Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Last year Wiley, a trans man, organized a large clothing swap among his friends and community. Although it wasn’t exclusive to queer and trans people, most of the attendees were queer or trans. According to people who came to the swap, what happened there was magical.
Years before, when he was starting to dress in a masculine style, Wiley struggled to afford new clothing, but received a donation of masculine clothing from a trans woman. Now that he had more clothing, he was happy to pass these items on to other butch and masculine-of-center people. The clothing swap included clothing for fat people, a group that often struggles to find comfortable clothing. Books and beauty products were added to the exchange. Wiley himself even acquired a beloved Dave Matthews Band long-sleeved T-shirt. The leftover clothing was donated to worthy causes, like the Boys and Girls Club.
For years, clothing exchanges like the one Wiley organized have provided an important space for LGBT people. The exchanges give queer and trans people access to clothing that helps them express their gender identity and orientation.
Clothing can be an expression of one’s identity, culture, and feelings. Clothing is also gendered by society, and many queer and trans people aim to wear clothing that affirms their own identity.
At a clothing swap, a trans man might exchange his feminine clothing — possibly things acquired before he began dressing in a masculine fashion — with a femme non-binary person. A butch queer woman might receive clothing from a trans woman who has masculine clothing, which she was expected to wear as someone assigned male at birth.
Of course, some trans men might prefer feminine clothing, and trans women masculine clothing. But that’s the beauty of it: Everyone is free to explore their own styles and try on what they wish. “Shopping” and trying on clothes around supportive, like-minded people means that — at least in theory — attendees won’t feel like their gender is being scrutinized by those around them. Genderfluid and gender nonconforming people, as well as those simply seeking to mix up their style, can also help themselves to an array of different items without judgment.
“I think these clothing swaps have helped me immensely over the years as I’ve solidified my identity in relation to my style,” says Lanni, a genderfluid lesbian. “For me, my identity is deeply tied to the clothes I wear, but I didn’t have access to those clothes for a variety of reasons for years. I remember the first time someone gave me a bowtie and I wore it out in public. I had never felt so good about how I looked or felt so confident in myself.”
For Wiley, wearing gender-affirming clothing is not only important because it makes him feel comfortable — it also means he’s less likely to be misgendered. “Misgendering” refers to someone mistaking or mislabeling a trans person’s gender. It can include using the incorrect pronouns, honorariums like Mr. or miss, or calling someone a “man” or “woman.” In Wiley’s case, he’s more likely to be recognized as a man and referred to with the correct pronouns if he’s wearing masculine clothing. “When I go outside, it's very important to me to minimize as much as I can the amount of harassment and violence I experience from transphobic people,” he explains. “Dressing ‘like a man’ is a big part of preventing that unwanted attention.”
The main way Wiley gets new clothing is through clothing exchanges. “I literally would not have new clothes if it weren't for clothing swaps,” he says. “Like many queer and trans people, although I work two jobs and pick up freelance work whenever I can, I barely make ends meet.” WIley, who does active work as a dog-walker and in childcare, finds he wears through clothing quickly.
Wiley points out that queer and trans people are disproportionately poor, and he’s right. According to a June 2013 report compiled by the Williams Institute, US statistics show that LGBT-identified people are more likely to live in poverty than people who are heterosexual and cisgender.
A report from the Center for American Progress and the Movement Advancement Project entitled “Paying an Unfair Price: The Financial Penalty for Being LGBT in America” also shows that LGBT people’s income is likely to be lower than that of cisgender, heterosexual people. Among LGBT people, 20.7 percent earn under $12,000 per year, while only 17 percent of non-LGBT people earn the same amount. Similarly, 15 percent of trans people are likely to have an income of less than $10,000 per year, as opposed to 4 percent of the general population.
There are many possible reasons for this staggering poverty. For one, queer and trans youth who come out at a young age might be forced to move out of the family home, losing access to housing and financial support. The “Paying an Unfair Price” report suggests a number of other factors that set LGBT people back financially, including legal discrimination (in terms of healthcare, housing, and unfair hiring practices) and unsafe educational environments.
But there are other costs as well, namely the price of transitioning. Many trans and non-binary people might want to medically transition by undergoing hormone therapy or gender confirmation therapy. This can be an incredibly expensive but necessary treatment, and can limit disposable income even further.
When you have little income, clothing might be the last thing you want to spend your money on. But, since clothing can be a way to express your identity, having access to clothes you like may bring you immense joy and comfort.
Clothing swaps provide a community-led solution to this problem. One of the more established exchanges is the Seattle Queer & Trans Clothing Exchange, a biannual event. There are a number of digital clothing exchanges run on Tumblr, such as the Tumblr Transgender Clothing Exchange and the Transgender Friendly Clothing Swap. On Reddit, there’s Transtrade. Some queer and trans communities also set up Facebook groups for clothing swaps.
A clothing exchange doesn’t need to be complicated, large, or formal. Wiley has been involved in small informal swaps between friends, as well as larger exchanges. “In my experience, the way it works is pretty simple,” says Molly, a femme living in Oakland, San Francisco. “Someone sets up a Facebook event, and the exchange is either hosted in someone's home, someone's backyard, or occasionally, a queer bar or club.
“Everyone brings all their stuff and it’s sorted into categories of dresses, costumes, shoes, jewelry, pants, shirts, etc. and then everyone goes ‘shopping’ and plays dress up! We usually bring snacks and drinks, and the whole thing is like a party with clothes,” Molly says. “No money needed, no judgment, no political movement, just good old-fashioned queer community care.”
That community care can be a huge pull for many queer and trans people. The swaps are meant to be a fun and comfortable meeting space where other community members can help you find clothing that fits in with how you want to express yourself. It’s not easy to find that support in a mall or local chain store. In a traditional store, shop assistants and other customers might look at you, assume your gender based on your appearance, and scrutinize you if you try clothing that isn’t traditionally associated with your gender. In these spaces, openly trans or queer people are often made to feel uncomfortable.
Online shopping can provide a solution for some people, but it might not be affordable. Additionally, many people prefer to try on clothes before buying them. Clothing designers usually assume you have a certain body type based on whether you want masculine or feminine clothing, and if your body doesn’t conform to those standards, finding clothing is hard. Short, curvy people might struggle to find masculine clothing, while tall, non-curvy people might struggle to find feminine clothing. For these people, trying on clothes is essential.
These exchanges provide a space for people to do so without feeling judged. “Clothing swaps are a much more comfortable and safe place to try out different styles or try on clothing, which can be very stressful to do in a store if you are not gender-conforming or if you have a ‘non-standard’ body,” says Wiley.
And, like any good thrift shopper will tell you, there’s something magical about wearing clothing with a bit of history. “Knowing that my clothing comes from my community offers an extra level of community protection whenever I wear it,” Molly says. “It makes me smile so much more to think of the great time I had at the clothing exchange rather than, ‘Oh, yeah, I got it at Target.’”
By definition, swapping clothing is a reciprocal act: you give something, you receive something, and both parties end up benefiting. In many ways, clothing exchanges exemplify why community can be so important to marginalized people. Ideally, queer and trans communities should include mutually beneficial relationships — ones that help us, protect us, and uplift us.
“We have to create tiny microcosms of people who encourage us to be ourselves and be comfortable because the outside world certainly isn’t going to do it for us,” says Wiley. “And if we can drink beer and watch the same Taylor Swift music video multiple times while doing so, well, that’s icing on the cake.”