A Senate Democrat up for reelection in November requested $400,000 for an organization that promotes chest binding and tucking for children who identify as transgender.
Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin requested $400,000 for a group called Briarpatch Youth Services in a budget proposal for the fiscal year 2025 released Thursday. Briarpatch describes itself as a “private nonprofit” in Wisconsin for homeless and runaway youths but also provides “queer” support groups and chest binders as well as “gaffs” or tucking underwear for children aged 13 to 18, according to their website. (RELATED: Percentage Of LGBTQ Americans Has More Than Doubled In Just A Decade, Poll Finds)
“Need gender affirming clothing (binders, gaffs, etc.) but you can’t afford them or you aren’t ‘out’? We can help,” the website reads. “Our favorite online shop for binders, gaffs, swimwear, and more is Origami Customs. They can also make custom sizes at no extra charge! They also have great resources to teach you how to measure yourself for the best fitting garment, and how to practice safe binding and tucking.”
🚨 Democrats are trying to push a $400K earmark for an organization giving confused thirteen-year olds binding and tucking clothing without parental permission.
The federal government should NOT be subsidizing trans clothing for MINORS! pic.twitter.com/0YxNpNoAXE
— Advancing American Freedom (@AmericanFreedom) March 21, 2024
The organization also accepts donations for “Packers (new only), Chest Forms (new or gently used), Trans Tape Kits, Pride Flags of ALL kinds, Sticker Packs and Pronoun pins,” according to the website. Parental consent is not required to join the “Teens Like Us” support group that Briarpatch hosts, but attendees are required to wear masks when attending in-person meetings.
“Youth do NOT need parent/guardian permission to join Teens Like Us,” the website reads. “We understand not all youth are at a point in their lives where they can safely and confidently ‘come out.'”
Briarpatch also offers a “Queer 101 Training” program to “equip those working in youth services with the vocabulary, etiquette, and understanding necessary to working with queer identifying individuals,” according to a description on the website. During the training, attendees will learn the difference between “sex, gender, sexuality” and “basic queer vocabulary.”
The training also includes several activities, such as a “Gender-Boxes Activity,” where participants place different things into male and female boxes to show “how limiting the “male” and “female” binary is,” according to the description. Another activity has attendees practice introducing themselves in a way that demonstrates they are “a ‘queer-friendly’ individual.”
On June 22, the organization is set to host a “Pride Prom” for ages 12 to 18 with a “quiet space” available for kids who are “too overstimulated and need a quiet place to breathe” and encourages them to “use that space to do some self care, make some art, and have a good time!” Gender-neutral bathrooms are also available for participants.
Eli Rosen, a spokesperson for Sen. Baldwin, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the senator “is proud to deliver resources for Wisconsin to help kids experiencing homelessness get the care they need and land on their feet.”
Briarpatch did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.