Page 58 - AVN April 2016

FEATURE
Smooth Transition
Tips for helping shoppers express their gender identities
resource for folks transition or questioning. Today,
it seems, especially in politics and entertainment.
Transgender. The word is popping up everywhere,
this section feels just as necessary, even though
As awareness of and exposure to transgender
there are many more companies offering similar
individuals and their stories and experiences
items or selections. We continue to look at ways to
continues to grow, the pleasure products industry is
expand what we offer.”
paying more attention.
Some manufacturers have offered strap-ons
While these days mainstream press is filled with
for decades, including Pipedream Products.
stories about Caitlyn Jenner, Lilly and Lana Wachowski,
Marketing for the strap-on has changed through
Laverne Cox, Chaz Bono and more, little to no attention
the years from being directed specifically to lesbian
is paid to the process of transitioning, especially when
couples, to anyone interested in pegging and to
it comes to female-to-male—aka FTM—transgenders.
those transitioning FTM. In recent years, new
In many cases, before even the first surgery takes place,
manufacturers have entered the pleasure product
transgender people will alter their appearances through
industry to provide more quality and selection,
a variety of means, including clothing, makeup and
including SpareParts HardWear. Inspired by the
a variety of items available from numerous pleasure
lack of variation of harnesses on the market back
products manufacturers.
in 1999, SpareParts HardWear set about to invent
Among the first companies to offer items for
the ultimate harness. Most recently, the company
those looking to express their true gender was FtM
announced the creation of the Tomboii, a boxer brief
Essentials—a subsidiary of Early to Bed, a feminist
harness available in a number of color combinations
erotica shop in Chicago—that has been serving the trans
and sizes XS to 4X.
community since 2001.
“We had been selling a lot of trans supportive gear for
guys on our site Early2BedShop.com and I was realizing
that a LOT of these folks had no interest in sex toys and
had to wade through sex toys to find these items on our
site,” said Searah Deysach, founder of Early To Bed. “I
wanted to make the gender expression gear available
to people under 18, so I started FtM Essentials to be a
sex toy-free zone; a place where folks could easily find
their packers. I also wanted parents and social service
agencies to be able to share the site with younger trans
guys without have to explain what a butt plug was.”
When it comes to deciding what items to offer on the
site, Deysach said the most important thing is to listen
to her customers; the second is to find the best quality
items on the market.
“Quality and functionality is really important to me,
but over the years we have sold and still do sell a few
things that I would prefer not to carry, but they meet a
very specific need for the trans guy community and we
make sure our customers know the shortcomings,” she
said. “Thankfully, more and more affordable high-quality
stuff is coming to market so I can replace older, less-
awesome stuff with new, more awesome stuff! We try
stuff out ourselves or send things to reviewers if we have
questions about how well something will work, so I can
confidently stand behind the products that we sell.”
Good Vibrations—a sex-positive adult boutique
based in San Francisco with locations in California and
Massachusetts—offers products such as packers and
strap-ons in stores but a larger selection online.
“For us having items that fit under Gender Expression
& Play came about organically as our coworkers, friends
and lovers began to transition and didn’t have a place
to purchase items that they needed for daily expression
of their gender as well as when being intimate,” said
Coyote Days, product and purchasing manager for
Good Vibrations. “So we brought them in and became a
First, get educated! Don’t start
carrying trans stuff if you don’t
have a good handle on gender
issues. Read up on terminology
and train your staff on how to
use non-gendered language.
—Searah Deysach, FtM Essentials
Another manufacturer that revolutionized the
strap-on was Tantus Inc., which made a splash
more than a decade ago with its patented Feeldoe, a
strapless strap-on.
And in 2015, mega-manufacturer CalExotics
began creating its Packer Gear Collection. The
Packer Gear features a Black Boxer Brief Harness
and a Black Brief Harness, which are available in
sizes ranging from extra-small to extra-large. The
harnesses have a two-panel design to accommodate
dual penetration as well as a reinforced O-ring that
stretches to accommodate most packers, dongs
or probes. There is an internal strap to secure the
packer in place and internal pockets so that the user
can add their favorite stimulators.
This line also includes two Packing Penises, which
come in a 4- or 5- inch model. Each piece is available
in brown or ivory and has a uniquely designed base
for secure fit in the Packer Gear Harness.
The influx of packing items and more is a far cry
from when Deysach started FtM Essentials.
“Oh, the industry has gotten much better! There
is still a long way to go, but when I started selling
trans stuff 14 years ago, almost no one knew what
I was talking about,” she said. “Even some major
manufactures have come out with pretty decent
by SHERRISHAULIS
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trans gear. I’m still a big fan of the indie-made
higher-quality products, but the more people are
making products that help people live more fully in
their gender, the better, I say!”
Deysach and Days say other adult retailers should
consider selling items if they are not already. There
are specific items any retailer can carry, they said,
that would not take up much store space for brick-
and-mortars, yet would make a significant impact of
their customers.
Basic items would include “educational books,
soft packs and perhaps gaff undergarments if you
have apparel,” Days said. “Online store are able to
offer larger range of items without having to invest
square footage to display, but many of these items
are very intimate and personal for people so there’s
a benefit to having a small section in stores that
people can touch and see.”
But first, Deysach offered, “Don’t pick up trans
gear until you have eliminated the word ‘tranny’
from your vocabulary,” she said. “First, get
educated! Don’t start carrying trans stuff if you
don’t have a good handle on gender issues. Read up
on terminology and train your staff on how to use
non-gendered language (there is no such thing as a
women’s toy or a men’s toy). Make sure everyone
in your shop can treat trans people with the same
amount of respect as they treat cisgendered folks, or
you are doing everyone a disservice by inviting trans
people into your shop. While the market is growing,
this is not the community to try and cash in on.
“But if you are committed to providing your
trans and gender nonconforming clients with items
specific to their needs, have a separate section for
the items that are not used for sex (binders, packers
and STPs) and promote it as gender expression
gear or something like that,” Deysach continued.
“Remember that most people don’t see these items
as sex toys, but rather as things that make daily life
better for them.”
Asked whether there are other general items that
might be beneficial for people and their changing
bodies, Deysach said, “Well, trans folks are just like
cis folks in many ways when it comes to fucking.
People across the gender spectrum like vibrators and
dildos; and who doesn’t need a good body-safe lube?
“We look at sex toys with an eye for how they
be used beyond what the maker might have
intended, not only for trans people but for folks
with disabilities or other issues that sometimes take
creativity,” she added. “We also work to change or
eliminate language that might be off-putting to trans
and gender non-conforming folks. For instance, we
don’t have a ‘Men’s’ section. We have penis toys,
because not all people with penises are men and not
all men have penises.”
For more information, visit GoodVibes.com,
Early2Bed.com or FtMEssentials.com.