hey i’ve been seeing this implied a lot in trans support posts so i wanna make it clear: binding and tucking are not equivalent
i know that to an outsider eye they may seem similar—they’re both trans things where you wear a special garment that squishes you into a shape you want to be.
but binding consists of compressing the breast tissue against the chest to flatten ones silhouette. it is not without its risks, ofc, but when done properly is not innately permanently damaging. tucking, by comparison, usually consists of pushing the testicles up into the body via inguinal canals and then holding them in place. it can be incredibly painful, and even if done correctly can cause an inguinal hernia (an injury in which the intestines actually protrude down into the scrotum, which, left untreated, can be fatal) and other injuries.
conflating the two hurts transmascs and transfems alike, especially younger trans people. it hurts transfems by normalising tucking and minimising it’s dangers. i’ve seen “tucking resources” and how-tos on lists of tips for transfem children. arguably nobody should be encouraged to tuck, but to encourage children to do something so painful and potentially life threatening so that they “pass” better is just unacceptable. and it hurts transmascs by making binding sound scarier! binding is not particularly dangerous or painful if done right, and the idea that it carries similar risks to tucking is an old terf myth to scare transmascs out of transtitioning
the fact that transfems are EVER expected to go through such pain and even risk our lives just to hide the natural shape of our bodies is despicable, but if you absolutely must encourage tucking in your resource posts please PLEASE make it clear that it carries serious risks and trade-offs that binding simply does not
