Another piece in the Mail - a special investigation. It includes an insight into a family's life, whose daughter wears a binder she got in an unmarked package through the post, and covers others groups that send them out as well as Mermaids. The mum complained to the Charity Commission about Mermaids. The mum says the daughter never seems happy, there is no "euphoria", as Mermaids say.
It also includes quotes from James Esses and a GP whose said binders are self-harm, as well as Stephanie Davies-Arai
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11317505/How-charity-send-breast-binders-children-parents-backs.html
"Mermaids is far from the only organisation or shopping outlet providing them, many without age restrictions or parental supervision. In August, for instance, a group calling itself G(end)er Swap CIC advertised a free binder give-away at an open house on a Saturday afternoon in an LGBTIQ+ Centre in South-East London. It said on Twitter: ‘FREE BINDERS available… grab a hot drink, get sizing assistance? Find the community too.’
A trans support group in the North-West of England called MORF, run by volunteers, offers a binder exchange scheme asking trans men who have ‘recently had top surgery’ (mastectomies) to donate their no-longer-needed garment to others.
On the internet, it said to its followers wanting binders: ‘This is a free scheme, all you pay is the postage. We have so far redistributed over 150 binders and we want to continue giving out as many as possible.’
Both G(end)er Swap CIC and MORF’s websites give advice on how to use binders ‘safely’. MORF warns that binders should not be worn for more than eight hours; nor should one sleep in them. It says that unsafe binding can lead to nerve damage, blisters, cracked ribs and breathing difficulties.
Mermaids also offers similar safety advice on its website. In a statement, it said that binding helped some of those experiencing dysphoria to alleviate their distress. ‘We take a harm-reduction position… providing a young person with a binder alongside comprehensive safety guidelines from an experienced member of staff is preferable to the likely alternative of unsafe practices… or increasing dysphoria.’
Yet, safety guidelines do not exist everywhere. The Mail was easily able to buy a binder, costing less than £10, through the post with no questions asked about the age of the purchaser.
It arrived within 24 hours in a plain brown parcel after it was ordered via Amazon from a transgender internet shopping site."