Trans or
gender nonconforming folks everywhere can now just head over to their local
Target and (discreetly and affordably) get some affirming clothes!
While many
criticize Target’s annual Pride collection as purely a marketing ploy and money
grab, this year, that argument might be harder to make.
The yearly
Target Pride collection usually includes plenty of rainbow flags, cups and
water bottles, and lots of shirts and shorts that you’ll definitely see at any
large queer event in a major city you go to. But this year, the store has
also teamed up with queer clothing brand TomboyX to sell
binders and packing underwear.
If you’re not
familiar, binders (also known as compression tops) are garments that trans men,
trans mascs, nonbinary people, and others who want to reduce the size of their
chests wear to help relieve dysphoria. Packing underwear is used by trans masc
people to wear a packer, which gives the appearance of having a penis or bulge.
Hopefully next
year, they’ll add underwear for trans women as well. Just like trans men use
binders and packing underwear, some trans women use tucking underwear or gaffs
to help alleviate their dysphoria. It would truly be amazing if you could buy
affordable tucking underwear at Target.
Especially
right now, when trans people are so under attack by the government and in the “culture wars,” this is a real and helpful way
that Target can actually reach out to the LGBTQ+ community. It shows that
Target is a place that welcomes trans people and says they belong.
Additionally,
trans-friendly clothes can be hard to get, especially in smaller cities, so a
mega-store like Target offering them to consumers allows a whole new segment of
people to purchase the items. Trans or gender nonconforming people in red
states can now just head over to their local Target and pretty discreetly and
affordably get some affirming clothes.
Pieces in the
TomboyX x Target collection include rainbow and trans flag colored briefs and
bras, as well as the boy shorts, boxers, and the aforementioned binders and
packing briefs. The clothes range in price from $15-$25.
Of course, it
still is corporate Pride content, and not everything about the collection is
having the same effect. Target was selling a shirt as a part of the collection using
ACT UP’s famous “Silence = Death” slogan and art without permission
and without donating proceeds to ACT UP.
After ACT UP
NY posted that Target had not gotten permission and was not working with them,
Target decided to pull the shirt.
To see all of
the offerings in the TomboyX x Target collab, visit
Target's official website here. The collection launches in stores
nationwide on June 1.
SOURCE: OUT DOT COM
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