To think that Toniebox shouldn’t be raising money for Mermaids?

[Stripeyzebraz]

I love Tonies and the company - it seems really innovative and thoughtful, and I am always quite excited to see how they are developing their range.

For those who don’t know, Tonies are a sort of audiobook: tonies.com/en-gb/ A really lovely product.

But they are raising money for ‘Mermaids’, with their Pride Tonie, and I think they’ve made a mistake there. Inclusivity: yes! Love for all: yes! Celebration of Pride: yes! … but Mermaids?

Have Tonie done their research on this?

Here is a link to the Pride Tonie.

Ditch the Tonie and get a Yoto player.....much better!!

Misses the point of the thread entirely

Disclaimer: I have no idea if Yoto has ever raised money for anything suspect!!

Well, we are expecting to graduate to Yoto at Christmas …

It's up to them and if you don't like it you're free to not buy their products. There are lots of charities I wouldn't personally donate to either because they don't align with my values or because I don't like their fundraising tactics but I respect the rights of individuals or businesses to donate/fundraise as they see fit.

… but this isn’t just a case of a company raising money for a charity. They are using their platform (the Toniebox and the rainbow Pride Tonie figure) to raise the profile, among pre-schoolers, of a charity that has a political agenda.

That’s not a matter only of consumer choice or companies spending their money how they want.

In reality, this a case of a company trying to boost their progressive credentials without quite grasping the detail of what Mermaids campaigns for.

This is how Tonies describe their partnership with Mermaids:

Celebrate Pride with tonies® and Mermaids!
In partnership with Mermaid, one of the leading LGBTQ+ charities in the UK, supporting trans, non-binary and gender-diverse young people and their families. We’ve collaborated with a range of talent from within the LGBTQ+ community, including Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe, to write and produce engaging stories and uplifting music celebrating positive Pride messages to little listeners and their families.
Listen to stories about different kinds of families and sing along to the "Colours of Love”. And most importantly, learn to take pride in who you are and always remember to follow your own rainbow!
“A rainbow is a funny thing, it carries every colour and all the different colours share a home with one another.”
ALL profits made from our Pride Tales Tonie will be donated to Mermaids charity, helping them support trans, non-binary and gender-diverse young people and their families.

Er, what's wrong with Mermaids?

Didn't a senior member of Mermaids attempt to take a trans woman to court for "transphobia", only to have the case thrown out when it finally got before a judge? Having caused a lot of distress in the meantime.
I would be embarrassed to align with them.

They also have aligned with the Christian church. All the while accusing any critics of Mermaids as being in the pocket of the "Christian far-right".

I think a lot of companies will be dropping the likes of Mermaids like a sack of shit after today.

And the head of Mermaids, who is apparently an IT consultant by training (no medical or mental health training) uploaded a lot of confidential emails with their vulnerable child clients' names and case details to a public part of the internet, and didn't realise until journalists let them know they'd come across it while googling the Mermaids charity number. (I may recall incorrectly, but they possibly called the journalists transphobic for this).

There's plenty more...

Well, quite …

Well, now I know.

Are you joking?

The product seems incredibly overpriced anyway.

I wouldn’t be without our Toniebox. DS is listening to The Witches, right now - I actually think they have been worth it for the use both my children have got from them.

BUT endorsing Mermaids is lazy. And I would happily buy a Pride figure with its audio content, but I don’t want my children being exposed to any messaging from Mermaids.

@woolwinder

Apart from:

their massive reverse ferret when the government published guidance saying no one had been born in the wrong body (spoiler: that is exactly what they used to say)

The fact that their CEO took their child for genital surgery to Thailand on their 16th birthday? And laughed about how small their penis was on camera because they'd been on puberty blockers since a young age

The fact they they encourage children to change their names and pronouns without telling their parents

The fact that there are no controls over who signs up to their youth forums

Them having a massive data breach where they revealed contact details of thousand of their clients

Helen Islan, their marketing person, trying to sue a transgender man and it getting thrown out of court on the first day.

Even if you're a fully paid up TRA, surely you've got to agree this is shit

Oh and TERF is a banned term

@woolwinder TERF is a perjoratice term.

Mermaids advocate for the quick, medicalised treatment and transition of children who are questioning their gender.

What’s wrong with that?

• poor safeguarding practice. In the rush to address the issue of gender identity, other vulnerabilities, needs, disclosures can be ignored.


• There isn’t sufficient evidence that puberty blockers aren’t harmful. This is being explored today in relation to the NHS closing the Tavistock’s Gender Development Identify Service (and the Cass report).


• a lack of support for families … a quick look on the Mermaids website and children are being encouraged to set up new email accounts that their primary carers won’t have access to, for example.

A company wishing to be sympathetic to LGBTQ+ children can do so without affiliating itself to Mermaid’s rapid, medicalised and non-evidence-based approach to transitioning children.

*perjorative

*pejorative 🤦‍♀️