What Happens When We Make Gender-Affirming Care Free? Wild Pride 2026

On July 30, we spent our afternoon at Montreal Trans Care Day, a free community event centered around gender affirmation, connection, and support for trans and non-binary people, especially those navigating immigration or refugee status.

We were there to run a binding and gaffing safety workshop and provide free custom gaffs and binders to anyone who needed them. We left with new friends, thank-yous in four languages, and a few things we needed to hear ourselves.

What Is AGIR Montreal, and How Does Its Work Connect to Ours?

Trans Care Day was hosted by AGIR, an autonomous nonprofit run by and for the 2SLGBTQIA+ migrant community in Montreal.

AGIR has supported members from 45 countries, working across French, Spanish, English, and Arabic to help LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants settle, connect, and defend their rights. Their work includes individual support, community building, and education for organizations that serve migrant communities. 

But what really stood out to us was the model behind that work: solidarity, not charity. 

It's also something we think about a lot through our own Community Program. We make gender-affirming garments and fund a network of more than 100 partner organizations around the world that distribute them for free to trans and non-binary people who need them most.

AGIR does similar work from a different entry point. They know their community, understand the barriers people are facing, and build systems of support around those realities. Partnering with them for Wild Pride’s Trans Care Day didn't feel like stepping into someone else's community and trying to figure out what people needed. It meant showing up alongside people who already knew.

That's exactly how community care should work.

Wild Pride Montreal 

Trans Care Day was also part of Wild Pride Montreal, the grassroots, volunteer-led Pride alternative built by queer Montrealers who wanted a Pride that belonged to the community it celebrates, rather than corporate sponsors.

We work with Wild Pride instead of Montreal's corporate Pride because it genuinely puts mutual aid, accessibility, and community care at the center. Those values aren't just things you see on a website or a poster. They shape how events are organized, who gets included, and what people actually experience when they walk through the door.

You could feel that throughout Trans Care Day. The event was unhurried, well-translated, low-barrier, and genuinely welcoming. There was room to ask questions without feeling rushed, sit down when you needed a break, and take the time to figure out what support would actually work for you.

There was also something really lovely about how many different kinds of care could exist in the same room. Gender-affirming garments, healthcare advocacy, hairstyling, massage, books, vocal support, and just a quiet place to connect were all treated as valuable parts of community care.

What Origami Customs Contributed at Wild Pride

We offered a free binding and gaffing safety workshop with AGIR. Our workshop covered the basics of safe compression garment use, including different styles of gaffs and binders, how to find the right size and fit for your body, and how to use gender-affirming gear without hurting yourself.

AGIR also sponsored us to take orders on-site for free custom gaffs and binders, made and fitted for the people in the room. All for free! We watched the line form early and stay steady throughout the afternoon.

People asked detailed questions about their bodies, their comfort, and what might work for them. The kind of questions that tell you someone has been thinking about this for a long time and finally found somewhere they felt comfortable asking. With the added bonus of there being no language barrier standing between people and that information.

AGIR's incredible organizing team provided translation in four languages throughout the day, moving between conversations without missing a beat. People could ask questions, understand their options, and make informed decisions without having to rush through the process. 

That might sound like a small thing, but it isn't. Being able to access gender-affirming gear is one thing. Being able to understand your options and have someone take the time to help you in your native tongue is the difference between handing someone a garment and actually providing care.

What Did We Learn About Accessing Gender-Affirming Care in Quebec?

We weren't just there to teach; we were there to learn, too. The Trans Patient Union led a session on patient unionization as a tool for advocating for gender-affirming surgery access in Quebec.

The Trans Patient Union is an advocacy and mutual aid collective by and for trans and non-binary patients in Tio'tia:ke (Montreal). Their approach starts from a pretty straightforward idea: the people navigating a broken system are often the people best equipped to change it.

They collect patient experiences, build resource databases, and turn individual frustrations into organized pressure on the institutions responsible for providing care.

I learned specific, practical details about how surgical funding and referrals actually work in Quebec. The kind of information that can otherwise take months of scattered research, conflicting answers, and trying to decode a healthcare system that seems determined to make simple things complicated. That was one of my favorite parts of the day.

Everyone came away with something they could act on. Including me.

Our Queer Community is Amazing

The room was full of people giving their time, skills, and expertise away for free. And then, when the pay-what-you-can hours opened at 7:30, they kept their services affordable for the rest of the evening.

Metonymy Press, an independent queer publisher, ran a reading corner and accepted book donations. Banana Prosthetics was there as one of the day's core partners alongside the Trans Patient Union and us. Cindy Tibé offered hairstyling, braids, twists, and locks, while Carla Thelusma provided simple styles and wig installation. Raquel from 5th House Esthétique offered mini facials and facial massages, and Amo provided therapeutic massage in a space designed to feel safe and unhurried. Quinten Sheriff led the vocal workshop after ours, and Kay Komizara closed out the evening with trans femme board game hangs.

Each person was doing one seemingly small, specific thing to help someone feel more comfortable in their body. A haircut. A massage. A wig installation. A book. A voice workshop. A binder. A gaff. And you could feel people relax.

Because at the end of the day, these things aren’t small. All of these things come together to help someone feel at home in their body and supported by their community. This is all mutual aid is. Each of us reaching out in whatever little way we can and sharing our gift with another.

Thanks For Being Here

To everyone who came through our booth, ordered a garment, joined the workshop, asked a question, or just stopped to talk: thank you.

Trans Care Day only works because people show up, and we know that it takes trust to walk into a room full of strangers and talk about something as personal as how your body feels in the world. If we’re being honest, we feel vulnerable going out in public too. So we're grateful that you trusted us enough to come by. 

And to everyone behind the scenes who made the day happen: the AGIR organizing and translation team, the Wild Pride volunteers, the Trans Patient Union, and every service provider who gave their time and skills to the community, thank you. We show up and give our services for free because we deeply believe in the power of this event. 

Wild Pride isn’t just a fun alternative to corporate Pride. It's a tangible reminder that we already can build the kind of community we want to live in.

If Montreal Trans Care Day moved you the way it moved us, consider supporting the organizations that made it possible. Donate to AGIR, Wild Pride, or the Trans Patient Union directly.

And as always, if you're looking for a free custom gaff or binder, our Community Program connects trans and non-binary people with partner organizations that can help them access gender-affirming garments at no cost.

You all are amazing, and we love being a part of this community.