An Adult Shop In Ottawa Was Fined For Selling A Chest Binder To A Teen

Happy ending ahead!

An adult shop in Ottawa is facing a $260 fine after selling a chest binder to an underage customer.

Venus Envy / Via venusenvy.ca

Shelley Taylor, the owner of Venus Envy in downtown Ottawa, told BuzzFeed Canada a bylaw officer came in Monday to lay down the fine. Apparently a parent had complained that the shop sold a chest binder to a minor.

Those under 18 aren't allowed into stores licensed as adult shops, as Venus Envy is.

The shop is the only brick-and-mortar place to find gender-affirming products like chest binders, which compress the chest, and gaffs, which smooth the genital area.

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Items like these help people who are transgender express their identity, among other uses. Taylor said they sell these items multiple times per day, sometimes to youth who've come in with their parents.

"Most youth don’t order online because they’re afraid of getting something to their home and having it opened. And they don’t have credit cards," said Taylor.

Her staff are also trained in how to fit for chest binders, which can be uncomfortable or ineffective in the wrong size.

While it wasn't a large fine, members of Ottawa's LGBT community stood up for Venus Envy and by Thursday — with help from city councillor Catherine McKenney — the fine had been dropped.

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"[McKenney] is a parent herself and she really seems to get how good it is for well-being to have access to sexual health information," said Taylor.

Taylor said that McKenney has promised to address the Ottawa's "outdated" licensing practices for adult stores at city council, but in the meantime Venus Envy is adjusting their product line. As of Monday, they'll no longer carry pornographic magazines or DVDs, which is enough to satisfy bylaw officers and give it an all-ages license.

And for Taylor, making sure youth have access to gender-affirming items and health information takes precedence over porn.

Venus Envy does carry a wide-range of sex toys, but it's also a hub for the community and carries LGBT-inclusive children's books, menstrual products and products for safer sex.

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Customers have been leaving messages of support on Venus Envy's Facebook page, including some with trans minors in their lives.

"I have a trans daughter and am so appreciative of the products, support and workshops you provide," wrote one person. "Can I come into the store tomorrow to make a donation towards paying it off?"

Taylor said the staff were "pleasantly surprised" by the outpouring of support and how many people were interested in making gaffs and binders more affordable.

In that spirit, Venus Envy will be setting up a pay-it-forward program for gaffs and binders so customers can pre-purchase items for strangers in need.

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