Lizzie first came to P10 after her aunt found us while looking for LGBTQ+ resources. Having just come out as trans, she found acceptance and support here which she is extremely grateful for: “I've met many lovely people at P10. The staff has been and continues to be phenomenal. Extremely helpful and super kind and supportive.”

Since then, we are so lucky to have spent many crucial moments with Lizzie . Being able to swim with other queer and trans youth at our summer camp brings her back happy memories. In her own words, it was tremendously “affirming,” explaining that “many trans people are not fans of going to public pools where they think they can be ridiculed for wearing a certain thing when going swimming. The lake swimming thing they had in the camp was yeah... (laughs) it was in an open space.” Being around people that accepted her for who she was gave her the courage to be herself. She also recalls fun moments with peers painting each other’s nails, chatting around a bonfire and simply having a lot of fun!

One major thing that Lizzie found at P10 is companionship. She is naturally shy at first but after making new friends and finding the support she needed, she now feels much more comfortable meeting new people: “The social aspect was huge for me. I met my first real friend since I came to Montréal… I've felt more open at P10 than anywhere, and I believe they really helped me discover myself more and fully uncover who I am. I've never been happier in my life, and I owe a huge part of that to P10.”

One day, she went thrift shopping with a friend and a P10 staff member named Sarah to find clothes that matched her friend’s gender expression. On the way home, her own desires to transition came to the forefront : “We stopped at a park and I started to cry or something- and I talked to my friend and she conveyed to Sarah that I wanted to start HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and then Sarah managed to talk to me about that and work through everything. In 2 or 3 weeks she got me an appointment with a doctor and yes, that was nice.”

She got the pills quickly enough thanks to our connections to doctors who practice informed consent, sidestepping a longer, more bureaucratic route that could take her years to get a prescription. Since 2003, we have collaborated with ASTTEQ (Action Santé Travesti(e)s Transsexuel(le)s du Québec) and Head and Hands to maintain a data base of health professionals that are trans-positive, the trans health network. We talk to doctors about the informed consent and even have been able to train medical students, thanks to our invaluable connections within McGill’s Medical School.

Despite our best efforts, Lizzie has struggled to get her name changed because of Québec’s ongoing restrictive laws for trans migrants. P10 continues to support the advocacy work of multiple groups, like the Centre for Gender Advocacy and Euphorie dans le genre, fighting to open up these restrictive laws.

All in all, even though Lizzie doesn’t attend P10 as much as she used to she still has P10 in her heart for everything they have done for her: “I'm so glad my aunt found P10 for me at a time where I was so socially excluded and scared of the world. They have made a major difference in my life as a whole, and helped me accept who I am, be it through the gender gear, clothing swap, or just outright socializing or venting about issues I had at home or personally.... It is with a lot of P10's help that I've become independent…”