Impact of transgender organisations - who is behind them and how have they become so influential?

[theendisnotnigh]

Looking at the Times article about the government telling the UN that the phrase pregnant people should be used instead of pregnant women . Where has the government got their mandate from from to make these massive changes?
When is some investigative journalist going to take a look behind the scenes at who these massively influential transgender groups are? (Gendered Intelligence, GIRES etc).
How have this tiny percentage of the population had such a significant response? The groups are feted by government, the Dept for Education, the NHS fund and actively promote them.
We know that they have used tactics of threats and intimidation to very successfully silence democratic debate and discussion. We know that they have gained access to politicians (Maris Miller etc) in ways that other political groups can't do. So who are they? Are they funded by the Drugs companies (who have much to gain from the lifelong medication of transgender children to adults).
We know that they are active in schools, local authorities, workplaces. What are their qualifications for changing schools? Do their staff going into schools have DBS checks? Do they work directly with children and young people? Why are the DfE , NHS promoting political activist groups to train educators and health professionals - normally schools are very careful about giving political interest groups direct access in this way?

I think we need to be asking questions of the government about what checks and balances they have made before recommending these groups and why they are getting such preferential treatment? What other massive social change in history has taken place behind closed doors and with active government involvement?

This is a very interesting thread.
I work, in one of my roles, for a large religious organisation. We work out policies with regards opening ourselves up to ethnic minorities, disabled people, homeless people, people on low incomes, single parents, LGBTQ+ etc.

We lisase directly with representatives from such groups to understand what will work for them and what we need to do better. Most groups understand we are slowly evolving and we, in our office, are working hard to become as inclusive as possible but it's a battle in some places - one we are actively fighting. They are happy we want to listen to them and are willing to fight for them. They are seeing the differences we are making and between us and them something is changing.

Anyway, trans organisations have basically told us (specifically two of my colleagues) that the other people we advocate for should be brushed aside for a while and we are violent for not immediately changing 100% of our policy to suit them.
They have been forceful in their approach, in ways I feel very overwhelmed by. They have no room for debate, no discussion. It needs to be 100% their way, no matter what.

I'd be very interested in knowing more about the backgrounds of these types of organisations. Their lobbying is clearly very powerful and I think a great deal more transparency is needed.

People don't apply critical thought to the consequences Exactly.

Briechon, that is very interesting indeed. Were they specifically trans groups, or more general LGBT groups?

I wonder why they feel that entitlement. Why do they feel able to demand that they are prioritised over ethnic minorities, disabled people, homeless people and other marginalised groups who are working with some degree of understanding and patience with your efforts to include them? What's different?

(Just asking the air, btw - not expecting you to have all the answers!)

Ooh, really happy to see this thread as I was wondering the same this morning. I had a poke around the Mermaids 2016/17 annual report to try and work out how they grew from a tiny group to suddenly becoming so vocal and respected.

Big grants (e.g. from Children in Need, Leathersellers, Awards for All and the Department for Education) was the answer. Mermaids is also the Financial Conduct Authority and Herbert Smith Freehills' sponsored Charity of the year and 'working in partnership with the LGBT networks for Lloyds Bank and Barclays Bank'.

apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends75/0001160575_AC_20170331_E_C.PDF

So lots of money and practical support from many different sources and big names in Mermaids' case. Is this typical of transactivist charities in general?

On the receiving end, people have taken on board the idea that the T belongs with the LGB, when in fact it's a completely different issue. Putting T with LGB has given it legitimacy and made it impossible to question without sounding like a massive bigot.

different
It was a specific trans group who presented us with (as they termed it) their demands.
We deal with general LGBT groups who have never, ever been anything other than helpful, interesting and decent to work with.

I'm not sure how this arrangement with the specific trans group came about - I am actually going to ask when I'm in work this week.

They get the attention because they have doctored violence stats.

E.g. I've seen official reports where a woman who had married a man who then told her he was trans was categorised as committing an act of discriminatory violence against a trans person for merely saying she did not want to be married to a woman.

Yes there is violence against trans people but not at the rates reported,

Teal
Was that in the UK?

When did MNHQ change posture?

