"Participants consistently described chest binding during extreme heat as physically exhausting and, at times, unsafe," researchers Arnav Singh Rana and Sahil Jamal Siddiqui told CG via email, also noting methods for mitigating discomfort and protecting well-being.
New research indicates that exposure to extreme heat has the potential to make chest binding uncomfortable and exacerbate gender dysphoria, among other impacts on transmasculine people.
A 2025 community-led, mixed-methods pilot study in India looked at the impact of extreme heat on 63 transmasculine participants. Arnav Singh Rana and Sahil Jamal Siddiqui, both of the Transmen Collective and co-founders of NavHill Foundation, conducted the research and found, through surveys and focus group discussions, that participants living through heat waves in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh reported health impacts unique to their experiences as trans people.
As one example, "Participants consistently described chest binding during extreme heat as physically exhausting and, at times, unsafe," the researchers told CG via email.
They went on to write, "Several participants highlighted how heat intensified the restrictive nature of binding, leading to suffocation-like sensations, back and rib pain, rashes, and fatigue. Some participants described having to cut their day short, avoid public spaces, or remove their binder despite discomfort or dysphoria."
The research also suggests that extreme heat may exacerbate gender dysphoria by reducing the ability to safely use binders, prompting clothing choices that increase visibility or exposure of the body, heightening social anxiety in public spaces, and "physical discomfort reinforcing body awareness."
"Together," the researchers told CG, "these factors create a situation where environmental stress (heat) directly interacts with gender-related distress."
But they also identified potential solutions, including improved access to safe, inclusive cooling and hydration centers as well as increased awareness around safe binder usage during heat waves.
Relatedly, some trans people have exchanged advice online, such as about how taping instead of binding may be more comfortable in higher temperatures. However, such advice has also come with recommendations to follow safe taping practices to protect the skin and reminders about how gender-affirming care like taping can be expensive.
On a broader scale, because trans people's vulnerability to extreme heat may be compounded by economic marginalization and systemic inequalities already disproportionately impacting their communities, the researchers underscored the importance of structural changes. These might include protections for employment and housing — including during heat waves — improved access to gender-affirming health care, and gender-responsive climate adaptation planning.
The NavHill co-founders confirmed that they are currently finalizing the study report and expect to publish their findings later this spring.
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