Janice Turner - article in the Times about Mermaids

Both awesome articles that pull no punches

#bemorelikejanice

Just common sense :" The Mermaids trainer declares that we should stop categorising children by their genitals because “we do raise boys and girls differently.” But isn’t the answer to change our child-raising practices, not the bodies of quirky kids? Feminists are constantly accused of being on the wrong side of history. Yet Mermaids, with its clownfish and jelly-babies, is clearly on the wrong side of science."

Here's mermaids statement in response on FB - not got time to go through the details but anyone else interested can review their stats etc.

From that: If the child does not have supportive parents then disclosure of their gender identity would constitute a potential safeguarding risk.

No. If a child has abusive parents, information sharing is vital. There should be no secrecy involving at risk children: that is the safeguarding risk and a failure of information sharing can lead to catastrophic outcomes. Parents who are not affirmative in the extremist way Mermaids recommends are not abusive.

Vile twisting of protocols and language there

Although I can see why they might use the jelly baby analogy when addressing (let's be honest, indoctrinating) children I'm baffled as to why anyone thought that was an appropriate analogy to use when addressing a group of adults in a professional setting.

Strong article from Janice and comments are good so far.

Biological sex is on a spectrum, she says, like skin tone and (seriously) bra size. A person’s “gender identity jelly baby” has nothing to do with how we are raised: it is inside you at birth. You know you are a man because you walk like a man and like “manly” things. A listener questions why this lecture is based upon stereotypes and is told “you’re going too clever”.

Too clever? Too clever?! Yes, that's right dears: the catechism is all you need. Just recite the articles of jelly baby faith: that'll see you right.

it’s really hard to defend that “training session” and anyone who listens to it, apart from hardcore TRAs will probably be horrified. It’s interesting that she thinks the chap who questioned the “trainer” was trying to dominate the session. If anything, I think the audience were overly respectful, overly compliant and should’ve spoken up far more often and far more vociferously. This is a poor, poor response from Mermaids, in an attempt to justify what they must know was an embarrassing bit of diversity “training”

There's a reason she wins awards! Also I suspect she pays attention to what's being discussed here, so if you're reading, Janice, thank you so much for being ethical enough to keep covering this issue despite the pressure not to,

And yes, Datun, Susie Green seems to want to party like it's 1959 and I can't figure out how anyone has convinced themselves that her commitment to archaic gender roles is in any way progressive. Let little boys play with dolls and dress up if they want to, ffs.

Here's mermaids statement in response on FB - not got time to go through the details but anyone else interested can review their stats etc.

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1952394018190698&id=192046384225479

if anyone has yet to email Big Lottery, please send them a link to that article as it sums up all the very serious, compelling reasons why Mermiads shouldn’t be given a penny more.

Brilliant

That is seriously good. Both her and Gilligan are really getting their teeth into the story now. Surely, surely, surely decision makers will have to start taking notice?

Thanks HandsOff.

Oh and Janice, if you're reading, they also exhorted children to 'come and say hi' by offering puppies and sweets at Pride.

mobile.twitter.com/lilylilymaynard/status/901923845342449665

Lizzie I had an email from the Big Lottery Fund yesterday:
^We are reviewing this proposed grant, and you can find a link to our statement on this matter here. The review team will read all correspondence we have received.^

They must have a truck load of emails to wade through.

Thanks OP for the share articles, another superb piece by Janice that I can send to my son's school, which is a 'Stonewall Champion'.

Two articles exposing the fraudsters. I'll be buying a copy later of my new go to GC newspaper.

Excellent articles. Janice Turner's exceptional clarity is masterful.

On tape the Mermaids trainer tells us that humans don’t come in two sexes, male and female, sperm and ovum: “Most people still think that way,” she says airily

And unaligned jelly babies?

It's quite unbelievable that Mermaids has got away with this for so long.

When I listened to Green's Ted talk it struck my like a thunderbolt how sexist she is. How she truly believes in gender. She was (and assumed her audience would be) so horrified at her then son's preference for dolls, that she took them straight to the doctor. She said something like 'can you imagine?' As if it was normal to see toy preference as an illness.

Very dangerous.

Clear & concise & to the point be more like Janice is my aim for 2019.

Excellent articles. Thank you, feministfairy, for the share tokens.

Wow, the sense of entitlement.

However, Dr McKinnon was unsatisfied by Navratilova’s reply, telling her: “All you had to do: ‘I’m sorry. I made a mistake. I will work to do better’. People: genitals are IRRELEVANT to sports performance.” She added: “You . . . realize I’m a world champion trans athlete who happens to publish and speak worldwide on trans rights . . . right?”

"I will work to do better" ! Oh, fuck off.

Does anyone know if the lottery fund set a time scale for the reconsideration of the grant?

What an amazing article. So many important points crammed into one piece.

Thank you Janice
Thank you to Lucy too for highlighting the bullying insanity of a certain sports person.

I expect comments won’t be opened on Janice’s article, due to advice from the Times Legal dept.

Brava Janice! So pleased to see this.

Thanks fairy.
Janice continues to earn her stripes. She really is bloody great.
I wonder how much abuse she receives for her writing.
I love her fearless attitude with a polite undercurrent of 'fuck you, I'm speaking out'
News Years resolution for me - be more like Janice

Fantastic writing from Janice again- thank you for the share token. Might buy the paper later anyway - money to a good cause I think.