Dear Susan's Place,
My name is Megan Weinand and I am an openly lesbian and cisgender woman, who is a first-year medical student at the Boston University School of Medicine. I have been reading the Susan's place wiki a lot to learn more about transgender health and topics to be a better informed, self-educating ally!
I am also involved with transgender medical research here in medical school, and I am part of a 4-student led-project that is joint public health and medical students, known as The Binding Health Project. We started this project last September when I started school because we all realized that there is no current medical research on the topic of Chest Binding (!), and on top of that, all four of us queer students have many friends who experienced serious medical events from binding, like broken ribs, stress fractures, coughing up blood, and more. We created a survey that we just released 3 days ago in order to learn more and advocate for the health of individuals who bind! Binding is often recognized as important for both transgender and non-trans* folk alike, and for many trans* folk it is cited as the first and most important step of the transition! Therefore we want to stress that we absolutely recognize how important binding is, and the results of our survey would not be to discourage those who bind to not do so, but rather to highlight the topic for health providers as something to be aware of, and to assess improved ways to up the safety (and comfort!) of those who bind. (I.e., were certain types of binders less associated with health problems? Is there a sweet spot, perhaps 10 hours/a day where binding doesn't cause painful physical health issues but is still associated with positive mental health impacts and mood?) Our long-term goal is not only to put the topic of Chest binding on the radar for health providers, and to inform/empower individuals who bind with previously unpublished information about the medical aspects of binding, but also to advocate for the coverage of top surgery (for those who desire it), by citing long-term effects of binding.
In order to help thank the community for this time in completing the survey (about 5-10 minutes maximum, only 20 questions mainly multiple choice!) we are donating 5$ for every 50 respondents to the In A Bind project (http://bindinghealthproject.wordpress.com/in-a-bind-donation/), which donates new and gently used binders to binding folks in need. [p.s. we are currently almost at 400 respondents after just 72 hours, so hopefully we can make a sizable donation to their project!!] The more responses we have, the better "statistical power" we have, and the more leverage we will be able to have to advocate for our beloved community in the medical sphere and beyond! (Many people say that trans*/genderqueer/binding health is a "niche" issue - and we are out to prove that it IS NOT! :)
I apologize for the length of this message, but I wanted to be as open and detailed as possible about our project! We have a website, where you can take the survey here. (http://bindinghealthproject.wordpress.com/take-the-survey/), a tumblr (http://bindinghealthproject.tumblr.com) and Twitter (@BindingProject (https://twitter.com/BindingProject)) where you can also learn more about us and the project. Lastly, if you have any questions about our project, please do not hesitate to email us at bubindingproject@gmail.com; we are so grateful to the community for their time in taking this survey, as well as re-tweeting/blogging/tumbling/posting/FB-ing/emailing this link to as many people as they know! :D
Thank you again for your time, and please don't hesitate to contact us (myself-Megan, Alix, Kimberlynn and Ivy) with any questions you might have - we are so grateful for your time and support!
Lots of queer love!
-Megan Weinand
Boston Univ. Medical Student 2017 and openly lesbian & cisgender :D
megan.weinand@fulbrightmail.org
p.s. - below is a bit of a "blurb" about our project for those even more interested! :D Thanks again!!
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To our beloved community,
PLEASE SIGNAL BOOST.
The Binding Health Project seeks to expand and contribute new information on the physical and mental health effects of chest binding. Within the context of this study, binding refers to the process in which an individual compresses or binds the chest, often for extended periods of time. While this process provides the person with a number of benefits, the long term physical health effects of binding have not yet been studied. This survey is designed to gather information on these effects through questions that are both quantitative and qualitative in nature. It is intended for female-assigned-at-birth (FAAB) and intersex folks 18 years and over that have bound or currently bind their chests. It is the aim of the Binding Health Project to provide individuals, communities, and health care providers with information to promote the health of those who bind.
