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“Do you need to have fake ID to buy something that affirms your gender? That’s good for your emotional and mental health?” asks Taylor. “Our goal is to make people comfortable and offer good service.”

Taylor believes a lot of young people come to the store because few teens have credit cards and can order online, or fear having something mailed to their home. Other teens come with their parents.

“We serve so many youth — mostly with their parents. They come from all over because we’re a trans-affirming kind of place,” says Taylor. “For us, it’s an emotional thing when we see a queer or trans kid with their parents, because they have the support that most kids don’t.”

Carling Miller, the executive director at Kind, which runs programs for LGBTTQ youth downtown and in Kanata,says some youth have to be cautious about what they tell their parents. For trans teens, controlling how they look helps to establish identity.

“It’s life-affirming. It literally saves their lives to be able to present in a way that is representative of who they are,” she says. “This situation makes it harder for young people to get these kinds of resources.”

Appearance is important to all teens, but those who are undergoing a social transition experience even more difficulties, says Laurie Rector, the director of community programs at Family Services Ottawa, which offers programs for gender creative and gender independent youth and their families.

“It’s a highly affirming part of the transition to be able to express your gender,” she says. “It’s so important for youth to have access to binders.”