Why Gender-Affirming Products Matter: Beyond Functionality to Freedom
Gender-affirming gear is not optional equipment. For a lot of trans and nonbinary people it is the difference between getting through the day and being at home in your own body. That is why New York Toy Collective exists, and it is the whole brief we design against.
The company started because the product did not exist
New York Toy Collective launched in New York in 2012. The industry at the time was missing something obvious: products designed not just for queer and trans people, but by them.
Chelsea Downs founded it because the thing she wanted did not exist, so she made it herself — roughly seven thousand dollars in savings and hand-poured prototypes in her apartment. The first was Shilo, the first silicone pack-and-play offered in multiple skin tones. Fourteen years later it is still the product people come back to.
What changed in the industry
Stores that once had nothing for trans and nonbinary customers now carry entire gender expression sections. We helped make that normal.
The legacy is not only the products. It is the proof of concept — showing the industry that this could be done properly, and opening the door for the people who came after.
Why the design brief is different
A product that is close enough is not affirming. Fit that is nearly right is something you think about all day, which defeats the purpose.
So the standard we work to is that the gear should disappear into your life. A packer you forget you are wearing. A pump cylinder built around this anatomy, not repurposed from something else. A harness that stays put through a full session. That is the difference between something that works and something that feels right, and you only get the second one by designing for these bodies from the start.
Everything we make is originally designed and made with intention, and everything carries a One-Year Maker's Warranty.
Where the products go
Beyond individual customers, we work with healthcare providers to get gender-affirming tools into clinical settings — including VA hospitals nationwide, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the State University of New York.
That partnership work matters because it moves these products out of the category of novelty and into the category of equipment, which is what they always were. More on that: how we work with healthcare providers.
What we make now
The line has grown from one silicone dildo into a full range, all built to the same brief:
- Packers and STPs for everyday wear — choosing your first packer
- Trans masc pumps in three models — which one is right for you
- Shilo and Carter, our pack-and-play dildos — how the category works
- Harnesses in leather, neoprene and underwear style — how to choose one
The mission, stated plainly
Design tools that let people live authentically, explore what they want, and feel at home in their bodies. When your body feels like home, everything else gets easier.
That was the idea in 2012. It has not changed. Everything ships in a plain, unmarked box, because privacy is part of the product.
Frequently asked questions
When was New York Toy Collective founded?
2012, in New York. It started with roughly seven thousand dollars in savings and hand-poured prototypes made in the founder's apartment.
What was the first product?
Shilo, the first silicone pack-and-play offered in multiple skin tones. It is still the product people come back to.
Who designs the products?
The community they are for. That is the whole premise, and it is why fit and function come before anything else.
Do you work with healthcare providers?
Yes. We partner with VA hospitals nationwide, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the State University of New York to make gender-affirming tools accessible in clinical settings.