Our goal is to use the results from this survey to advocate for the health of persons who chest bind. We hope to build a knowledge base that currently does not exist for people who bind, their providers, and the communities that support them. Thank you so much for your time and participation in this survey!
Thank you for taking our survey and please feel free to distribute widely! We truly appreciate your time in helping us to better address the health topics that impact individuals who bind.
Click here (http://bindinghealthproject.wordpress.com/take-the-survey/) to take our survey.
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EDIT: April 6th, 2014
Also, this topic got moved from the Medical board to this FTM board - I want to acknowledge that I don't have control over this move, and primarily would also like to point out just to be clear that this is actually not a "FTM" survey at all - while maybe people who bind identify as FTM, many *do not*, and so I want to make it clear that this topic was moved by an administrator and not myself. :-/ This survey is open to ANYONE who identifies as FAAB or intersex who chest binds or did so in the past (18+yo) - we have had many femme and women-identified cisgender women who have taken the survey and so I want to stress the inclusiveness of both our survey and this research.
Thanks so much,
Megan
p.s. here is a link with a flyer too, if that helps spread the word better! http://bindinghealthproject.wordpress.com/spread-the-word/
I responded. I think this is a pretty important topic.
Done.
But, I feel like maybe I had certain medical issues before binding that binding has increased problems with...which was one of the issues I had with a question. Like, did binding cause digestive issues...it didn't cause them, but my digestive issues have occasionally been made worse due to binding.
Got 'er dun, as my grandmother says.
Wow, thank you to everyone who completed the survey! We can't thank you enough for your time and for also sending it to your friends!
Also, this topic got moved from the Medical board to this FTM board - I want to acknowledge that I don't have control over this move, and primarily would also like to point out just to be clear that this is actually not a "FTM" survey at all - while maybe people who bind identify as FTM, many *do not*, and so I want to make it clear that this topic was moved by an administrator and not myself. :-/ This survey is open to ANYONE who identifies as FAAB or intersex - we have had many femme and women-identified cisgender women who have taken the survey and so I want to stress the inclusiveness of both our survey and this research.
Thanks so much,
Megan
p.s. here is a link with a flyer too, if that helps spread the word better! http://bindinghealthproject.wordpress.com/spread-the-word/
I completed the survery. Thank you for doing this. I would suggest checking out to see if these websites would be willing to allow you to post this survey. How long do you expect this study will take to complete? Will you post results here?
http://www.thetransitionalmale.com/
http://www.ftmguide.org/
http://www.lauras-playground.com/
Did it and passed it along to my support group.
Hi there! Wow, thank you again to everyone who continues to fill out this survey! We plan to have the survey open for the maximum of a month (until May 2nd), however we also know that if the respondent numbers begin to plateau, that will also be a good time to stop. We will definitely post our results online, completely free, on our website, so that members of many different communities will be able to access all of the information we find. We are also hoping to submit a more formal paper to a medical journal, so that health providers and other medical personnel will take this issue seriously! However because those are unfortunately often "pay for publication" formats, that goes against our belief that this information needs to be free and of access, which is why we are pursuing both options - one to put it all up on our website, free of charge and for the world to see :), and two in a medical setting/format so that providers get this issue on their radar!
As for those other websites - those look fantastic! We are not yet members of them - would it be a possibility that you might be willing to share with the communities you know of on these sites? We can also re-post what we have there as well! Thank you again for all of your help, time, and support! We can't thank the community enough for the awesome responses we are receiving! :D
-Megan
Thank you for doing this. As a person in the science field, I know how important and exciting it is to get new information out into the world.
completed, thanks for doing this, really appreciate it, I live an hour outside of Boston if you need anything else, I'm glad the medical community is taking this serious
Quote from: meganweinand on April 06, 2014, 08:36:23 AM
This survey is open to ANYONE who identifies as FAAB or intersex - we have had many femme and women-identified cisgender women who have taken the survey and so I want to stress the inclusiveness of both our survey and this research.
