob takes his time to comprehensively explain his work in a tone that's both passionate and friendly.

Their website and Instagram page are home to numerous trans patient resources that they've developed, like a database of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) providers and guides for transitioning. TPU has also developed a Meet a Patient program, where trans patients interested in a particular gender-affirming surgery can meet someone who has undergone the procedure. TPU's volunteers also provide one-on-one assistance to trans people. 

As TPU's co-administrator, Jacob puts in around 25 hours a week at TPU between getting his master's degree and working two part-time jobs. A few others do similar hours, but most only do a few hours here and there.

"We do have some honorariums for people occasionally, but it's like fractions of a dollar per hour if you were to actually break it down," says Jacob.

He says the organization just got some federal funding, which could allow them to hire on some part-time staff - "It's a really big deal for us."

"Our organization exists because we have a few people who are extremely dedicated

and will do this work for free, and will basically orient their entire lives around making sure that they can do this work for free. And that's just not sustainable. So our goal is to actually get solid funding for ourselves so that we can ensure that we exist into the future," says Jacob.

While he would like to see access to public healthcare improve for trans people, Jacob says it's important that some elements of trans healthcare remain run by grassroots community organizations, not public bodies.

"We are definitely strongly of the opinion that we do many things that doctors should just be doing. Much of the work that we do is because the medical establishment does not properly take care of trans patients.’’ 

According to Jacob, many doctors do not offer consultations on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), nor are they up-to-date on the different kinds of gender affirming surgeries available - let alone these procedures' possible side effects and healing processes. He says some doctors are not sensitive to the diverse needs and realities of trans patients. 

"Trans patients' advocacy goes further than the clinic and further than medical care," says Jacob. Gender affirming journeys are different for everyone, and that nuance can sometimes be lost in a medical environment. 

"There are things that I think are better suited to a community setting," says Jacob.

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"We're all passing each other the same $50 bill"

The 19th edition of Trans Pride Festival was held on March 29-30 at the Livart, an art gallery in the Plateau-Mont-Royal. Organized by Aide aux Trans du Québec (ATQ) and Studio ZX, the festival features panels, performances and dance parties. 

At the event, La Converse managed to speak with Victoria F. Legault, director of ATQ. Beaming, she says this year's edition was the most well-attended she's seen. 

"It really warms our hearts, seeing at the first panel of the day, almost all the chairs were full, and people were sitting on the stairs at the back. It's really touching. It also shows that we need to have this space at least once a year so people can meet, talk, expand their network and break the isolation," Victoria says.

During his afternoon workshop titled "Beyond Survival: Networks of Radical Solidarity," FrankieB Lambert spoke about the importance of community support to a packed house. Dressed in bright colours, he addressed the crowd in a soft yet confident voice, sharing the knowledge he had gained from his experience as a Black transmasculine activist, sex worker, and harm reduction worker.

He says he has a great deal of appreciation for the love and support within Montreal's trans community, but external resources are still needed.

"I often joke with my friend that in Montreal we're kind of all passing each other the same $50 bill," he says, to a response of knowing laughter from the crowd.

"We're all struggling, and we're doing mutual aid and helping each other, which is great in a sense. But it's also problematic. We should be receiving money from other people like allies, people who are maybe more financially stable and who can also contribute to this mutual aid. Instead of all passing each other the same $50 bill, tell your rich friends to help trans people and to add to trans people's mutual aid funds," he says. 

When asked what role the government had to play in supporting trans people, he said:

"I think their role [of the state] would really be to support us trans people, in the sense that we have already been doing the work. You know, there's ATQ, there's ASTT(e)Q, there are so many grassroots organizations that are already on the front line. If I am to say anything to the state, it would be like, 'Give me your money,'" he responded to a round of applause and laughter from the crowd. "Seriously, fund our services. We've already been doing the work with pennies, so imagine what we could do with actual millions. Let's stop giving money to the police and actually give it to people who are housing us, people who are saving us, people who are feeding us."

All of Trans Pride's programming featured exclusively trans and non-binary people, except one, centred around the role of allies in the fight for trans rights. 

The ally panel included Liberal MNA Jennifer Maccarone for Westmount, Dr. Antoine Cloutier-Blais and Narinder Dhami of the Sonor Foundation. The three elaborated on allies' actions within the Quebec government, the medical field, and the private fundraising sector, respectively. 

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According to Maccarone, resources have been allocated to education and sensitivity training regarding trans people within the government, where she says they have a long way to go. Maccarone has been mentioned as an ally by several trans people La Converse spoke with.  

When La Converse asked if the province was planning on allocating funding to on-the-ground trans organizations, she reminded that she was a member of the opposition and didn't have final say on what funding goes where, but that the province needs to start making better decisions. 

Citing the province's $13B deficit, Maccarone said, "We're going to be facing some very hard times in the near future, probably until mid-2026. But it's about choices. We spend a lot on health, on education, on family. Those are the three big budgets we have right now. But it's also about making fairer choices. I don't think we need a 'comité des sages.' In fact, that million dollars could go a long way in funding some organizations. The short answer is, we need a change of government."

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"We have a beautiful community, and we stand together" 

While the work is far from over, these trans community members have no intention of giving up - or losing hope. 

Victoria has visions of a future that isn't just trans-inclusive, but also empowers trans people.

"Obviously, I hope we'll keep what we've gained. It's already a big hope to have right now, seeing what's happening south of the country. But if I allow myself to see further, I hope that there will be an increase in services for trans and non-binary people. More services, more financing for community. I'd like to see more people in our communities in decision-making positions, or positions of 'power.' We were just talking about this with Jennifer [Maccarone]. When will the first trans person sit in the National Assembly?"

For Skylar, hope is a deliberate choice.

"What gives me hope is waking up every day and choosing hope," she says.

"This is the same kind of pushback that was happening in the 80s, around gay people. This is not a surprise. We know what the playbook is, and we also know that we got through. Not everyone did, and so, that's why we need to fight now."

Jacob says he's motivated to continue working for trans patients by love and by necessity.

"Becoming a trans patient had a really transformative effect on my whole life and my outlook. Doing this work is extremely meaningful. It's by far the most meaningful thing I've ever done in my life. I love working with the people, and I love being able to help people when I do this work. To be honest, probably a really big thing is that if I wasn't doing it, then no one else would be doing it," explains Jacob.

While she recognizes that the current climate is uncertain and frightening, Judith says the fight for trans rights is far from lost. She says some 2SLGBTQ+ organizations put too much emphasis on telling allies to "accept" trans people and "raise awareness" around the existence of trans people, and should redirect some of that energy to political work and direct action.

"The crisis in the U.S., the loss of the far right's political momentum in Canada, puts us in a really good position to solicit our allies and come back on a more offensive position. But not based on the abstract defense of trans people, but asking for clear things that will improve our lives. I think we're getting there. There's been a certain degree of political maturation happening around these issues," says Judith. 

A key message resonated through FrankieB's presentation: to stand together.

"I don't think that the government is going to come and save us. We have to save each other. And for that, we have to stand our ground and work together... We will continue to exist as we have for thousands of years because we are strong, we have a beautiful community, and we stand together," he says. 

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Resources

• Comprehensive trans resource directory from Aide aux Trans du Québec (ATQ)
• Call 1 (855) 909-9038, ext 1 for the Aide aux Trans du Québec helpline
• National Trans Lifeline Hotline (available in Spanish and English)
• Medical resources for trans people in Montreal (Trans Patient Union)
• Apply for mutual aid (MtF)
• Trans health and well-being peer support program (ASTT(e)Q)
• Resources for sexual health and sex workers (Rézo, French and Spanish)

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