Lu’s: A Pharmacy for [Some] Women

July 7th marked a milestone for women’s health: the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective opened North America’s first women’s-only pharmacy in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. It couldn’t be situated in a more needed area: well known to be the ‘poorest postal code’ in Canada, the neighborhood is notorious for it’s high incidence of drug use, sex trade, and crime. Amidst the slew of local pharmacies primarily dispensing methadone to heroine addicts, Lu’s Pharmacy aims to provide an inviting and safe environment for women-centered care.

As a resident of Vancouver, feminist, health promoter, and avid supporter of women-centered-services, I was thrilled to hear that this novel and much needed resource had opened in my own backyard. That was until I read the fine print of the Collective’s website and the way in which it selectively defines women: "We feel that it is essential that a woman be born a woman and have the physiology of a woman and the psychological experiences of living as a girl and a woman in order to embrace the work of the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective." In short, Lu’s will not be offering it’s services to trans women, some of the most vulnerable women in the city who are the most in need of health care and many of whom are both anatomically and legally recognized as women.

Trans women have already been rejected from having their prescriptions filled at Lu’s and local news sources have noted that while trans women will continue to be turned away, trans men will be welcome. Even as a woman-born-woman, I can easily see the flawed logic in this. Not only are trans women being discriminated against, but trans men are being treated as women based on biological determinism. This ‘logic’ governing Lu’s policies overlooks the complexities of gender, the realities of everyday life, and the fact that trans women also experience patriarchal oppression from birth.

In defense of their “born women“ policy, VWHC told Canada’s Queer news source, Xtra.ca, that “It just seemed to make sense that this was our expertise, this is what we did well and knew how to do.” I call shenanigans. Ignorance is no excuse for discrimination. Pharmacist’s at Lu’s would need no more training that any other pharmacist in the country in order to fill out prescriptions. What they do require is the sensitivity and competence to provide inclusive and trans-positive care. Perhaps instead of creating excuses for why they are unfit to serve trans women they should bring their services up to par with the needs of the community by investing in some gender sensitivity training or actively recruit trans women to join their staff.


Makeup artist Raigen D’Angelo (left) and activist Jamie Lee Hamilton hold up a prescription that was refused by the staff of Lu’s: A Pharmacy for Women.