Packing and stand to pee devices | Transgender, non-binary and gender diverse children

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This blog post is a part of the resource – Supporting Transgender, Non-binary and Gender diverse Children & Young People, created by Felicity St John and Felicity’s collaborator and fellow Master of Sexology student Lindsay SmithFelicity, during a placement with Sex Ed Rescue in 2024.

Felicity St John has a Master of Sexology (Professional) with Distinction and a Bachelor of Human Services – Child and Family Studies. She currently works for an NGO as a supervisor of four practitioners, coaching and case managing families facing complex challenges. Felicity also offers professional development and consultancy. Her professional interest areas are sex education, puberty, LGBTQI+ people, child development, transgender/non-binary/gender-diverse people, relationship coaching, family coaching, and parenting psychoeducation. Felicity has a passion for supporting people to step into their capacity. When she’s not working Felicity loves to laugh, play, be with loves ones, rock climb, SUP board, explore nature, read, write, hike, cycle, swim, and laze about like a cat. You can contact Felicity via email.

Some transgender/non-binary/gender-diverse (TGD) people use packing. Packing is when someone uses materials to make a bulge or bulk in their crotch area. This can be done to appear as a penis. The material is referred to as a packer. 

Not all trans men pack. Not all TGD people assigned female at birth (AFAB) experienced gender dysphoria, or gender dysphoria specific to their genitals. 

Some people pack daily, and others may do it occasionally. 

Some of the reasons TGD diverse people use packers include:

  • To reduce gender dysphoria.
  • To increase gender euphoria.
  • To have a masculine gender expression.
  • For safety.
  • To increase confidence.
  • To feel comfortable in their own body.
  • To pee standing up (the packer needs a stand to pee function).
  • For aesthetics.
  • To participate socially in activities. For example, swimming.

Packers can be made from a range of materials. Some are simple, smooth, soft, padded fabric/gel inserts, while others are designed to be anatomically correct prosthetics of penises and testicles. Some prosthetic packers even approximate the feeling of skin. The anatomically correct packers come in a range of skin colours, a range of sizes and include circumcised and uncircumcised options.

Some people make DIY packers out of fabric, socks, or other materials. Others buy commercial products which can start at around $10. Genital prosthetics are more expensive options.

A packer can be put in underwear. Some packers are designed instead to wear with a harness, jock strap, or packing belt. Some people use a pouch (joey) to hold a packer in place in underwear and some sew a pocket into their pre-existing underwear to do this. Underwear (boxers, trunks, briefs, jocks) which is designed specifically to hold packers in place are also commercially available. 

There are also prosthetic penises which attach directly to the skin either via suction or via adhesive like tape. These can be made of silicone or other materials, are typically expensive and are available commercially.

Some packers are designed so they can be used in sex. These are sometimes referred to as pack and plays. Some packers are designed for packing, playing, and to pee. These are sometimes called 3-in-1s.  

Some packers are designed so they can be used to stand peeing up, which may be an important embodiment goal for a trans man.

Some people will use a few different types of packers to suit the purpose they need on that day.

Stand to pee (STP) devices are vessels that enable people who have vulvas to urinate while standing up. STPs can help reduce gender dysphoria and create opportunities for gender euphoria. They can also help with public toilet access, due to the limited number of toilet stalls often available in men’s toilets. 

STPs vary in how they look. Some look a funnel or scoop, rather than resembling a body part, and are firm. While others are life-like moulded prosthetics, which look like penises complete with testicles. These are softer and can also be worn as packers beneath underwear. They can come in a variety of skin tones or can be other colours. STPs can be made from silicone, polypropylene, and other materials. They are washable.

STPs are shaped to move urine outwards away from the body and rely on gravity. In a packer style STP the ‘cup’ part of the device is placed against the vulva to create a seal around the urethra (the pee tube from the bladder which exits at the vulva). The top of the packer sitting above the urethra but below the clitoris. Packer style STPs are designed to be placed so there’s a seal around the urethra to avoid leakage.

It can take some practice to learn how to use an STP because it involves proper placement, creating a seal, controlling urine flow, and tipping forward to ensure it’s empty. It’s recommended to try it out somewhere like a shower, before taking an STP out and about. After peeing, the user can shake and pat the end dry if moisture is still present. Picking the right underwear, if wearing a packer style STP, can really help when using it out and about. If the wearer has some leakage when out and about, they are encouraged to be kind to themself. 

A simple hard STP, which doesn’t resemble the body, can be purchased for around $15USD. One example is the PStyle. The cost of a basic body like prosthetic packer STP can start at $15 and go up beyond $100.

You can support your TGD young person around packing by:

  • Learning about packers and how to pack. Please be aware this may involve photos and visual of packers which are designed to look like real penises.
  • Learn how to sew a pocket into underpants for holding a packer.
  • Learn how to sew a pouch if the person has a desire to use a realistic packer.
  • Support access to materials used in packing. Such as fabric, socks, sewing materials, purpose-built underwear. 
  • Encourage the person to check for skin irritation. 
  • Affirm you’re the young person’s gender in other ways which support their emotional wellbeing. Such as using their pronouns, supporting them in accessing clothing and hairstyles that align with their gender, and using their name.
  • Support the person to access gender-affirming medical care if available, and the young person would like this.
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Resources/References

[Please be aware due to the nature of the items many of these links involve items that resemble penises] 

Some shops selling packers, underwear, STPs, joeys

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Felicity St John holds a Master of Sexology (Professional) with Distinction and a Bachelor of Human Services – Child and Family Studies. She supervises a team in an NGO, coaching and supporting families with complex needs, and offers professional development and consultancy. Her interests include sex education, puberty, LGBTQI+ inclusion, child development, and family coaching. Outside work, Felicity enjoys time with loved ones, outdoor adventures, and creative pursuits.
You can find Felicity at LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/felicity-st-john-726365256/