I am just curious - why not cisgender men (or people assigned male at birth)? A number of cis men use binders (like Underworks, especially) to control their gynecomastia, which can be as big as a small "female" breast or even larger. Some use unhealthier methods such as duct tape and ace bandages and I have read about tons of cis men who have actually really hurt themselves binding. I mean, I imagine most of your results will come from people who were born female or intersex, but there is definitely a population of cis men who make use of different chest binding techniques. More than most people would think, actually.
Quote from: birkin on April 06, 2014, 04:22:31 PM
I am just curious - why not cisgender men (or people assigned male at birth)? A number of cis men use binders (like Underworks, especially) to control their gynecomastia, which can be as big as a small "female" breast or even larger. Some use unhealthier methods such as duct tape and ace bandages and I have read about tons of cis men who have actually really hurt themselves binding. I mean, I imagine most of your results will come from people who were born female or intersex, but there is definitely a population of cis men who make use of different chest binding techniques. More than most people would think, actually.
I agree, most binders were originally designed for men with gynecomastia (or at least those produced in the western world) and trans men just jumped on them. There are also some trans women who bind in some form to allow them to remain as male in society until they're ready to come out.
Quote from: meganweinand on April 06, 2014, 10:08:02 AM
Hi there! Wow, thank you again to everyone who continues to fill out this survey! We plan to have the survey open for the maximum of a month (until May 2nd), however we also know that if the respondent numbers begin to plateau, that will also be a good time to stop. We will definitely post our results online, completely free, on our website, so that members of many different communities will be able to access all of the information we find. We are also hoping to submit a more formal paper to a medical journal, so that health providers and other medical personnel will take this issue seriously! However because those are unfortunately often "pay for publication" formats, that goes against our belief that this information needs to be free and of access, which is why we are pursuing both options - one to put it all up on our website, free of charge and for the world to see :), and two in a medical setting/format so that providers get this issue on their radar!
As for those other websites - those look fantastic! We are not yet members of them - would it be a possibility that you might be willing to share with the communities you know of on these sites? We can also re-post what we have there as well! Thank you again for all of your help, time, and support! We can't thank the community enough for the awesome responses we are receiving! :D
-Megan
Hi, Megan.
I don't have a connection with anyone at Hudson's Guide or The Transitional Male. Since these are not forums, you would have to talk with the owner about posting this on their site. I am thinking since you only have a month, it probably won't be worth your time.
Here is a link to the FTM forum on Laura's Playground:
http://www.lauras-playground.com/forums/index.php?showforum=17
I don't know if you simply became a member here and then posted this survey, or if you asked the owner if this was permitted (since it is still here and they just moved it, obviously if you didn't talk with them, they are ok with it).
Whatever you did here you can do at Laura's. I don't feel comfortable posting your survey. I am a member there, but have only posted a handful of times. I think they would be more responsive to the researcher, herself.
Please give us a head's up on this thread after the data gets posted to your free site. Thanks.
I did not realize how binding had taken up my life until I read your survey questions.
I started binding when I was 12, and mostly 24/7 until last summer when I had top surgery.
It was surprisingly easy to forget how much I had struggled with my chest and all the binding stuff.
I forgot that binding used to be such a big deal that I would give up everything including health for a flat chest. I knew it was not healthy and probably dangerous, but I had to do it. I was lucky enough that it did not leave me any permanent damage, but others might not be as lucky.
Thank you for starting this project.
I think this is a great idea.
Quote from: Brett on April 06, 2014, 06:08:12 PM
Hi, Megan.
I don't have a connection with anyone at Hudson's Guide or The Transitional Male. Since these are not forums, you would have to talk with the owner about posting this on their site. I am thinking since you only have a month, it probably won't be worth your time.
Here is a link to the FTM forum on Laura's Playground:
http://www.lauras-playground.com/forums/index.php?showforum=17
I don't know if you simply became a member here and then posted this survey, or if you asked the owner if this was permitted (since it is still here and they just moved it, obviously if you didn't talk with them, they are ok with it).
