As many of you know, one of my identities is as a SOFFA (a significant other, friend, family or ally – or all of the above) of trans folks. As a woman who is cisgender (meaning the sex I was assigned at birth by the doctors matches my gender identity), I receive cisgender privilege in this world. I don’t have to wonder if people are questioning my gender I’m presenting, I don’t have to worry about which bathroom is less dangerous for me, and while I may have fights with the image in the mirror occasionally, it isn’t even about whether the person looking back at me embodies the gender I feel fits me best.
I have a trans partner, and many trans friends and colleagues. As someone known in the sex ed community to be trans-friendly and trans-inclusive, I am often asked where people can get StP devices (these allow you to Stand to Pee, meaning trans men can use them to pee in urinals in public), binders (which allow trans masculine folks of all identities, including butch, gender queer, trans male, etc, to bind their chests to look flat under clothing), packers (which are like soft dildos that give a nice feel and appearance of a flacid cock in someone’s pants), etc. While I have always directed people to this store for certain things, and this store for other things, and then another store for something specific, I am proud to introduce FtM Essentials: The Gear You Need from a Shop You Can Trust. Run by a trans-friendly woman (who also owns a feminist sex toy store), FtM Essentials sells much of the stuff needed by trans and gender queer folks to help their bodies line up with their identities. I’m happy to point people in this direction for a mostly one-stop-shop for your FtM needs. 
This being said, I still don’t have a ton of great resources for MtF folks and trans women. if you know of a similar one-store-carries-it-all (or most) site or store front I can direct people to for trans women’s needs, I would be happy to post that as well. Please comment with it, and it’ll get its own separate blog post and link on my side bar!
Also, for youth under 21, check out In a Bind, which is a binder exchange program where you can get a pre-worn binder for free or cheap, based on your needs!
This post, New Affiliate: FTM Essentials, originally appeared on Shanna Katz M.Ed, ACS on August 23, 2012.