Good question. Not sure when it happened but in terms of why, I think MNHQ must have paused for thought when the constant questioning remained polite, thoughtful, inoffensive and honest. When women and some of our Transwomen started expressing alarm and concern at the long term consequences of remaining silent. When anyone reading, despite much goading from obvious trolling, could plainly see that there was no phobia nor hate-speak. When thoughtful MN'ers didn't no-platform or shout down any poster who challenged them, but instead reasonably asked questions and pointed out fact.

MNHQ certainly seemed to take a step-back and give these threads breathing space and for that, I will be thankful. I wonder how much flak they receive for this?

Stealth
No, that was someone else I guess. I am a long time poster with lots of user names because I post stuff that has a bearing to my work.

CisMyArse

Great name, BTW.
I agree that It is much appreciated that MNHQ have backed off. It was really strange a while back, I want d to shriek “but read the thread!” And then MN would come out with unquestioning pro-trans statements, in a way that they rarely do in defense of SN and the whole thing felt extremely rabbit hole-ish.

I find it extraordinary that such a small number of people have been able to have such a huge impact on the fabric of our society in such a short time. A group that is constantly saying how discriminated against and marginalized they are. The questions have to be who is behind it and cui bono. If you think that it's been 40 years since women have been asking for Ms to be an available option on all official forms and it hasn't happened yet.........

Strips parents of rights over what medically happens to their children
Very important... children could be effectively sterilised - before the age of consent. Shocking

changing our ability to use language in meaningful ways
This is the post-truth world, where facts don't matter. The fact is that you are a woman- but in this brave new world women will be erased. Women's sports, hospital wards and prison wings won't exist. DV, crime and gender pay gap statistics will be meaningless

Re jumping on the LGBT bandwagon: and yet I think that for some religious extremists homophobia lies at the heart of the embracing of the trans trend. For some groups in America and also places like Iran homosexuality is unacceptable - it's much easier to believe that you were born in the wrong body. If you have that mindset then the trans narrative makes everything fall into place - and in Iran it might save your life.

The government was reminding the UN of what the UN already espouses.

So one needs to look beyond just these shores.

And I suppose this is a reason to support Brexit, as it would take us outside the purview of the various EU laws on gender identity and expression.

the various EU laws on gender identity and expression

Would be interested to se what they are. Do you have a link by any chance?

That’s why it’s so important that the legal definition of rape never changes because that is the only way the biological truth will have a chance of being noted and the stats won’t be entirely meaningless.

Not that DV and rape stats have had a meaningful effect to date.

I work in a place that openly supports LGBT and where people can wear outward signs to show their solidarity. The people who wear them are liberal open-hearted people and probably think they are striving for a more inclusive society but have they thought about the consequences?

One thing is certain. When the negative effects become more widely seen, it will all be blamed on feminism anyway.

Dear Lord. Take a look at yourselves, because this is embarassing.

In what way pansies

Pansies How about a calm discussion rather than drive by insults? Elaborate and I'm sure that someone will be happy to engage.

First post - ‘who is behind the trans organisations’.

Third post - Daily Express crap about Sharia Law.

Couple of posts back ‘something utterly sinister, insidious and fucking powerful must be behind this’

Couple of posts before ‘its preparing the world for synthetic humans’

Oh and

‘Too much of a juggernaut to be just about the rights of a minority group’

I mean, there’s quite a few sane posters, but those ones are properly concerning, no?

Great thread. I've been thinking a lot about this lately.
I find myself imaging a rewrite of The Handmaid's Tale except with mtt as the wives. Whoever is behind this clearly wants 'mother' to become a dirty word, as in Brave New World. I'm struggling to piece it all together except that they want to devalue, erase or render women unnecessary.
If I was investigating this I would look to the US first, as I think it's a much more sexist society than the UK. I really do think it's all rooted in sexism with a side advantage of reducing the importance of science and facts (Trump, Gove, et al).

Pansies- please don't do s flyby "you're all vile"

Even the most committed transactivist must be a bit surprised at the speed of change -why do you think it's happened?

Not a committed transactivist. Honestly have quite a lot of sympathy for gender critical views, but this stuff is just nuts.

Well, how do you think the changes have happened so quickly?

Honestly, Bertrand, look at what I quoted. Really?