National Autistic Society and Mermaids [Title edited by MNHQ]

[GColdtimer]

My friend just posted this on Facebook this morning. She isn't on MN so I have her permission to share. She would really like more people, especially people with ASD or who have children with ASD, to write to NAS thanking them for their willingness to listen and their agreement that Mermaids is not reputable.

This is really great news so please can we keep this bumped and shared. Thank you.

If posters on the SEN board would like to share that would also be great (if appropriate).

Dear XXXX ,

Thank you for your feedback regarding the Gender and autism page on our website.

I’m writing to let you know that I’ve raised your concerns regarding Mermaids UK, one of the organisations we link to on our Gender and autism page, with a number of teams within the National Autistic Society. In light of the concerns raised in your message, and of other feedback that we have received, we have decided to remove all links to Mermaids UK from our website, while we take the time to consult with relevant professionals and to reconsider which organisations we wish to place links to on our website.

As such, our Web Team are working to remove all links to Mermaids UK from our website as soon as possible. Please do be aware, however, that, as we are currently in the process of updating our website to reflect our new branding and organisational identity, it may take a few days for this to be actioned.

Thank you again for bringing this to our attention, and I hope that you are satisfied with the actions we are taking in light of the concerns that you have raised.

Kind regards,

National Autistic Society

[Edited by MNHQ to remove personal info]

To view all men as dangerous and trans kids as deviants - sounds a bit ridiculous to me. Sorry. And to stay in a body that doesn’t fit your gender when medical science has come so far that it can help u - seems unfair. No one would b having brain surgery, heart surgery - any surgery if we all had to accept our lot. Surely being trans is a medical condition which affects the baby as it grows in the womb? Girl brain / boy body and vice versa. Doesn’t make anyone dangerous. Dangerous people r dangerous - white, black, man, woman. I’m struggling to c how being trans automatically makes u a threat. I’m sorry. I know u all agree but I’m struggling to c the sense of it all.

Do you believe in pink brain/blue brain?

I can’t take anyone seriously who types “b” instead of be and “c” instead of see

To view all men as dangerous and trans kids as deviants - sounds a bit ridiculous to me. Sorry. And to stay in a body that doesn’t fit your gender when medical science has come so far that it can help u - seems unfair. No one would b having brain surgery, heart surgery - any surgery if we all had to accept our lot. Surely being trans is a medical condition which affects the baby as it grows in the womb? Girl brain / boy body and vice versa. Doesn’t make anyone dangerous. Dangerous people r dangerous - white, black, man, woman. I’m struggling to c how being trans automatically makes u a threat. I’m sorry. I know u all agree but I’m struggling to c the sense of it all.

If you want to miss the point, feel free.

No one said any of that. Not even close to that.

Now go read Margaret McCartney.

To view all men as dangerous and trans kids as deviants

Where did you pluck that from? Are you answering on the right thread?

This is extremely good news, I hope they stick with it, and that this is the start of a trend.

To view all men as dangerous and trans kids as deviants

What a revolting accusation! You have a bloody cheek coming on here, lecturing those who are parents to children with autism and those that are autistic. Away to hell, with your lies and deceitful accusations,

Indeed I said

Its easier to make the arguement that this is 'paedogeddon' hysteria than to address the concerns about bad science seriously. All you do is shout 'transphobia' drop a slogan or spout one line bollocks about what science alledgedly says (hint: it doesn't - thats the point).

This works better on twitter cos its harder have grown up, intellectual conversations.

On MN we can use more than 280 characters.

Thank Fuck.

when medical science has come so far

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

I’m struggling to c how being trans automatically makes u a threat.

(I'm struggling to see how you somehow can't type basic words in full.)

Being trans doesn't automatically make someone a threat. But a male who uses trans ideology to get into female-only spaces can be a threat to those girls and women. How would you tell the difference?

Further: What would you say to girls and women who have lost their right to dignity?

when medical science has come so far

All that medical science can do is create an artificial facsimile - mostly only big breast implants into a male torso. Plus large amounts of sex hormones into a body that isn't designed for those drugs, and that's for the rest of their lives.

I've emailed on behalf of my autistic teen, urging them to take as much time as they need to reflect and decide. Fingers crossed that they are brave enough to do that.

It's just as well that nobody said that isn't it Yrevas? You are just plain making stuff up at this point, and trying to do so with a faux naivety that's pretty obvious.

And as for girl's brain boys body...it's a human being that grows as one in the womb, not an ikea flat pack where someone can build the frame of one product and try to stick on the doors of another then claim they don't fit. My brain, which does all sorts of things mostly associated with men, is a woman's brain because it's a part of my female body. No other reason. They can't get swapped around, misassembled. Pushing the concept of gendered brain is detrimental to both sexes but as usual mostly hurts women and girls.

