Breathe - by Maia Kobabe & Sarah Peitzmeier

About the Book

"An evidence-based graphic guide for people interested in chest-binding as a form of gender-affirming care"--

Book Synopsis

A graphic guide to chest binding with real-life stories and research-backed advice from bestselling Gender Queer author MAIA KOBABE and University of Michigan professor SARAH PEITZMEIER.

Breathe arose from the need for a resource for folks considering chest binding as gender-affirming care. Dr. Peitzmeier interviewed twenty-five people of different ages and backgrounds about their journeys with binding, and then she and Kobabe combined excerpts from those interviews with evidence-based resources on binding into this extremely accessible guide.

Breathe is both a practical resource for trans and nonbinary folks and an engaging and perspective-broadening read for anyone interested in what it means to be on a journey of expressing one's gender in ways that are joyful, healthy, and affirming.

Review Quotes

★ "A short but powerful, important work. A unique, thoughtful, and evidence-based book perfect for individuals of any age considering binding or for readers interested in understanding the practice more thoroughly."--Booklist, starred review

★ "This is an essential purchase for all secondary and public library collections as it provides health information in a readily accessible manner that is otherwise difficult to find in science-based ­resources."--SLJ, starred review

"Practical, well-researched, and inclusive, this book is a breath of fresh air for readers looking to make informed, destigmatized, health-conscious decisions, and avoid the dangerous binding practices that occur due to an absence of information and surplus of judgment."--BCCB

About the Author

Maia Kobabe (e/em/eir) is the author and illustrator of the award-winning and bestselling Gender Queer: A Memoir, the most banned book in America in 2021 and 2022. E and eir work have been featured in Time, NPR, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and many other outlets.

Sarah Peitzmeier (she/her), PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing and School of Public Health. Her mixed methods research focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of gender-based violence, as well as LGBTQ+ health and HIV. She has received funding for her research from the NIH, CDC, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research and is best known for her research to understand, screen for, and intervene to prevent intimate partner violence in transgender populations, as well as her work around the health impacts of chest binding in transmasculine individuals. Her ongoing work includes intervention development studies to prevent campus sexual assault against transgender undergraduates and cisgender women undergraduates. She received her PhD from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2017.