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]

does anyone have the link where it was shared on twitter?

What are you banging on about, Spirit? It's like you're repeating arguments in an echo chamber and not reading a single damned thing anyone has actually said.

The NAS is there to support evryong who is autistic, not just people that some consider "normal"

There are other support charities for trans autistic people, without the negative agenda.

Your comment about ensuring it is temporary sounds awfully like a threat to me.

I’m not fucking scared and I sure as shite am not and will never back down.

So do your worst, I’m ready for it. I’ll not go down quietly, none of us will.

Because it's a dangerous charity with dangerous beliefs that publicly recites fake suicide data is reason enough for me.

Telling autistic children this stuff and backing it up without any evidence is chilling.

What's your cut off point for a charity spiritual though? If you're thinking that being a charity is enough to give them the benefit of the doubt, I've worked for many and I can assure you they have human beings and internal politics and shit leaders who can mess things up hugely.

Spiritual love what right do you think you have to “ensure” anything is done by NAS?
They are a charity for people with autism, not a charity for you. They have said they will consult autistic people and their carers. What else would you have them do?

As no one has yet given a good enough explaination to why a supportive charity to transgender people should be cut

They have.

Many times.

You are willing fully ignoring it.

The point is that Mermaids might not be supportive to autistic kids and consider their disability. Which would be a) disablist and b) not necessarily in the best interests of those kids anyway.

I am autistic and for people like me it would be a huge setback if the NAS were to drink the TRA koo-aid.

TRAs and their handmaidens can fuck right off.

Ooops. I meant to type "kool-aid" but given as how it involves TRAs "kook-aid" might be a better word.

Spirituallove Wtf are you on about? Yes, everyone who is autistic. They’re not a trans organisation. They continue to refer people to the NHS sources on transgenderism or gender identify, and to Stonewall. Mermaids are a dangerous lobby group- there’s plenty of valid reasons within the thread for referring to them this way. We aren’t going to keep repeating them for your benefit.

You do your worst you horrible ableist person. The NAS very clearly centres autism and autistic people, which I don’t believe you are so you’ll have no previous history with NAS, whereas we all actually do. They’re a smart organisation run by very intelligent and focused people. The fact you’ll harass them over removing links to a small but dubious organisation, is pretty despicable considering it’ll take them valuable hours to navigate and resolve, hours which should be spent helping autistic people. How shameful you are.

As no one has yet given a good enough explaination to why a supportive charity to transgender people should be cut

What would you consider 'good enough'?

not just people that some consider "normal"

Wtf does that even mean? What is normal? Who are you referring to on the spectrum? That he hideously ableist. So gross.

The fact you’ll harass them over removing links to a small but dubious organisation, is pretty despicable considering it’ll take them valuable hours to navigate and resolve, hours which should be spent helping autistic people. How shameful you are.

That’s it in a nutshell isn’t it though? For some extremists it’s all about smothering the rights of everyone else, irrespective of whatever group they decide to target.

Curiously, that group hasn’t yet been men. I wonder why?

But autistic people, lesbians, women, vulnerable and ND children are all fair game.

Hmm, it’s like there’s some kind of underhand agenda at play .

YeTalkShiteHen right? It’s so frustrating.

pennydrew it is. It is always, always about trampling over the rights of other groups (who have fought damn hard to get those rights in the first place!!!) by shouting the loudest.

Sadly all that noise has drowned out what’s really going on, and some still believe that they’re right.

I am a woman, I am an autistic woman and I am the mother of 3 autistic children. I will never back down, not ever. I’m sure you and many others won’t either.

This will not stand.

It will not stand.

The BBC have been pushing a criminal GP and spreading her trans propaganda on TV and Twitter.

No males. No lies.
There is no compromise.

I will not. I’m happy for them to point autistic children and adults to the NHS and another trans organisation that isn’t extreme and dangerous, like Mermaids. But I will not accept that woman as a reliable, safe source for troubled children. No way. I will not stand by and let anyone hijack autistic charities and their aims and purposes, this is not okay.

extreme and dangerous like Mermaids is

No way. I will not stand by and let anyone hijack autistic charities and their aims and purposes

Absolutely.

Is 'tub thumping' the term of the day? I've seen it a few times today from "different" posters. How odd! 🤔

What the fuck is tub thumping? Apart from a really shit song from the 90s.

I rang them as soon as I saw this thread yesterday afternoon. As a parent of a child on the spectrum, it is very important to me that ASD children are protected from this cultish ideology.

'tub thumping' is something India Willoughby is good at.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3385680-spectator-podcast-madeleine-kearnes-and-india-willoughby

I am so pleased to see this.
Autistic children are vulnerable. The last thing they need ie Mermaids getting their claws into them.