03/31/2025
Hey Everyone! Happy Transgender Day of Visibility!
At Clarified Bodywork it is my mission to not simply be LGBTQ+ Inclusive, but make sure that I am consciously and actively being Trans Inclusive, and doing all I can as an ally to educate myself so that I can offer gender affirming care that allow my Trans and Non-Binary clients to feel Safe, Cared For, Respected and Relaxed as any of my other clients. The farther I get into running my practice, the more I understand how vital it is as an ally to educate myself on behalf of my clients. If you know about any other resources for learning about gender affirming care please share as I would love to utilize, support, and promote it. I've learned how important it is to be vocal and give clients clear signposts that you are safe and be willing invest yourself in their care. Being educated means the clients does not have the labor of explaining their situation anymore than any other client.
My shout out for today goes to resources that clients and fellow massage therapists alike can support and utilize to uplift Trans community members that are doing important work.
In the course of educating myself I reached out to one of our local resources in Milwaukee, the Trans Tool Shed, and they had a plethora of books recommendations, which I scooped up and am currently working my way through. My current favorite is the beautiful book by Francis Reed "Healthy Chest Binding for Trans and Non-Binary People". This is an incredible self care resource for clients but also handy for any massage therapist working with clients that chest bind. Francis is a nationally renowned transgender health educator and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity consultant, in addition to being an LMT for over the past 10 years. They also are offering classwork for LMTs that is gender affirming and offers specific techniques for treating clients that are transitioning. Here is a link to their website for more information about them, their work and their story.
https://francesreed.com/
If you're interested in the book and would like to support Frances and Trans Tool Shed here is another link.
https://transtoolshed.com/collections/books-media/products/healthy-chest-binding-for-trans-and-non-binary-people
Thank you everyone for reading,
Be Well, Be Safe, Be Proud
-Claire Ninneman She/Her