Need Advice Quickly - Mermaids Fundraising

I really respect the approach you are taking, ie speaking directly to the student (?) who proposed Mermaid. Hope this goes well and that you have others to be there with you.

Bringing in adults / teachers might back fire.

Please do let us know how it goes.

Or maybe, as I cant seem to find it, can you give the link to the new thread you have started. I cant seem to find it!

I think your teachers will be sympathetic. Good luck.

Because they didn’t engage critical thinking and swallowed the unicorn. It’s trendy innit?

It will be interesting to know WHY the person chose Mermaids as a charity to support, and if they really know what they are all about....

OP I wish you luck, definitely canvass friends, other parents & teachers quietly to see if others agree and get support. At the most basic level, Mermaids promote giving young children off label drugs, which will most likely lead onto surgery....ending in sterilisation.....why on earth is that a good thing to support? I agree there are no trans children, just kids who are confused about how they fit in & possibly coming to terms with their sexual identity but it is vital that they go through puberty as that is a fundamental part of maturing-it is natural-if after maturity young adults wish to set themselves on a medical pathway, well that’s up to them. What mermaids promote is extremely toxic & has no place in schools. Stonewall has become a joke as how can they support lesbians whilst also saying some women have dicks. Good luck, please post again if you come accross difficulties, it is not transphobic to see the damage this ideology is doing to children (especially autistic ones)

Applauds OP. Nothing more useful to add but your post has made my heart leap and given me hope. It’s wonderful to hear that young people being indoctrinated with this rubbish can see through it. That said, you seem to possess razor-sharp intellect and insight which will stand you in good stead and I hope you get into the university of your dreams OP. Wish you well. 💐

Might be worth catching the Sunday papers. The Times and the MOS are normally excellent on these issues. (The Mail on Sunday is a separate paper to the Mail).

TransgenderTrend were runners up for the John Maddox science award, if that’s what you meant?

Bring in their "Jelly Baby Spectrum/ Rainbow" PDF to the meeting and just show it for what it is.

At the very least take in Transgender Trend's School pack.
It's measured, diplomatic and they have won a scientific award on the back of this work (sorry can't remember exactly which right now).

Absolutely mention the "illegal procedure" you are not meant to mention and their "Jelly Baby Theory" cod science.
Their sexism in their own words-
If you are Blonde Barbie in pink you are female, If you are GI JOE in Army get up you are a male, and to top it off with racism, if you are a black woman you are more towards the "Male" side of the "Spectrum" than if you're blonde.

The mind fuckery they promote. Who wouldn't question their gender after a presentation by Mermaids if you're a young child who feels they don't fit in. There's no room for GNC people like yourself, Idk they only tell people like you "you're trans, Have a bunch of irreversible sterilising medication and surgery".

It's right to feel strongly about this. Don't mince your words but it's sad to say, just be careful.

Well done idk .
As I think you already understand, this is a lobby group that is intent on pushing some very dangerous ideas at children, rather than a charity. This Times article shows just what the school could be getting into. Take a look at the comments underneath (sort them by most recommended):
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/journalist-faces-police-for-misgendering-trans-woman-5zqr6sqjv?shareToken=778dbb3eb5f7861808947053b4920935

The article really gives an insight into the 'political' nature of the supposed charity and how they operate. Most schools would want to stay clear of an organisation that operates like this. Good luck .

It’s always good to question and find our answers for yourself. People are too easily manipulated and silenced.

There’s definitely a PhD in there somewhere.

Good luck and stick to your principles. If you haven’t heard of ‘PIE’ (paedophile information exchange) then take a quick look - not that this has anything whatsoever to do with this case but it shows how a group can become powerful and influential yet be incorrect. I heard about them vaguely as a child - but even I knew they were Bad People but some politicians and lobbyists at the time were sucked in.

Hi idk nothing to add to the resources that people have provided here, but I just wanted to say there are lots of us here (and everywhere else too) that didn't do the feminine thing / wanted to be boys because they seemed to do better stuff than us (I'm in my 50s and it was even difficult to play football as a girl when I was younger). Most of us turned out fine and are really pleased that we weren't transed, when nowadays we might have been. It's great that you feel able to be gender non-conforming in a world in which girls are way more identikit now than when we were younger.

DS's school only fundraises in a big way for charities founded in the same city. Then it's about wider local community & there's more of a tie in. Pupils do bakes etc for Children in Need/Comic Relief etc. So there's balance with wider world.

www.ipetitions.com/petition/dear-stonewall-please-reconsider-your-approach

ooops! sorry for posting same line twice. this is the youtube one:

Here are some links to Pique Resilience Project:
twitter.com/piqueresproject
twitter.com/piqueresproject

Firstly, OP, thank you for your courage.

I'm a teacher - mostly 6th form - with teenage daughters. I really hope they are lucky enough to have school role models like you!

Lots of better suggestions than I can give upthread, but I had to post.

Courage calls to courage, everywhere.

Hi idkwhatisgoingon

First of all really respect what you are trying to do.