Yrevas having invested quite a lot of time and energy trying to explain, I’m actually quite upset that you have spectacularly chosen to miss the point completely.

You’ve utterly ignored what many of us have said, which isn’t what you’re saying we’ve said.

Which leads me to believe you’re only trying to start a row, why would that be?

U guys just don’t have a clue - do u? Thanks for the insults about my abbreviations - very grown up. I have a different opinion than u and u attack. Nice. For the record my daughter is autistic so I can talk about it!

It's so transparent

Having an autistic child doesn’t mean you understand the risk of what these activists are doing.

Actually the fact you have an autistic daughter and are greatly minimising the risks posed to your own child, who is directly within the target group, is really worrying.

Please have a look at Transgender Trend’s website, they explain very well the need to support trans children while simultaneously ensuring safeguarding is in place to protect vulnerable children from activists.

I've got windows that are harder to see through Chrysanthemums.

Yrevas I absolutely knew from the moment you commented your only intention was to make false accusations and twist the conversation. I doubt very much you have an autistic child, if you did you’d know why safeguarding is extra important for them. Don’t you come here with your MRA nonsense.

We have sex separation for a reason and claiming that the implication of that is all men are predatory, is pathetic. Stop with your gaslighting, disingenuous concern.

U guys just don’t have a clue - do u? Thanks for the insults about my abbreviations - very grown up. I have a different opinion than u and u attack. Nice. For the record my daughter is autistic so I can talk about it!

You obviously did not grasp what opinion 'we' have, or you wouldn't have written bollocks like us 'viewing all men as dangerous'. And, frankly, in some cases, like the boy and girl brain idiocy, 'having a different opinion' is - objectively - nothing more than intellectual lazyness and an active avoidal of scientific facts.

U guys just don’t have a clue - do u? Thanks for the insults about my abbreviations - very grown up. I have a different opinion than u and u attack. Nice. For the record my daughter is autistic so I can talk about it!

No I'm thick as pig shit.

I have no general knowledge of politics in general or interest in the commercialisation of health care and how it removes power from the patient or how the principles of ethics work to protect vulnerable groups or how bad science can be manipulated for political and ideological reasons. And I definitely don't have an autistic daughter. If only I did and then I'd be well versed in all of the above.

I'm dumb as shit me. No idea whatsoever.

You've convinced me of my own stupidity.

Thanks for the first laugh of the morning, Yrevas,

@Yrevas To view all men as dangerous and trans kids as deviants

Eh? Please go back through the thread and give quotes that back up your ridiculous assertions.

There is no medical or scientific basis to your statements about what "trans" means.

You appear to have no experience of the vast amounts of internet propaganda that vulnerable young people are exposed to and the terrifying power of social contagion.

When the phenomenon relates to other issues, people have a very different attitude - e.g. anorexia or self-harm or suicide.

Would you be ok if your vulnerable teen was watching endless videos about how to starve themselves or ways to self harm?

Autistic people have explained why autistic teens are especially vulnerable to such propaganda.

Parents of autistic children and young people are telling you that they are experiencing this right now.

I have been through it with my own autistic dd and have come out the other side. We were fortunate because my dd is not at school and I was able to gently challenge the views she was accepting unquestioningly.

Many parents will turn to the NAS for advice and until yesterday one of the advice links was to Mermaids.

Mermaids is an organisation that promotes an extreme and unquestioning approach that leads to physical damage to children e.g. the use of binders , puberty blockers and ultimately surgery that renders the individual infertile .

Such an approach would never be sanctioned for any other group of children so why is it being allowed for this group?

That's what this thread is about.

Please, if you are a genuine poster, open your mind and actually read what people are posting. Take time to understand the very real safeguarding dangers that misplaced "right on" thinking creates.

Stop making offensive and false assertions about the beliefs of people who question trans ideology. Raising objections and questioning false assertions is vital. It does not make anyone transphobic.

I have no way of knowing if you are genuine @Yrevas but on the basis that you might be and for all the lurkers -
please follow YeTalkShiteHen's advice and read what Transgender Trend have to say.

Thanks for the insults about my abbreviations - very grown up. I have a different opinion than u and u attack. Nice. For the record my daughter is autistic so I can talk about it!

To address your points:-

You're more than welcome.

No one attacked you.

I have two children with autism so am I allowed to talk about it twice as much?

What you have claimed is not happening on this thread so until you stop making those claims you will not be taken seriously.

it was GIRES who claimed transitioning cures autism, I believe.

Anecdotally, young people who have been successfully treated, are often described as having no residual ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder]. The symptoms have disappeared once the dysphoria has been treated.

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