Hotel Zed was proud to host Rae Hill and their partner on a recent visit to Hotel Zed Victoria. Afterwards, Rae generously agreed to an interview to share their experience as a trans person navigating travel for business, leisure and pleasure. We recommend that all bodies looking for lingerie and swimwear visit Origami Customs for custom-made and ready-to-ship options! 

Tell us about yourself

 

I’m Rae Hill (they/them), a non-binary trans fashion designer and the founder of Origami Customs—a Montreal-based fashion brand that creates ethically made, gender-affirming lingerie and swimwear. I also work as a speaker and consultant, focusing on topics like gender affirmation, ethical entrepreneurship, and how to build inclusive, trans-integral business models.

Origami Customs offers fully custom-made, gender-affirming garments that are made by queer and trans people here in Montreal. We take care of our community first by providing above-average salaries, skill training, and a comprehensive gender affirmation benefits plan that’s hardly ever seen! Through this we provide thoughtful creation of gender affirmation products, because we see each individual as part of our global community. We also make sure our customers have access to up-to-date, free and accessible safety information and resources beyond just  our fashion niche. We host free monthly webinars on everything from disability and gender to professionalism for trans folks, to dating, to advocacy and training for allies.

Beyond designing our products and running our Montreal production studio, I also started a global community program that collaborates with hundreds of NGOs, healthcare providers, universities and more to provide free, gender-affirming garments to trans and gender-diverse individuals who face systemic and financial barriers.

With over 15 years of experience in fashion and a background in Sociology, I’m now excited to embark on a new path of advocacy and educational work, teaching workshops, keynoting, presenting and collaborating at conferences around the world.

How does being trans impact how you approach travel?

Being trans is a joy and a blessing, and it also makes things really complicated sometimes.

As someone who has gone by different names and pronouns than the ones I was given when I was born, it can be tricky to not only be seen as the gender I want to present as but also prove that in an on-paper kind of way. As other gender diverse people know, it’s a looooong road to get all those IDs switched over! It’s expensive and costly, and honestly, extremely disheartening.

Honorifics are a nightmare that trans people know all too well- and especially for more ambiguous or androgynous people. I usually play a game of “am I going to get Mr or Mrs?” or people who go back and forth between the two. You truly never know what people are going to pick up on that makes them decide in their minds what gender you are, and then what makes them go back and forth in correcting themselves!

When it comes to washrooms, the best case is that I have to choose a gender that makes me uncomfortable or be in a space that makes other people uncomfortable. Worst case, I get harassed. Neither is a good option unless the space has a neutral, universal, inclusive and/or individual washroom.

Being a trans and disabled person also adds another layer to travelling, especially with an “invisible” disability. Luckily my primary partner and I share this identity and can help each other when we travel. But it does mean that we need a lot more information about a space before we arrive to make sure it’s going to be suitable for not just our gender identity needs and preferences, but for our physical capacity and limitations as well.

Does that change if you’re travelling solo vs with a romantic partner?

Of course, when I’m with a romantic partner, especially if they are trans too, there’s solidarity and advocacy there that makes the whole experience safer, as well as more fun and relaxing. It’s truly invaluable to know that someone has your back, can speak up for you in tricky situations, and is generally understanding of your specific needs.

When you’re going on vacation, you want to live in that carefree, curious and exploratory space- and sharing that with a partner is so special. When you’re feeling nervous about transphobia and access barriers, it shuts down your ability to live that beautiful, carefree vibe that we all crave in our adventures.

As a non-monogamous person, I also need to know ahead of time that my relationship structures will be welcome! It just adds another layer of complexity, but all of these pieces intertwine in very real ways. What if I were to travel with multiple partners? Are there rooms with three beds? Would we all be given keys? These are just some of the other things I have to think about that most people don’t.

What makes you feel safe or excited when booking accommodation?

I’ll notice little things when I arrive – markers that someone has thought of the queer and trans community and wants them to feel welcome. This can be as small as a pronoun pin or neutral washrooms, or overt stickers on the door. Of course, when someone uses neutral language and pronouns before learning how I prefer to be greeted is a huge green flag. It doesn’t take much to offer safety and going above and beyond is so rare when we’re used to just accepting crumbs. When you see a space that’s fully committed to supporting queer and trans people year-round, it’s incredibly meaningful.

Seeing how a company shows up in their community is another factor I look for. Are they present during Pride month, but also the rest of the year? Are they engaging, donating or volunteering with local organizations and supporting causes that I care about? It’s important that we see companies put their money where their mouth is, and don’t just pinkwash in order to get our money and our business.

 

How was your stay at Hotel Zed?   What made it different from other hotels?

I mean, I knew coming to Hotel Zed that they had already put in the work to make it a safe and inclusive experience. It was *overtly* queer friendly from the moment you walk in the door. But talking more with Nikisa and then with Matt (who spearheaded some new policy changes to include gender diverse folks), make me realize two things- that 1. they already thought more about this than any other business I had seen (besides mine, lol!), and 2. they were actively looking for ways to be better. And this is how it felt when they reached out to me- that they had done so much already but still wanted feedback from the community on how to push the envelope even further. They call themselves “rebels against the ordinary,” and it’s certainly true in terms of business practices.

One employee, Matt, explained to me how he had updated the booking policies to include a “chosen name” category if it didn’t match what’s on your ID, along with other deadname and booking policies that support the gender diverse community. They involved trans people in the creation of these policies, because as Matt told me, “I believe that support, training, and education should be done by people with lived experience—or at the very least, co-created with them. Meaningful support can’t happen without that real-world insight. There’s just no substitute for it. I also think it is better received when it comes from someone with lived experience.” We love that!

Is The Love Nest a room you’d book as a trans person looking for a spicy getaway?

You can really tell that with this new room, they’re pulling all the stops. They’ve not only thought out a safe and welcoming (and so steamy, let’s be honest) environment, but they’ve also made it as inclusive as possible, in all the meanings of the word.

I remember when Nikisa (Director of Marketing) first approached me with the idea behind this room, she was absolutely gushing! The way all the little details were thought out, made me realize how much this was designed with heart and the comfort and pleasure of all bodies in mind.

From the curtain that pulls across the mirrored walls in case you’re not feeling yourself, or the carefully thought-out weight rating for the counters (so folks in all bodies can play everywhere!), I was blown away by the attention to detail.

How can we make The Love Nest more inclusive?

We can always be asking the questions which will move us further in the right direction with our inclusivity- and that’s what sets this business apart! You’ve already done a great job. In the future, I would love to see more accessibility features spread to other parts of the hotel, like the pool and waterslide area! Another idea is to make the Love Nest rentable at a reduced rate for community groups – I can imagine workshops on sex and disability, inclusive kink groups, and more!

Anything else you wanna tell us?

 Just to keep up the good work. Hotel Zed is a rare gem in the increasingly terrible landscape of capitalism. I’m proud to be a part of its inauguration!

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