Major children's charity, Stonewall, Mermaids and gender

[DoriF]

Delurking on this board to air some concerns I have about Action for Children [formerly known as National Children's Homes]. Here's what they're about, from their website //www.actionforchildren.org.uk

From before they are born until they are into their twenties, we help disadvantaged children across the UK.

We help them through fostering or adoption – and by intervening early to stop neglect and abuse. We make life better for children with disabilities. We influence policy and advocate for change. Our 7,000 staff and volunteers operate over 522 services, improving the lives of 301,000 children, teenagers, parents and carers every year. We succeed by doing what’s right, doing what’s needed, and doing what works for children.'

www.actionforchildren.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/equality-and-diversity/

Their Diversity Policy states that protected characteristics under the 2010 Act are:

Age
Disability
Gender
Gender reassignment
Marriage and civil partnership
Race
Religion or belief
Sexual orientation
Pregnancy and maternity

Of course they have rewritten this - I'm sure everyone here knows that 'gender' is not a protected characteristic under the Act. So here we have yet another influential organisation [I'm also looking at you, BBC] subtly and sneakily influencing in favour of the trans agenda.

Scroll down the same page to see information about the charity's association with Mermaids on a creative project.

And just a few days ago @actnforchildren tweeted thus:


Action for Children
‏Verified account @actnforchildren
Oct 19

Action for Children Retweeted Stonewall

We're incredibly proud to be among the 100 organisations showing their support for #TransEquality through @stonewalluk's #ComeOutForTransEquality campaign! #StandForProgress

But it's the rewriting of the Act that really grinds my gears. Unless organisations that are doing this are held to account this insidious practice will continue to grow.

[arranfan]

Yes! And, why would members of the public feel that they needed to fact check established organisations like Action for Children?

Yet again, it feels like they're taking advantage of their halo status to mislead people to the point where it verges on abusing our trust.

[JamPasty]

God that's grim. Have you tried messaging them about their error?

[Capretta]

Can someone message them and inform them that they are incorrect about the protected characteristic re gender and send them the correct info...

[WorkingItOutAsIGo]

Isn’t that the ex head of the Girl Guides. I think that’s where she moved to.

[EndoplasmicReticulum]

Am I misremembering or is their new leader the person who used to be in charge at Girl Guides?

[ThePrincipal]

Can a MN lawyer write to them and correct them?!

[SuburbanRhonda]

I’m going to phone them tomorrow. I’m on half term and already spent most of the morning on the phone to The Sex Education Forum about their advice to schools around trans issues.

[arranfan]

You're correct, Julie Bentley, ex-CEO of Girl Guiding UK is now Chief whatever of Action for Children.

[Mumfun]

FFS If its Julie Bentley they wont care and will just carry on regardless

[arranfan]

I’m on half term and already spent most of the morning on the phone to The Sex Education Forum about their advice to schools around trans issues

I'm on the lookout for good explainers and recommendations as I feel I should respond to the consultation.

[JamPasty]

Bloody hell SuburbanRhonda, I'm in awe! Good on you!

[SuburbanRhonda]

Thanks, jam, it was bloody frustrating, I can tell you.

I was told we are now required to include in our SRE the statement that most boys have a penis and most girls have a vagina and vulva, and if we don’t say this, we will be in breach of the Equality Act.

If anyone challenges our teaching on this, we can tell them it’s the law.

It’s starting to feel like time for me to get out of education.

[JamPasty]

Fucking hell! Surely that's not true, that they would be breaching the equalities act by saying that? This whole thing is insane

[SuburbanRhonda]

This is what I’ve been told by SEF. It’s only guidance, but you only need someone with too much time on their hands to start making a noise about a school breaching the EA and it’ll be all over the mainstream press.

Look at how Lily Madigan crows about a suing a school - schools don’t need that shit.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Fuck suburban, place marking and pissed off.

[FusionChefGeoff]

Don't get out of teaching!! We (and our DC) need sane, critical thinkers who can challenge this shit.

[R0wantrees]

It should be relatively straightforward to help them correct the incorrect wording of the Equality Act re protected characteristics.

Examples here how local authorities were advised and corrected:

womansplaceuk.org/grassroots-womens-pressure-forces-local-authorities-to-comply-with-the-law-over-sex-and-gender/

Polite & clear seems the best way!

[MsBeaujangles]

Rhonda. They are talking out of their non binary arses!
The national and GCSE curricula teach correct biological facts. You can explain there are two types of sexed bodies, two reproductive roles, males and females, penises and vaginas etc.
Those that tell you otherwise are either blindly following the agendas of others or are the agenda'd.
We all need to brush aside their suggestion with a brisk 'no, what we are doing is perfectly correct' and if they challenge to just send them packing with suggestions to go and check things out.

[R0wantrees]

All Diversity and Inclusion policies are based on the Equality Act 2010.

This is a piece of legislation. The protected characteristics are defined in law and not open to rewording / interpreting.

Its worth checking your employer's, chilidren's schools, public services etc.

Many will have made the error in good faith, by using a template from a trusted source.

Large and respected organisations such as Action For Children will be one of these trusted sources so it is especially important that their policy is correct.

[stillathing]

I was told we are now required to include in our SRE the statement that most boys have a penis and most girls have a vagina and vulva, and if we don’t say this, we will be in breach of the Equality Act.

Wtf? I think my child (happy, gnc) could actually be damaged by hearing that from their teachers who they have trusted for several years. Is this a particular school's interpretation or all schools' interpretation?

[stillathing]

Thanks rowan and msB* for clarification

[R0wantrees]

It seemed to be quickly resolved by the majority of LAs when contacted on Twitter.
They said they would check with their legal advisers.
Legal advisers confirmed the law.
LAs corrected.

[R0wantrees]

Interestingly Shelter had also misquoted the Housing legislation which refers to overcrowding. This is relevent as specific laws apply to children who share a bedroom with the opposite sex over a certain age.
They had substituted 'sex' with 'gender'.
When advised recently, they corrected.

Ruth Hunt is the Vice Chair of Shelter.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

I do think some of this is that in some people's minds sex and gender are one and the same (they mean sex) - I was like this. The word has crept into general use instead of sex in many many areas (gender reveal parties, gender scans etc) both innocently and possibly deliberately (according to the transcripts of the debates by mps of the original GRA).

At the same time it's now, in the light of all this confusion, necessary to delineate the two and correct the blind spots for the sake of safeguarding and young people trotting down certain paths when some basic discussions around the words and their differences might be all they need to feel happy in their body expressing their personality (exactly as I've witnessed as a teacher).

[NeurotrashWarrior]

i was told we are now required to include in our SRE the statement that most boys have a penis and most girls have a vagina and vulva, and if we don’t say this, we will be in breach of the Equality Act.

However, a child can't legally physically transition til they're an adult so this is a lie.