Items to support them in presenting as male gender are haircuts and chaps’ pants, minimising sports bras and baggy T-shirt’s. Not binders which destroy breast tissue and inhibit breathing, offered via a trendy soap shop.
Good lord. You do realise that a trans man will be having a double mastectomy when they're on the transition path? Their breasts are a hinderance, nothing more.
My very close colleague is a trans man. He started binding properly at 18 but had done so unsuccessfully before that. Despite seeing the GP and asking for referral to the gender clinic he waited another 2 years before that happened. He then had to prove to the GIC that he'd been living full time as a man for a further 2 years before they'd consider him for hormone treatment and the start of the surgery pathway that can take years to complete. I remember his euphoria at finally not having to bind anymore because his double mastectomy had been booked, and the resulting holiday snaps of him shirtless by the pool in Spain just BEAMING.
Just as their penis is an unwanted appendage to a trans woman. The lengths they go to to hide the male genitalia (usually in the form of pushing the testicles back inside the body and using extra tight support underwear to properly tuck the penis) also causes tissue damage. restriction and shrinkage.
Which is why I'm forced to shake my head in disbelief when women have this idea that a trans woman in the women's changing rooms must be flashing a penis in their faces. After it's taken them so long in the morning to properly organise post-op genitalia in order to pass, the last thing they want to do is undo that work while trying on a pair of jeans. Then there's the months and months of laser facial hair removal, the months of voice training, not to mention the anguish of knowing how long the waiting list is for surgery and all the dangers that come with it.
I have a family member who is a trans woman. If she took a dress into Primark changing rooms to try on, you'd pass her by without even a second glance. She's absolutely no risk to you whatsoever and neither are the majority of trans people. She would, however, be at risk in the male changing rooms. Would you all be ok with that? Because shame on you if so.
Binding isn't primarily aimed at young girls wanting to 'hide' their burgeoning breasts to stop being sexually objectified by men. I'm not saying that doesn't happen with some small percentage of girls, but if it does I would question the parenting. A parent who only shares horror stories of men, and constantly talks about them as if they're all monsters out to rape and abuse, produces girls who are afraid to be girls. You reap what you sow.
Trans men are not girls who are afraid to be girls, they do not identify as male to stop them being objectified by men, they do it because they feel like they ARE MEN. Not even sure why I need to explain that.
I remember when I worked in a hostel, a 19yo trans man ended up with us because his dad had found his bindings, and a small bag of male toiletries. He'd held him down and shaved his head, saying 'you want to be a man eh? This is what men look like..' and then thrown him out. This was once the 'daughter' he doted on, but out of fear of how people would react, out of his own ignorance, he was happy to throw his own child out of their home.
And as for labelling binding as self harm, stop. That's insensitive and almost dismissive of ACTUAL self harm. Many trans people actually DO self harm, because of the bigotry they face even from their own families. But do not confuse the two.
And for fucks sake EDUCATE yourself. Thank god I actually raised my DC as inclusive, understanding human beings who have properly informed opinions rather than basing them on ignorant and often unfounded fears.