I was part of a generation which in many ways was hopelessly reationary, but strangely (and luckily for me) had no problems with girls or young women being "tom boys". Cant imagine what it is like today, with the pressure in schools, online, the main stream media.

Was going to recommend many of the links heresyisthenewblack has listed.

Would only add, as the context is school, is maybe downloading or suggest teachers download the Resource Pack for Schools from transgendertrends. Link on their home page www.transgendertrend.com/

Worth remembering that Mermaids is not made up of professionals but set up by a woman who illegally arrange for her male child to be operated on. And on one level could be said to exist only to justify her actions.

And that she persues a policy of trying to silence those who oppose her beliefs whether by getting women and lesbians ejected from meetings - see www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3539529-Lesbians-removed-from-Accenture-inclusive-trans-event-by-7-police-officers or instigating police investigations - see www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3537080-Police-interviewing-Caroline-Farrow-under-caution-and-threatening-to-arrest-her-for-misgendering

I can see it is going to be a bit hard if the suggestion of Mermaids came from fellow students as they wont want adults / authoritiy figures telling them they are wrong!

Have your fellow students seem some of the really upleasant things said by parents who seem to be pushing children to be trans, as much because they the parents are reactionary. ie better a trans boy than a lesbian. Maybe this would carry more weight. If young people realised that those pushing the trans agenda are adults who are abusing their position of care to push young people into fulfilling a set of beliefs they have. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3531622-4thWaveNow-has-some-incredibly-disturbing-stuff-from-Facebook

Will try and find the link to the young women detransitioners

I haven't read the whole thread but off the top of my head I would

1. Make them aware of what the CEO of Mermaids did with her son innThailand which was made illegal shortly afterwards
2. Question whether Mermaids is a charity or a lobby group - they have a charity registration number but their activity is more like a lobby group
3. Make them aware of the promotion Mermaids did of Dr Webberley who broke the law and has since been fined

Lastly, not Mermaids, but the coining of the phrases Cotton Ceiling was something that peak peak transed me and it's a prime example of how lesbians are threatened by the trans ideology and it's essentially homophobic.

Not on Mermaids, but this piece by Hadley Freeman describing her walk to work and homelesness might be helpful to persuade someone you'd like to focus on local charities instead of national ones (if that's an angle you were thinking pursuing).

www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jan/12/my-walk-to-work-shows-me-how-homelessness-is-transforming-britain

Honestly, I think I’d just say that Mermaids is giving trans people a bit of a bad press at the moment and seems to have gone off the rails to become pretty intolerant itself. It’s also entirely trans-focused - so it only covers 1/4 of the aim.

Mermaids leader refused to appear at an event because of a lesbian woman in the audience this week - that’s not helpful to the L part of the LGBT.

See if you can find something local that covers the LG and B, not just trans.

Some links -

A review of the evidence about gender affirming hormone treatment in children:
blogs.bmj.com/bmjebmspotlight/2019/02/25/gender-affirming-hormone-in-children-and-adolescents-evidence-review/

Referenced blog post on Mermaids specfically:
4thwavenow.com/2017/10/21/should-mermaids-be-permitted-to-influence-uk-public-policy-on-trans-kids/

Article by Julian Vigo on the Forbes website:
www.forbes.com/sites/julianvigo/2018/12/27/pseudo-scientific-hokum-and-the-experimentation-on-childrens-bodies/#6c4cdbfc1167

Recent analysis of puberty blockers by an Oxford professor:
www.transgendertrend.com/tavistock-experiment-puberty-blockers/
And a letter to young trans people from a transsexual:
www.transgendertrend.com/letter-to-young-trans-people/

The GD working group website provides a scientific perspective-
Bob Withers
gdworkinggroup.org/2018/11/01/the-science-of-gender-evidence-for-what-influences-gender-development-and-gender-dysphoria-and-what-are-the-respective-influences-of-nature-and-nurture-18-19-10-18-the-tavistock-and-portman-nhs-fo/

And I would recommend referencing the Evidence Base page on GIDS, as it goes over the science as the actual NHS doctors treating the issue in children have laid it out. The Tavistock can't be called an "anti-trans" source:
gids.nhs.uk/evidence-base

(Especially their section on 'Desistance' and why they adopt 'Watchful Waiting,' which puts them at odds with Mermaids)

Fairplay for Women on Mermaids stats:
fairplayforwomen.com/mermaids-tg-lying-unprofessional/

The court case for the boy whose mother was told to stay away from Mermaids:
www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/format.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2016/2430.html

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mermaids-uk-charity-ban-as-boy-forced-to-live-as-girl-dvx3j99cn

A couple of recent MN Threads:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3452489-Mermaids-given-500-000-by-National-Lottery-Sunday-Times

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3454658-recording-of-mermaids-training

Failing everything else, maybe you can print out the Barbie to GI Joe jelly baby scale....

(Thanks to all the women who have shared this elsewhere!)

Does your family have a subscription to The Times online? There are several very helpful articles on there, if you search for Mermaids.