A running list of the organizations we trust, for sexual health, mental health, kink education, and everything in between.
We're a bookstore and a sex shop. We're not a clinic, a crisis line, or a counsellor, and when you need one of those, we'd rather point you to people who do it well than pretend otherwise. This is the running list of organizations we trust, most of them right here in the West End or a short trip away.
Sexual health
- Health Initiative for Men (HIM) · 416 - 1033 Davie Street · 604-675-2767 · checkhimout.ca · For GBQ men and gender-diverse people: HIV and STI testing, PrEP and PEP, and vaccines, with walk-ins available every day during clinic hours.
- Smart Sex Resource · smartsexresource.com · A map of clinics all around BC offering a wide range of sexual health services, whoever you are.
Trans health
- Trans Care BC · transcarebc.ca · Health navigators help trans, Two-Spirit and non-binary people in BC find pathways to gender-affirming care, services, and support. Their contact form is the fastest way to reach them, and they don't provide crisis support.
Mental health & peer support
- QMUNITY · 1170 Bute Street · 604-684-5307 · qmunity.ca · Peer groups, counselling, and programs for 2SLGBTQIA+ people of all ages, youth to seniors. Their free and low-cost counselling is delivered by counsellors who are all members of the community. Open Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm.
- BC Mental Health Support Line · 310-6789 (no area code) · Immediate support or referral, 24 hours a day.
Crisis & safety
- In immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
- 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline · Call or text 9-8-8 anywhere in Canada, or call 1-800-784-2433 in BC, 24/7.
- Trans Lifeline · 1-877-330-6366 · Peer support run by and for trans people, 10am to 6pm PT.
Newcomers & refugees
- Rainbow Refugee · rainbowrefugee.ca · info@rainbowrefugee.ca · Information and system navigation for LGBTQIA+ people working through immigration and refugee processes in Canada.
Kink & education
- [Community educators and workshops you partner with]
Youth & families
- QMUNITY Youth (GAB Youth) · 1170 Bute Street · qmunity.ca/youth · Drop-ins for ages 14 to 25 in person Thursdays and Fridays, 4pm to 6pm, plus online Wednesdays, and an online GAB Junior drop-in for ages 10 to 13. They also give free gender-affirming wear like binders and breastforms to trans and gender-diverse youth in BC who can't otherwise get them.
Professional development
- Queer Business BC · queerbusinessbc.ca · hello@queerbusinessbc.ca · The province's longest-running queer business association, connecting 2SLGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs and professionals with community, education, mentorship, and opportunities. Their education program runs introductory workshops for queer entrepreneurs and creatives across BC. Membership starts at $25 for students and $50 for professionals.
If something here is out of date, tell us. We'd rather fix it fast than send someone to the wrong door. And if you're standing in the store not sure where to start, just ask. We'll help you find the right number, or at least the right first phone call. Knowing who does what, and who's kind about it, is its own kind of community knowledge, and we've had forty-three years to collect it.
