I <3 My Chest: A chest health resource for trans folk
- QMUNITY Team
- Dec 20, 2014
- 2 min read
Taking care of ourselves and our chests can involve eating well, staying active and getting periodic health check-ups in a setting that feels respectful and caring. It can also mean, whenever we can, surrounding ourselves with people who are inclusive, respectful and loving to us, our gender identities and our bodies.
For some, loving their chest means binding carefully so as not to inhibit breathing or cause injury. For some, it may mean having surgery to create breasts or to create a flat chest, and steering clear of drugs and foods that interfere with healing. For some, loving their chest may mean choosing clothes that express their gender identities rather than the sex assigned to them at birth. Loving and caring for ourselves can be a powerful way to resist transphobia, transmisogyny and queerphobia.
‘I Heart My Chest’ is a resource to promote chest care among trans folk, created by QMUNITY staff and volunteers, with the invaluable assistance of the Health Sciences Association, Prism, and a team of volunteer advisors with lived and/or professional experience. It addresses topics including choosing a service provider, binding, pads and forms, bra selection, hormones, surgery, emotional well-being, cancer screening and prevention, cardiovascular health, and nutrition.
Every person has unique experiences and definitions of health and wellbeing, as well as their own physical, financial, social, and mental barriers to achieving it. As such, some of the content of this guide may not feel right for you, and we welcome your feedback for future edits. This guide is a starting point, and we encourage you to explore your health options with trans-competent health care providers if available. We recognise that language is contested, culturally-contextual, personal, and evolving, and that language that feels right for one person may feel wrong for another. This resource was written with the intent of inclusivity. However, we welcome any suggestions for more inclusive language for later editions. To do so, contact us at: education@qmunity.ca!
