Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

National Autistic Society and Mermaids [Title edited by MNHQ]

875 replies

GColdtimer · 04/10/2018 12:56

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]

OP posts:
Molokonono · 04/10/2018 13:52

There will be a pile on.

There will be a retraction although I hope to fucking goddess they stick to their guns.

Well done your friend.

LangCleg · 04/10/2018 13:54

Great news.

SpartacusAutisticusAHF · 04/10/2018 14:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lunarain · 04/10/2018 14:01

Any backlash will only strengthen our movement. If they attack the NAS it will peak half the autistic community. Its my letter by the way and I say go for it. Whether you are autistic or work with autistics or even have no connection to autistic people now is the time to contact the NAS whilst they are receptive and are reviewing their stance on this

MrBirlingsAwfulWife · 04/10/2018 14:02

That is indeed good news.!

I am parent of a DD with ASD and have direct experience. Thankfully it has a positive outcome for us but I have said on here that I honestly believe that if my DD had been in school the outcome would have been different. (she can't go to school because of extreme anxiety)

We have witnessed ROGD in her peer group and know that schools are badly advised and teachers are scared. If parents had support from an organisation like the NAS it would be so useful.

I will write to the NAS to support their stance!

NoSquirrels · 04/10/2018 14:02

There may well be a pile on.

But if the usual tactic of "because we say so" and feelings over facts is all they have to offer, then I suspect they won't get far with the NAS...

Original poster
GColdtimer · 04/10/2018 14:05

Thanks lunarain Thanks

OP posts:
NoSquirrels · 04/10/2018 14:05

Mermaids (and Stonewall etc) will need to back up, with independently verifiable facts and figures, their arguments to be included and promoted rather than not promoted.

Someone I know has worked with NAS. I think they will look hard at rational evidence-based arguments over feelings. Remember that they are very MUCH in the business of making life better for autistic people to accept their own differences. If it feels regressive I think they will err on the side of caution.

WomanOfTime · 04/10/2018 14:07

I'm an autistic woman and I think this is brilliant news. Well done, NAS.

pennydrew · 04/10/2018 14:13

NoSquirrels I agree with you. NAS prioritise autism and autistic people, and I don’t think they’ll buckle because of a small charity. They’ve still got a stonewall link.

traceyracer · 04/10/2018 14:15

what did Mermaids or Stonewall do?

I've seen Stonewall mentioned a lot on this board why are you all hating on an LGBT charity?

Original poster
GColdtimer · 04/10/2018 14:21

Well the mermaids links are in the OP and this thread may enlighten you. Stonewall no longer support Lesbians and believe women have no rights.

Ruth Hunt & Stonewall, "do not and will not acknowledge that there is a conflict between trans ri...www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3384455-Ruth-Hunt-Stonewall-do-not-and-will-not-acknowledge-that-there-is-a-conflict-between-trans-rights-and-sex-based-women-s-rights

OP posts:
vicviking · 04/10/2018 14:23

I don’t think NAS will back down either. They have nothing to gain from doing so. They know first hand that a lot of gnc behaviour has nothing to do with trans and everything to do with autism so they know they should be cautious and go with the evidence rather than the ‘woke’.

lunarain · 04/10/2018 14:27

I think what is important to realise here is that NAS have not said they are permanently taking down Mermaids links. Just that they will take them down pending further investigation. It is really important we keep contacting them now with as much evidence around

  1. Evidence against Mermaids
  2. Evidence that trans ideology in general is bad for autistic people and
  3. Evidence of how trans ideology is bad for young people

We need them to solidify their stance against Mermaids and then hopefully when they get attacked it will just peak more autistic people

RedToothBrush · 04/10/2018 14:28

So will the National Autistic Society encourage other autistic charities in the UK to question Mermaids?

This is extremely good news that the NAS have taken this move - they have 18,000 members - but I strongly suspect that this will quickly pop up on TRA radars and there will be a backlash. Don't hold your breathe that this will hold and the NAS will stick to their guns.

I have noted in the past that another austistic charity is the Autistic Society Greater Manchester Area. One of their trustees happens to be one April Preston - a Liberal Democrat member.

April is part of a certain social circle thats has actively been trying to get Liberal Democrat members to quit or be thrown out. She is leading member of the Radical Association who chucked out the woman chair for 'transphobia'. She regularly retweets Mermaids.

Given the correlation between autism and trans - which needs a lot more research and shouldn't be lead by ideology this is potentially a conflict which might raise questions about lobbying.

Safeguarding protocols require ideology to stay the fuck away from areas where there is a lack of research where vulnerable people are concerned. Doesn't matter what the condition or what the lobbying is for.

I'm hugely concerned about how emotion and politiking and advertising overrids the principles of safeguarding and 'doing no harm' generally. This is just another example of the same thing in a much, much bigger trend. Margaret McCartney's views on the commericalism of health have been a huge lead into my views on the TRA debate - her and Ben Goldacre's critical approach to bad science is invaluable.

If you are interested in this as a generality please please watch the BBC's programme on Billion Dollar Deals for more stuff on the same sort of thing where health is coming second to commerical interests www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b096sjk2/billion-dollar-deals-and-how-they-changed-your-world-series-1-1-health Its such a good programme and background to large parts of our current political landscape.

pennydrew · 04/10/2018 14:30

traceyracer nobody here is obliged to get you up to speed. Read some threads and catch yourself up. In the meantime, don’t derail this thread.

pennydrew · 04/10/2018 14:31

RedToothBrush Thank you, I hadn’t heard of that programme.

LenGoodmansPickledWalnuts · 04/10/2018 14:37

www.autism.org.uk/about/communication/sex-education.aspx Still links to Mermaids though?

homoseXXualmum · 04/10/2018 14:37

It would be really good if people could send them a few links of how autistic childred are HEAVILY over-represented when it comes ro referals to gender clinics and explainig the implications of that. (don't have on hand right now)

pennydrew · 04/10/2018 14:38

LenGoodmansPickledWalnuts Ok it’s not removed from all their pages then. They did say it would not be immediate, it would take a few days

LenGoodmansPickledWalnuts · 04/10/2018 14:39

Oh wait, this was only posted a couple of hours ago. I'm just being impatient!

LenGoodmansPickledWalnuts · 04/10/2018 14:40

OK thanks @pennydrew.

pennydrew · 04/10/2018 14:40

LenGoodmansPickledWalnuts No problem. It was removed elsewhere

Swipe left for the next trending thread