Emma Corrin (the young Princess Di) and breast binders

Correction. This should be

But research shows that commercial binders are not safer. Yet they are also euphemistically called medical binders by another interviewee, implying that there are safe methods of breast binding.

The usual suicide narrative:

“For many transmasculine people, it’s binding or suicide,” 17-year-old Raphael Sanche told The New York Times.

Lengthy quotes from Dr Sarah Peitzmeier, who conveniently omits research that contradicts her. She emphasises that girls whose parents won't buy them binders have to resort to home-made solutions, calling them less-safe practices. But research shows that commercial binders, also euphemistically called medical binders by another interviewee, implying that there are safe methods of breast binding. There are no safe methods. Take that large survey by a pro-binding organisation: it showed that 97% reported negative side effects, over half reported two negative side effects, about half reported at least one serious side effect. The survey includes those using commercial binders and it includes those who had only been binding for short periods at the time of the survey.

And yet Dr Peitzmeier claims

“More severe symptoms from binding are rare, typically take many years to develop and are not inherent to the practice, but instead are significantly exacerbated by lack of information, lack of social support and lack of access to gender-affirming health care experienced by many transgender and nonbinary people.”

This is demonstrably untrue. The damage is inherent to the practice. How could it not be? You're crushing a body part every day, typically for 12 hours or more, for months if not years. Negative health outcomes, including worse surgery outcomes for those moving onto mastectomies, are unfortunately possible within weeks.

As for

Research and anecdotal accounts report that binding reduces anxiety and depression.

This is another unsubstantiated claim. It temporarily reduces both. It does not permanently affect either, because binding is not a treatment for depression and anxiety.

And

Most medical professionals state that the psychological benefits of binding outweigh the risks, which may include chest or back pain, overheating, rashes, and shortness of breath.

That's a bold statement presented wholly without evidence. I'd like to see some sources supporting that claim. Both that most medical professionals believe this, and research confirming that the psychological benefits outweigh the physiological risks.

Now it's clear that those who bind believe it to be true, but that cannot replace a thorough, evidence-based risk-benefit analysis.

In my view, her last quote demonstrates how clueless she really is:

Dr Peitzmeier suggests that those who bind “articulate your goals or motivations for binding and bind just enough to achieve those goals”.

This is a vulnerable patient group, involving a great number of minors, who are engaging in a self-harming practice. Can you imagine any doctor saying this to someone cutting or starving themselves?

Janice Turner in the Times today:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/11d5ed64-e0da-11eb-bac0-9597568b601f?shareToken=82471d47702050c8fe025068a98d92e8

Have all the sensible adults on these newspapers gone on holiday or something?

This makes me so angry.

www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/chest-binding-dangerous/

Apparently -
”Most medical professionals state that the psychological benefits of binding outweigh the risks, which may include chest or back pain, overheating, rashes and shortness of breath.”

But....moobs?

Butchy

I always say "who's she? The cat's mother?" I have a name!

I’m not sure what it’s even meant to mean if you are “she/they” - just that you want to claim the special status of being trans but with absolute minimum hassle or commitment? Does it mean anyone who wants can just carry on regarding you as a she?

I answer to 'she' or 'they' though. What woman doesn't?

It's also worth noting that, while the actress has said she's 'she/they', the coverage is mainly going with 'they, their', not 'she, her'. It's almost like they're misogynists pushing an agenda or something.

Why does this journalist not understand why this might be a problem for women. She, herself has experienced the difference when people assume she is male (her name is Charlie). She is treated with more respect as a male than as a female.

Decades of research on how instructor gender has been shown to play an important role in influencing student ratings of teaching evaluations... the move to teaching online has shown up some additional insights.

What’s in a Name: Exposing Gender Bias in Student Ratings of Teaching

They've even helpfully included the name of the breast-binder merchant
Yes, I wonder whether Emma received any payment from that company. She's not actually wearing their merchandise though, is she? It's not a real binder, more an arty idealised version.

I guess the Twitter feed is run by youngsters? And it got lots of comments, plus great for the journalist who wrote it. Win-win

It's curious that The Times' own Twitter account has decided to publish almost all of this article - which I presume would be otherwise paywalled and inaccessible to a teenage audience - in a long series of tweets. They've even helpfully included the name of the breast-binder merchant.

I have considered adding pronouns to my Instagram “bio” (there’s a box specifically for that purpose) simply because I believe that’s the future: in five years’ time, I imagine they’ll be in our email signatures too. I also wonder whether if more people shared them, it might make it less daunting for others to change theirs too.

This para alone shows that this writer is way, way behind the curve and hasn't even researched this in the slightest. She's writing this as if it's a new original thought - when it's been pushed for this reason for years, is common in email signatures and has also been pushed back against with mucho debate and explanation. No awareness whatsoever of the recent successful legal challenges and why they were necessary.

Five years is when I believe and hope we'll look back on all this and wonder WTF happened and how so many harmful practices somehow became mainstream. Future my arse.

I honestly don't know how some people manage to not leave the house with their underpants on their heads such is their inability to think clearly...

[quote Igneococcus]Times comment today:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ee55d0ca-df49-11eb-bac0-9597568b601f?shareToken=5891697d74b13e00cba63b95d53995a9[/quote]
. As to the pronouns? I’m a straight, white, cisgender woman and people’s assumptions of my sexuality, race and gender are always right. I have never been misgendered to my face, though people often assume from my name that I’m male when talking to me over email (they’re usually more respectful when they do so).

Yet she then says

. in five years’ time, I imagine they’ll be in our email signatures too. I also wonder whether if more people shared them, it might make it less daunting for others to change theirs too.

Why does this journalist not understand why this might be a problem for women. She, herself has experienced the difference when people assume she is male (her name is Charlie). She is treated with more respect as a male than as a female.

She/they was fantastic in the Crown. What a shame she/they is a pillock.

And that's precisely what a female person with dysphoria does not do.

Which leads me to assume that EC is glamourising breast binding because it seems hip and cool to her while just being edgy enough to garner attention and kudos with progressive youngsters.

Glamourising what is more correctly considered a self-harming practice without understanding where it comes from, why it is done and what damage it does to most of the women and girls who do it.

A demonstration of profound ignorance. Definitely not something to be proud of.

Yes this is all over the place! version of a glamour photo shoot to show us her boobs. While pretending she’s wearing a binder which looks really loose and revealing and nothing like an actual binder, promoting their use without indicating any of the downsides and dangers, and getting a load of kudos for leaping on the trans bandwagon. Even TRAs should be annoyed!

good grief, I just looked at the instagram page and the sycophantic fawning in the comments makes me want to vomit.

As does the page itself, tbf. I just want to scream: for fuck's sake, stop this narcissistic wankery and actually do something meaningful and valuable!

[quote Igneococcus]Times comment today:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ee55d0ca-df49-11eb-bac0-9597568b601f?shareToken=5891697d74b13e00cba63b95d53995a9[/quote]
That's a very weak article.
Not because I disagree, it's just wishy-washy.

Reads like something written at 3am for a deadline. Filler.

Really good point