Whatever you did here you can do at Laura's. I don't feel comfortable posting your survey. I am a member there, but have only posted a handful of times. I think they would be more responsive to the researcher, herself.
Please give us a head's up on this thread after the data gets posted to your free site. Thanks.
There's a lot of things you can't do at Laura's.
If posting at Laura's, contact an admin or mod first and get there permission. In pretty sure they have rules about posting links.
I contacted Megan off list, I feel she seems legit. Perhaps the reason she isn't contacting cismen is she isn't really interested in their needs as it sounds like this is a person who is LGBT. Hard to believe but I have met quite a few (though perhaps way way in the minority) of LGB people who really do embrace the T. There are also LGB people who date or have dated or are partners with transguys and feel like family.
BTW, I agree with Nygeel re: laura's. Like the people but I found it pretty annoying to have every single last flippin' post read first and it slows down the traffic a LOT. I think it's better to wait for complaints as 99% of the people here behave themselves most of the time (haha with little quirks here and there).
--Jay
Quote from: aleon515 on April 07, 2014, 12:18:14 PM
I contacted Megan off list, I feel she seems legit. Perhaps the reason she isn't contacting cismen is she isn't really interested in their needs as it sounds like this is a person who is LGBT. Hard to believe but I have met quite a few (though perhaps way way in the minority) of LGB people who really do embrace the T. There are also LGB people who date or have dated or are partners with transguys and feel like family.
BTW, I agree with Nygeel re: laura's. Like the people but I found it pretty annoying to have every single last flippin' post read first and it slows down the traffic a LOT. I think it's better to wait for complaints as 99% of the people here behave themselves most of the time (haha with little quirks here and there).
--Jay
I hear ya, plus you can't post nipple pics or even stomach pics.
Quote from: Alexthecat on April 07, 2014, 12:32:35 PM
I hear ya, plus you can't post nipple pics or even stomach pics.
Wow! Well on the plus side they have a LOT bigger community of parents and SOs. If I find a SO, I always refer them there.
--Jay
Tried filling out the survey twice, couldn't get past the first page :/ Hopefully it's my internet but I thought I should mention it. I think it's great that this project is being organized.
Quote from: aleon515 on April 07, 2014, 12:18:14 PM
I contacted Megan off list, I feel she seems legit. Perhaps the reason she isn't contacting cismen is she isn't really interested in their needs as it sounds like this is a person who is LGBT. Hard to believe but I have met quite a few (though perhaps way way in the minority) of LGB people who really do embrace the T. There are also LGB people who date or have dated or are partners with transguys and feel like family.
BTW, I agree with Nygeel re: laura's. Like the people but I found it pretty annoying to have every single last flippin' post read first and it slows down the traffic a LOT. I think it's better to wait for complaints as 99% of the people here behave themselves most of the time (haha with little quirks here and there).
--Jay
Hi!! I am just now seeing this - Thank you so much everyone for your replies. Just to clarify, I am only a small part of this project - the full group is a team of 4 different students, Kimberlynn and Alix (who are MPH students at the BU School of Public Health) and myself and Ivy, who is a 2nd year medical student with me at the BU medical school. I myself identify as lesbian and cisgender, and other member of our team identify among varying sexuality and gender identities. I believe as a group of queer/genderqueer students we are coming at the survey to fill a gap in the research FAAB/intersex health concerns related to binding, concerning much of the anecdotal evidence from our FAAB binding friends. While I am not sure if there is research on chest binding for MAAB individuals (I believe there is not much either), there is a good bit of research on gynecomastia and much more medical knowledge about this as well. I think with the resources we have it made/makes more sense for us to focus on this particular FAAB/intersex community, especially considering we are actually at close to 1,000 responses! However I also agree with the idea and concept that gender is not a binary, and is a spectrum, so I know we have limitations in anything we do or any categories we try and utilize when making study participant criteria. The scope of our survey feels broad with the diversity of our community, yet at the same time we are "limited" (again funny to use that word, but compared to including MAAB individuals) to one group which I think allows us to have a better focus and do a better job with this project - This way we're able to really focus deeply and comprehensively on this community that is already incredibly large and diverse. I am not sure if this answers your question! I can ask our group too their ideas and opinions on this issue, and respond back with more info. Again these are only my first initial ideas to respond to your question, and the other 3 students might have more articulate ways to respond! :)
