Keeping Abreast of the Situation

To have or not to have - is a huge question in the transgender as well as the mainstream cultures. Specifically, trans women can't wait to experience the thrill of developing their own breasts trans men the exact opposite. None of this is a big secret.

The Times of India though recently ran an article called "The Booby Trap". Interestingly "The Booby Trap" starts with the recent news of Angelina Jolie's New York Times piece on how she underwent a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer and then begins to look at the process from a transgender man's point of view. Here's an excerpt:

"Selvam, a 27-year-old transgender male from Tamil Nadu, lists the usual ruses preoperative men like him have to resort to conceal their breasts so they can pass off as men. "I started binding my breasts with bandage from the age of 18, but it restricted blood circulation and bruised my skin," he says. "I've now started wearing tight vests and multiple layers of clothing." He has also fashioned a prosthetic penis of cloth to make the semblance more credible. "There are some transmen I know who drink a lot of beer to develop a beer belly that will make the breasts less prominent."

This is just a short look into how "the other trans half" is subjected to the physical pain of transition. I can only say- with my very brief knowledge of having my own developing breasts, binding them would be no walk in the park. All of this proves once again trans men or trans women are so different but so similar in our paths we are taking.

To take a look at the rest of the article, go here. In the meantime, lets talk about that "beer belly"!