Telegraph/Mermaids and Tavi

Sunday Telegraph interview: great feature on Kathleen Stock

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/28/kathleen-stock-interview-oxford-university-gender-debate/

Yesterday Saturday Telegraph interview was Miriam Cates
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/27/miriam-cates-interview/

Sorry - the paywall bypass wouldn't work for me.

Yep.

This is not SG's fault. I'm not saying that to defend her - I'm completely opposed to everything she stands for. My point is that this is all on the Tavi.

It's actually not that unusual for NHS services to accept referrals from non-medical sources. Generally that's a good thing - if, for example, a school has concerns about a child's mental health, it makes sense for them to be able to refer for support without involving the GP, if the GP does not know the child well. Likewise with expert charities.

But, for all referrals, whether from an HCP or not, the clinician who receives the referral is responsible for managing it appropriately. Even a GP will often refer to the wrong service, because services are constantly being reconfigured (if you read Hannah Barnes' book, you will see how much confusion there was between the Tavi and the gender endocrinology service, even amongst expert professionals). So every referral needs to be sifted, to check that it has reached the appropriate service, and that the request in the referral is appropriate.

This is what went wrong here: not accepting referrals from non-HCPs, but failing to manage them appropriately, and GIDS allowing themselves to be pushed around by Mermaids.

SG sought to alleviate all doubt that what she did to her son was child abuse by institutionalising child abuse. She and the fools who allowed her to steam roll them and child safe guarding on that quest deserve naming, shaming and possibly jail time.

There's so much detail to get on top of here. Those of us who have been following this stuff for a long time know things that the general public won't even imagine possible, I suspect.

Take one small detail: Belinda Bell says Mermaids don't do medical stuff. Did she not know that through their forums Mermaids made it possible for their young female clients to get hold of binders, whether or not their parents agreed? (See Bayswater Support Group below, which says towards the end that this was very widely covered in the media last autumn before the LGBA court case.)

Binders are not just sports bras to make your chest look a bit flatter. Wearing a binder for prolonged periods is very bad for general health as it affects breathing amd the development of muscles and bones. It's also commonly painful and causes problems with posture. Nobody has researched how wearing one may affect the body longer term, given that the child is still going through puberty, growing in height, changing shape, and may still be at quite an early stage in this. PE teachers have been advised to let female pupils known to be wearing a binder sit out of some PE lessons because they might not be able to cope with the physical demands. There's a health problem building up right there. Long-term use of a binder causes permanent changes in breast tissue and can affect the ribs. Wearing a binder for a long continuous period can cause bruises and sores on the skin, even skin tears, which is an infection risk, and is likely to exacerbate skin conditions like eczema.

Susie Green wanted GIDS to link to Mermaids so children and their parents would be able to find out where to buy a binder, amongst other things. https://twitter.com/KevsTribulation/status/1662742400681254912?s=20

https://www.bayswatersupport.org.uk/breast-binding-self-harm-or-gender-care/

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I’ve just skimmed the documents and emails. One thing that jumped out at me was S Green’s use of two different email addresses, a Mermaids one and a personal one.

Rule one in the how to be a Professional handbook is always use your professional email on professional business.

S Green looks to be sending referrals for children of parents who contacted Mermaids from her personal email address. So are the referrals from S Green in a ‘professional’ capacity or a personal one?

S Green’s only professional clout is being the CEO of Mermaids - a position she helped create, a position she got because of her own unique experience and views. She’s shown over and over again her lack of basic safeguarding knowledge. Referring someone who’s own GP has refused just reiterates this.

Australia seems to be beginning to discuss how harmful this all is. (The articles are up on archive sites for access).

Accounts are coming through about just how these treatments are not improving lives. And mainly the accounts are from female transitioners and their parents.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4814889-the-weekend-australian-again

The papers really need to make a massive connection between children being taught this in schools, and being referred for medication over and above the advice of doctors, by the IT consultant who teaches it.

It's such a fucking racket.

Teach children they have a gender identity, earn money on the back of it and forge a career. Then tell them this is why they are playing with the wrong toys, which means they need to be referred to a clinic. Then tell them what to say at the clinic in order to get medication. Then fucking go and work for the suspended and struck off doctors who prescribe it.

Can I add that it had been both reported by staff and found on social media that Mermaids, who is referring children, is also coaching them what to say and how to influence diagnosis.

Let’s not forget this. It needs to be repeated loudly and often!

Oh…. And that senior staff of Mermaids acknowledge they have no medical training, yet, have denied in court they ‘do’ medical stuff. Yet, they refer children and influence treatment standards.

christ. It's horrifying.

And has she been given a role in the 'new' Tavistock? I've a feeling I've read that she has but I'm not sure.

Is Polly Carmichael still working in the NHS / at the Tavistock? I remember her in the I am Leo BBC documentary, she didn't seem professional at all!

Sorry i missed the rest of article

digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1324/reader/reader.html?social#!preferred/0/package/1324/pub/1324/page/41/article/NaN

So, you are Polly Carmichael and you take referrals from anyone.

And all your medical professionals only affirm and dish out the drugs the patients want.

And you keep no records and don't follow up on anyone.

And the numbers are skyrocketing.

And you know you are dealing with vulnerable kids, gay kids and autistic kids. And sexually abused kids, with 10 times as many with sex offenders as parents than usual.

You have almost as many whistleblowers as staff who you have ignored for years.

You know it is all going to tumble out at some point. Likely to be the biggest medical scandal ever.

Where are you?

Dennis Kavanagh thread

twitter.com/jebadoo2/status/1662589681022779394?s=46&t=WHoOZ_3Kv5G6-FyQuvE0LQ

And Telegraph access

digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1324/reader/reader.html?social#!preferred/0/package/1324/pub/1324/page/5/article/NaN

That is chlling. SG should be in prison, she's an absolute danger to children.

I hope sincerely that they face legal sanctions, for lying and deliberately withholding evidence. They've only divulged these papers now, does tha mean that they may be concealing the existence of other embarrassing evidence?

FFS - what a bloody disgrace. Kudos to the Information Commissioner for the insisting that the documents be released.

There's an archived copy here: https://archive.ph/RxWlC

Carmichael seems so supine and gutless. Still working there though.

It's a disgusting scandal. She creates these children in the first place, by telling them they have a gender identity. So normal behaviour can be seen to be at odds with it. And then she refers them for treatment, in the teeth of their own doctor's refusal.

She took care of the bloody IT at the citizens advice bureau. That's extent of her experience.

And removed all her son's dolls, because it was unacceptable behaviour from a boy.

FemaleandLearning it is definitely a safe to click on google drive

Interestingly the yahoo "news" page has reprinted the Telegraph article. Usually they stick more to the be kind variety of news.
Trans lobby group Mermaids helped NHS plan treatment for children (yahoo.com)

Is that a safe account to click on a Google drive?