Also hehe I am glad you feel we are legit! I want to stress that if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us! We are trying to be as open and transparent as possible. We are a group of 4 students, and I believe there is so, so much more we DON'T know than what we know! We are hoping to contribute and advocate for the FAAB/intersex binding community as we feel there is a need to fill a critical gap in medical knowledge and research, as well as advocacy. We are 100% open to all suggestions, and we really appreciate your feedback!! Please feel free to contact us via email, bubindingproject@gmail.com, and additionally I can try and check here again as well. I am coming at this from the perspective of an ally to the binding community as a way to self-educate and contribute as an ally, and again anything we can do to make this process more respectful and open to the nuances of facilitating understanding with an incredibly diverse community is so important. We sent our survey to an informal focus group of individuals among the gender spectrum who chest bind, hoping as well that this would add to our survey's respectfulness and to make sure we included the topics these individuals felt were important.
Thank you again for everything, and I look forward to continuing this dialogue!!
-Megan
Thanks for the reply Megan. :) that does make sense. Good luck with your research!
Great news!! Thank you! =)
Also I checked in with our team and they agreed - citing mainly that because gynecomastia is not an underrepresented topic in the medical literature (it has a lot of info on it) and also because health professionals already know of gynecomastia and ask about it, deal with it "seriously" etc. Whereas with chest binding (it may turn out our survey shows folks who bind don't want their providers to ask about!), but in general we are under the impression from anecdotal evidence that health professionals, in contrast to gynecomastia, don't understand it, don't view it as "valid/serious" or as a valid health topic (when anecdotal evidence strongly suggests it impacts the health of individuals who bind), don't bring it up, and generally is absent from medical literature. We are hoping to at least start a conversation and raise consciousness among health professionals about a topic that impacts a lot of FAAB/intersex folks! We feel it should be taken as "seriously" as everything else that an individual feels is relevant to their health!
I hope this helps!! Again please don't hesitate to email us (fastest response, but I can check here too!) and we are so grateful for your time. This project is only as strong as the responses we get, so it's an entire community-based effort and project.
Thank you again!
-Megan
p.s. I can post final results with the project (I imagine in a few months? :) Once we get it all written up/data and stats analyzed! but perhaps even sooner! :D here on this thread so that folks who accessed it here will know about the results as well! =)
Finished the survey. Very well done. Looking forward to seeing the results.
Yes, I would appreciate you posting a link to the results when they get in. I won't remember to keep looking at your site, but I will see this thread bumped up to the front page.
Hi there!
Absolutely! We can definitely post a link here to the results, and we will make sure it is in a free and open, accessible format. This is an important part of our worldview on how research and access to information should always be!
Thank you again to everyone who has taken, promoted, and asked questions about our survey thus far. We thank you in advance if you are just now seeing this topic and are able to spend a few minutes filling it out if you have ever bound - your responses are so valuable, and we could not be more grateful to you for your time!!
All the best,
Megan
Hi there!
I just wanted to thank everyone again for their support and time in taking the survey themselves as well as for promoting this! We can't thank you enough for your time!
I wanted to let the community know that we are going to close the survey this upcoming June 1st, in 10 days, and if anyone else would like to take the survey, or knows of communities with whom to share and promote this survey before then, we can't THANK YOU enough! :) We are so grateful to everyone who has given of their time to help make this possible, and we are hoping to get one last push (and beyond 2,000 respondents! :)) with our last week! :D
Have a great rest of the week everyone, and thank you again for your time!! Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have ANY questions AT ALL! We want to be as transparent and open as possible in this process! :D We should be posting our first write-up of results by June as well! =)
-Megan
bubindingproject@gmail.com