desperatelyseekingcannibals:

Hi all, as many of you will know I recently had top surgery and could not have done it without the love, support and donations of my Fannibal Family. 

Money has been erratic this year – and now, weeks after surgery I have received my bonus from work. As it came in too late for me to use it towards my surgery and therefore I had to rely more on donations than I’d have liked, I feel compelled to try and give back/pay forward. It’s not enough to pay everyone back, but it is enough to pay something forward. so I set some of it aside to try and give back to the fandom a little. I’ve already spent some on commissions and fandom stuff with Fannibals I know are struggling a little. But I wanted to do something that felt a little more appropriate.   

After donating my no longer needed binders to Fannibals in need as a first option, it has become clear that there are others out there who need a binder and don’t have the money, but these weren’t the right size for them. 

So here’s me paying it forward – 

As thanks to the Fannibal Family for all you’ve done, I’ve put aside some cash from my bonus to buy a small number of medical grade, professionally made binders from Underworks / FtM Binders at Underworks. 

Please read ALL of the below before getting in touch.

Here’s the deal – 

• You must be a Fannibal – I want to give back to the fandom specifically – however, you do not need to have donated to my surgery fund (I’m paying forward not paying back) 
• You must identify as trans, non-binary, gender queer, etc – basically someone who needs a binder to deal with chest dysphoria and combat social dysphoria by helping you pass a little more. This is NOT for cosplay 
• You must be unable to afford a binder yourself
• You must not already own a binder (or if you do and it’s on it’s last legs and needs replacing that’s cool. This is not a way to get a spare).
• You must be happy to give me your measurements in order to purchase the correct size – this is very important! The size must be correct or the binder will not fit and worst case could cause irreparable damage.
• You must be happy to give me an appropriate full name and address for delivery. This may mean giving me your dead name if that is how you are still known officially. This is because if delivery is missed and needs to be sent to a sorting office or equivalent they may ask for proof of ID before releasing the package. Therefore I cannot use online names or any names you cannot officially ID yourself as (sorry 😦 – this information will not go any further than myself)
• You do not need to be on Testosterone or have medically transitioned in any way, you do not need to have socially transitioned, you do not need to be out! 
• You do not need to be following me on social media, we do not need to be mutuals – this is all completely unbiased
• All I ask is that if you are ever in a position to pay it forward, you do so too. This includes donating your binder to someone else in need or a trans charity should you no longer be in need of it in the future.

Why Underworks? –

I have an account with them, they are who I have always bought binders through as they are especially good for people with larger chests such as myself. I can vouch for the professional quality of these binders and the good customers service and fast delivery. I wouldn’t feel comfortable buying binders from somewhere else as a gift as I won’t be able to vouch for their quality etc. 

I am proposing to buy their Tri-Top Chest Binder as I have found from previous research these are one of the most recommended. It is a mid-length binder, and the cut of it makes it feel more like a tank top rather than wearing a bra, which can be beneficial to dysphoria. They are from the extreme compression range, so will achieve as much flatness as any others on the market (more so in many reviews) – though flatness in general varies according to chest size.

Although Underworks is not exclusively trans focused (it supplies all kinds of compression, health and sports garments), they are aware active in the community and have a trans focused online outlet (FtM Binders at Underworks). And more importantly they give back! Underworks donates binders (almost 8000 to date) to those in need of them – primarily through LGBT+ youth organisations.

Safety –

• As noted, the measurements/size MUST be accurate or this could be damaging to your health
• If you do not feel safe having this delivered to your home address because of your living situation, I am happy to post to a willing friend/relative instead

Disclaimer – 

• I have put enough aside for 5 binders. If I can free up more money another time I will, but for now I will be making order for the first 5 people to get in touch
• I have no affiliation with Underworks other than being a loyal customer. If the product is faulty/undelivered, I will try and resolve this as the order is in my name but do not take further responsibility
• The responsibility for giving the correct measurements and the sizing of the binder is with you – if you give this incorrectly and it causes any issues, I do not take responsibility for that.
• Also, be realistic in order to avoid disappointment. This goes double for large chested people, as this will not always flatten completely (no binder will for chests over a certain size). I knew this and was still a little sad when it didn’t flatten me more than it did – however, the compression/support aspect was 10000% better than wearing a bra and helped considerably with my dysphoria even though I wasn’t completely flat.

How do we do this?? – 

If you’ve read the above, fit the criteria, and want to put yourself forward for a binder, just PM me here on tumblr or twitter. The first five people to do so I will take the orders from.

Once I’ve confirmed  that you meet the above criteria (again, please no cosplayers – this is often an issue for binder give away blogs and I don’t want to deal with that); the size you need; and the colour you want (black, white or beige) – I will then make the orders. If they are a pretty random selection I will have them sent directly from Underworks to you. However, if there are multiples of one size I may be able to buy multipack deals and so will have them sent to me, repackage them and send them out from my address in the UK via Royal Mail.

What’s the catch?

Nothing. Nada. I just want to pay forward in a way that seems appropriate.