Breast 'binder raffle,' drag show held at public library for 'Teen Pride'
A free breast binder raffle and a drag show are among the activities considered appropriate for tweens and teens at a Seattle-area public library, despite massive public complaints.
The King County Library System has been promoting the "Teen Pride" event on its website. It's being held at the Renton Library from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The event is described as a "pride celebration designed by teens for teens" and the "most rainbow filled fun you can imagine." It includes activities like open mic and karaoke. Other activities listed are presentations on "safer" sex, a drag show, an "advice panel," and a "free binder raffle." The event page says that Saturday's gathering is "suitable" for tweens and teens, meaning ages 10 to 19.
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Local activists who have been protesting and spoke with The Christian Post on condition of anonymity, said that when they contacted library officials and county council members to express their concerns and objections, they were snidely dismissed and told that the event to would proceed as planned.
The library was reportedly inundated with calls Thursday after news spread on social media that a breast binder would be raffled. One mom told CP that when she called she was told that a binder would not be given away as was originally advertised, but that it would be a gift certificate instead. She added that she felt that the woman she spoke with was being misleading and evasive.
"Adults should never use children to justify or normalize their behaviors. Drag queen displays in libraries may be great fun with all things sparkly and fancy, but when my kids were small and they enjoyed something, they wanted to learn more about it," another mom from nearby Tacoma told CP Friday.
"The world of drag is filled with porn, sex, drugs, and alcohol. That’s what kids will find when they Google their favorite drag queen. The Instagram accounts of these performers are not family-friendly."
She added: "As the drag kid craze has hit the nation, more and more kids are joining drag kid clubs. And encouraging gender confusion and introducing gender fluidity to children before they are old enough to reason or even read is an adult agenda being pushed on them."
Sources confirmed that Planned Parenthood will be providing the sex ed programs for the event.
CP contacted the Renton Library for comment and followed up with an email to the King County Library Trustees to inquire whether the teenagers present would be advised about the potential harms that come with using breast binders, such as lung damage and other adverse side effects that were documented last month in The New York Times. This piece will be updated once a comment is received.
According to an Ontario clinic that performs cosmetic gender surgeries, risks and side effects of compression chest-binding include back and shoulder pain, inflamed and fractured ribs, and blood clots that could result in a heart attack.
Transgender-identifying females insist that the practice of binding to flatten their breasts helps them appear masculine and that it's vital to their mental health and well-being.
Listed on the bottom of a poster advertising the Teen Pride event at the Renton Library, which was sent to CP, are notable sponsors like Chase Bank and the Why Not You Foundation, which was founded by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
