Like most queer Indians, Chudawala then turned to DIY methods.“It just didn’t feel right. That's when I felt like I would feel better with a flatter chest, but it seemed difficult at that time.”
Kris Chudawala started "The Binder Fund" last year with friends, and now aims to sensitise Indians about binding, especially in a safe way. Photo via Kris Chudawala
Learning from their experience, Chudawala now reaches out to others in their community to fill the gap in the market and healthcare industry. Last year, Chudawala, along with a group of friends, started “The Binder Fund,” a crowdfunding project that encourages people to donate money so they can sponsor binders, an expensive and limited commodity in India. But this is just the beginning of a larger conversation. “In India, queer conversations are still stuck on awareness for trans folks, and so on,” said Chudawala. “We’ve not reached a point where dysphoria is taken seriously. This project is to promote safe practices for young people and support them.”“Seeing yourself the way you want to really be is a very affirmative experience for any trans person. And I experienced the joy of that.”
Last year, Chudawala started “The Binder Fund,” a crowdfunding project that encourages people to donate money so they can sponsor binders. Photo: Sehaj Kaur
Yet, in a 2016 report, many queer interviewees from the U.K. told VICE how they bind regardless of the risks involved. "Binding is a part of daily life for many, but it can have negative impacts on your physical health – ranging from minor to severe – across a wide range of symptoms, from pain in different parts of your body, to shortness of breath, to bruising or other skin changes," researcher Sarah Peitzmeier told VICE in the same interview. Unsafe binding is also known to cause everything from broken bones to punctured lungs. In one interview, Durga Gawde, a Mumbai-based drag king, said that binding is not easy. “It takes so long, and if I do it wrong, I can fracture my ribs,” said Gawde.“We’ve not reached a point where dysphoria is taken seriously. This project is to promote safe practices for young people and support them.”
Sam, a non-binary college student from the city of Pune, who prefers using only their first name, told VICE that finding identity-affirming tools such as binders can reduce the sense of alienation and loneliness that most queer Indians face.Dysphoria, said Sam, could be triggered by small things, like being made to wear traditional Indian clothes during festivals, or gendered school uniforms. When that happened to Sam, they would try to hide their body by wearing loose clothes, or borrowing their father’s large-sized Nehru jackets to hide their chest. “There were times when I would want to wear something but the moment I’d wear it, I wouldn’t like it because of the way my body looked,” said Sam, who was also contemplating gender confirmation surgery – an expensive and dangerous option for many queer Indians. Last year, Sam reached out to Chudawala’s project and asked for a binder. “When I wear binders, I feel free. I feel like myself,” said Sam.Follow Pallavi Pundir on Twitter.“As a trans person not feeling comfortable in your own body is a traumatizing experience.”
