To think that chest binders are harmful to children and shouldn't be encouraged?

[WandaWomblesaurus]

Trans charity accused of offering chest binders without parental consent

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/37b9fc6e-3d8b-11ed-b24d-96120f17513d?shareToken=b62ae7a914c919bf911bb69f54455fe8

How did we get to this point that people are saying this is brave and cheering it on?

AIBU - to think it's insanity
YABU - it's "lifesaving" and rainbow unicorns

www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/caa/child-abuse/breast-ironing-flattening/

The metropolitan police say that:

"Breast ironing (also called breast flattening) is when young girls' breasts are damaged over time to flatten them and delay their development. Sometimes, an elastic belt, or binder, is used to stop them from growing.

Breast ironing usually starts with the first signs of puberty and is most often done by female relatives. In most cases, the abuser incorrectly thinks they're behaving in the best interests of the child. They believe flattening the breasts will make the child less 'womanly'. They hope this will protect the girl from harassment, rape, abduction and early forced marriage, and help them stay in education.
Breast ironing can cause serious physical issues such as:
• abscesses (a painful collection of pus that develops under the skin)
• cysts (fluid-filled lumps under the skin that can develop into abscesses)
• itching
• tissue damage
• infection
• discharge of milk
• breasts becoming significantly different shapes or sizes
• severe fever
• the complete disappearance of one or both breasts"

So how is Mermaids charity, Lush and other getting away with giving these to children in secret?

YANBU

Teenage girls questioning their gender are being told this is a valid option for them. It is horrendous.

Sickening

It's horrific. Jail the b*stards.

YANBU.

Last year a small study was published in the journal Pediatrics - & the findings of “Time to First Onset of Chest Binding–Related Symptoms in Transgender Youth” make it abundantly clear it is a harmful practice. The study did not seek to determine which methods were used to bind - there is, however, a (sadly not open-access) 2015 paper titled Health impact of chest binding among transgender adults: a community-engaged, cross-sectional study which has looked at a whole range of methods used, including binders, & it found they cause harm.

Wearing a binder, even “correctly” could literally kill a girl with asthma. The BLF mortality stats are now a decade old, but they point out that while 1,200 deaths/year from asthma might sound low; with the treatments now available for asthma, it should be close to 0. Almost 2/3 of those who die each year are female. In 2018, 7% of girls aged 0 - 15 in England had asthma (levels similar across UK but I don’t have stats) - 12% of 10-12yos & 8% of 13-15yos, so it is hardly unlikely for Mermaids to have sent a binder to a child who has asthma. If you’ve never had an asthma attack, try putting a swimming clip on your nose, then running up several flights of stairs carrying a 10kg or so rucksack, breathing through a straw.

They have no way to safely provide the binders because - as demonstrated by the article - they don’t know to whom they’re actually going. They don’t know the child begging for one in secret has managed to measure herself correctly. They are providing this item with apparently no thought as to how it will be kept clean (just because we can accidentally create novel bacterial & fungal infections doesn’t mean we should) nor recognition, crucially, of the fact that you can send the binder with a wee bit of paper about The Rules and make girls [pinky-]promise to keep them before you agree to send them a binder, but that means nothing at all. It’s a flimsy bit of flim-flam trying to convince everyone it’s a safeguarding measure.

It's complete child abuse. Those under 18 just have no concept of the long term affects this will have. Hard to believe this is happening in the 21st century in western nations! Anyone promoting this to children should be arrested and charged with GBH.

Utterly wrong. There is no safe way to bind. And I find it very sad that some girls find the prospect of womanhood so awful that they feel a need to do this.

It is completely wrong and totally driven by cult like ideology.

Girls are being driven to be so ashamed of their bodies and then encourage to cut and maim them to relieve feelings caused by restrictive gender roles. And the people selling them these binders and life changing drugs are doing so under ‘be kind’ and ‘be yourself’ banners. All while telling children that they are the wrong kind of girl and pushing them to disassociate with their own bodies.

The scandal, when it breaks, will be worse than the satanic abuse hoax. It will probably be on the same scale as the Catholic Church covering up child molestation.

We should definitely not be encouraging the use of such damaging items.

Fresh air, friends and exercise are important for health fitness and mental health. You can't exercise or be out in the heat with a binder. Surely that increases depression, isolation from your peers and feelings of not fitting in. Isnt it creating the very situations claimed to be solved.

They are so dangerous. We need a solution fir why so many girls hate their bodies and particularly their healthy breasts that doesn't affirm their bodies as the problem.

Just because they are children doesn't mean we shouldn't think about their futures and what problems binders will cause with things like breats feeding. We should not be removing their future choices. And what about breast cancer. If the breast tissue is broken down and not where its meant to be that could make detection and any surgery more difficult.

If i compressed and deformed any other part of my child's body id be arrested. Its sick this is apparently exempt from recognition of causing harm.

YANBU. It's sick. Didn't Lush offer cheap binders to teenagers last year? I remember reading about their scheme and got the impression that they wanted to make it easier for girls to get some without their parents knowing. Gross.

I think we also need to think about the elephant in the room too.

Of kids are deemed able to consent to binders that can permanently deform their ribs, remove their chance to breast feed, remove any sexual feelings around their breasts in their future happy healthy fulfilling adult sex lives , increase difficulty in detection and treatment of breast cancer, and talk of seeking medicL intervention like blockers hormones and "top surgey" aka double mastectomy ,.well then what else will it be that children are deemed able to consent for?

Think about it. Who benefits from this. Because its not the child.

Is what they’re doing not illegal? Shouldn’t whoever signed this off be prosecuted?

Why is anything with the label ‘trans’ apparently untouchable?

Well according to the MET police it is

YANBU

Yes they are harmful as they tell girls that they are right to abhor and reject their developing bodies and that adults should enable this rejection.

These girls deserve therapeutic support to explore the reasons for these feelings and how best to respond to them.

YANBU.

It's child abuse pure and simple, mermaids ought to be shut down.

So many of these trans charity's are promoting harmful practices but seem to get a free pass.

Well, if I had a daughter and found out those utter scumbags had sent her one of these medieval torture items, I’d be down to the police station stat.

It’s unbelievable.

It’s like an anorexia-support group sending out laxatives. I’m gobsmacked.

YANBU. They should be illegal.

Theres also a word for when adults encourage children to do things behind their parents back, contribute to the isolation between child and parents. A word that most would describe to a stranger on line talking to what they believe are young teens and pre teens about their breasts . A word we aren't allowed to use on MN in relation to this stuff. Its also meant to be illegal but police forces are now the heavies for trans charities so...

What, grooming?

Yeah, I’d agree that talking to kids and encouraging dangerous practices behind their parents’ backs is exactly that.

Child abuse, plain and simple.

The same word also applies to the adults. Its happened to the adults in many organisations.

As a result anyone that you would report this charity to, is also under the same influence.

The police- captured. See the photos on twitter circulating of officers holding leashes attached men in leather/pvc dog outfits.

The nspcc- sees no issue in this. And in fact called members if the public alerting them to a staff member whod filmed himself in fetish gear masturbating in their staff toilets, homophobes

Cahms is also pretty captured i believe

The psycologist/therapist industry- captured.

social workers- captured

Schools- ditto

Where do we go with concerns when at every turn theres stonewall and mermaids trained/indoctrinated staff.

And then when it does get to court we are up against government funded organisations who receive large contributions from places like tesco star bucks wagamamas big lottery fund etc

Vs women and concerned parents if they are lucky enough the crowd funding platform.doesnt kick them off

Mission accomplished they are untouchable