SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Dori Audio: Renton Library to hand out chest binders to teenagers
Jun 20, 2019, 6:09 PM
The Renton Library is one of the places offering free Wi-Fi from the parking lot. (Courtesy of Renton Historical Museum)
(Courtesy of Renton Historical Museum)
Dori Monson was surprised to find out that the Renton Library, part of the King County Library System, is holding a Teen Pride event in which binders will be raffled off.
A binder is a very tight piece of clothing that is used to compress the breasts, in order to create a more flat-chested appearance. Binders are sometimes worn by members of the transgender community.
Dori was concerned about the health risks associated with chest-binding, which can include back and chest pain, difficulty breathing, and even fractured ribs.
“If the kids arrive at that and they have some parental support, that’s fine, but there are very limited medical studies — Vice.com, a very liberal website, says that health care professionals know very little about the practice of binding pre-adolescent girls’ chests,” Dori said. “And we have a government entity that is doing this as a fun Saturday event.”
Renton Library hosts Drag Queen Story Time
Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from 12-3 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.
