Chilliwack Gender Support Network – | Chilliwack Gender Care Committee

T.R.A.N.S. CHILLIWACK PROGRAMS

Queer Café

Every Thursday - 6:00pm to 9:00pm

All Ages / All Genders

Free weekly peer-led meetup for all ages and all genders. Events rotate and include drag-queen bingo, open mic nights, karaoke, board game nights, and more! Snacks and drinks provided.

Face-to-Face Only

Please contact us for location details at info@gendersupportnetwork.com

Transfemme Community Discord & Meetups

Alternating Mondays - 6:30pm to 8:30pm

All Ages / AMAB

Free Discord-based support group for AMAB/Transfeminine individuals with bi-monthly online meetups.

Online Only

Please Contact Us For Details at info@gendersupportnetwork.com

Transmasc Community Discord & Meetups

3rd Thursday of the Month -
5:00pm to 6:00pm

All Ages / FTM / AFAB

Free Discord-based support group for AFAB/ Transmasculine individuals with monthly face-to-face meetups.

Online & Face-to-Face

Please Contact Us For Details at info@gendersupportnetwork.com

Gender Blender

Alternating Tuesdays - 6:30pm to 8:30pm

All Ages / All Genders Welcome

Free peer-led support group for Transgender & Gender Non-Conforming people of all ages and their families. A space to network with and support each other.

Online & Face-to-Face

Please contact us for location details at info@gendersupportnetwork.com

Queer Clothing Swap

Last Saturday of the Month - 6:00pm to 8:00pm

All Ages / All Genders Welcome

Free monthly space to try on (and take home!) gently-used clothing and accessories in a safe and affirming environment.

We gladly accept donations of gently-used clothing, shoes, binders, and accessories, as well as unopened makeup.

In Person Only

Please contact us for details at info@gendersupportnetwork.com

Chilliwack Rainbow Families

Alternating Tuesdays - 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Parents and Youth Under 16 / All Genders Welcome

Providing peer support to parents of children under 16 who are experiencing gender diversity. Please bring an open mind and honest questions. Childcare provided.

Face-To-Face Only.

Please contact us for location details at info@gendersupportnetwork.com

Other Community Events

Trans Youth Alliance

Every Wednesday - 4:00pm to 5:30pm

Ages 12-18 / All Genders Welcome

Free weekly after-school trans support group and activities, led by psychology students and Gender-Diverse youth.

Face-to-Face Only.

Please contact chilliwackconnections@gmail.com for location details.

Drag Queen Bingo

Third Sunday of the Month - 3:00pm to 5:00pm

Ages 19+ / All Genders Welcome

Free weekly after-school trans support group and activities, led by psychology students and Gender-Diverse youth.

Face-to-Face Only.

Bricklayer Brewing
101-46126 Yale Road, Chilliwack, BC
https://www.bricklayerbrewing.com/events

Rainbow Café

Third Monday of the Month - 3:00pm to 6:00pm

Ages 9-12 / All Genders Welcome

Free, inclusive, and safe space for youth ages 9-12 who are part of, or curious about, the LGBTQ+ community. Snacks, beverages, and board games provided for youth. Entirely confidential and open for youth to drop in.

Face-to-Face Only.

Please contact charltonk@comserv.bc.ca for location details.

RESOURCES

Legal Documentation Assistance

We can assist with the completion of things like legal name change applications, legal gender change applications, and related paperwork.

Email info@gendersupportnetwork.com, message us on Facebook, Instagram, or visit us at our all ages meeting.

Public Transportation

To aid in lifting barriers to support, the GSN can provide Chilliwack bus tickets to assist those who take public transit in getting to our support groups.

Email info@gendersupportnetwork.com, message us on Facebook, Instagram, or visit us at our all ages meeting.

Medical Advice, Counselling, and More

The GSN partners with the Chilliwack Division of Family Practice to provide LGBTQ2IA+ informed medical advice, peer support, counseling, and more.

Email chilliwackgendercare@divisionsbc.ca or call 604-795-0034 for more information.

Gender Affirming Apparel

The GSN provides life-saving gender affirming apparel to those in need. Binders, packers and gaffs are available upon request. This request will be kept confidential. In addition, a monthly clothing-swap will provide access to free gently-loved articles of clothing.

Email info@gendersupportnetwork.com, message us on Facebook, Instagram, or visit us at our Gender Blender or Queer Cafe meetings.

Feeling Suicidal?

Please Call 911, BC Crisis Line 1-800-784-2433 or Trans Lifeline 1-877-330-6366

F.A.Q.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Start Hormone Replacement Therapy? (HRT)

chilliwackgendercare@divisionsbc.ca or call 604-795-0034 to make an appointment with a physician for more information.

How Do I Sign Up for Gender Affirming Surgery? (Top Surgery / Bottom Surgery)

Please email chilliwackgendercare@divisionsbc.ca or call 604-795-0034 to make an appointment with a physician for more information.

What Does Gender Expression Mean?

Gender expression | External appearance of one’s gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine.

What is Gender Dysphoria?

Gender dysphoria | Clinically significant distress caused when a person’s assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the term – which replaces Gender Identity Disorder – “is intended to better characterize the experiences of affected children, adolescents, and adults.”

What Does Transition Mean?

Gender transition | The process by which some people strive to more closely align their internal knowledge of gender with its outward appearance. Some people socially transition, whereby they might begin dressing, using names and pronouns and/or be socially recognized as another gender. Others undergo physical transitions in which they modify their bodies through medical interventions.

What Does Sex Assigned At Birth Mean?

Sex assigned at birth | The sex (male or female) given to a child at birth, most often based on the child’s external anatomy. This is also referred to as “assigned sex at birth.”

What is Transphobia?

Transphobia | The fear and hatred of, or discomfort with, transgender people.

What Does Transgender Mean?

Transgender | An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.

What Does Cisgender Mean?

Cisgender | A term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth.

What Does Non Binary Mean?

Non-binary | An adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do.

What Does Androgynous Mean?

Androgynous | Identifying and/or presenting as neither distinguishably masculine nor feminine.

What Does Gender Fluid Mean?

Gender-fluid | According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a person who does not identify with a single fixed gender; of or relating to a person having or expressing a fluid or unfixed gender identity.

What Does Genderqueer Mean?

Genderqueer | Genderqueer people typically reject notions of static categories of gender and embrace a fluidity of gender identity and often, though not always, sexual orientation. People who identify as “genderqueer” may see themselves as being both male and female, neither male nor female or as falling completely outside these categories.