Mermaids given £500,000 by National Lottery (Sunday Times)

[crsacre]

A transgender charity that campaigns for children to be given prohibited sex-change treatment has been awarded £500,000 by the national lottery.

The payment to Mermaids has angered MPs, feminists and women’s organisations, who accuse the charity of bullying doctors, promoting falsehoods and using “emotional blackmail” to pressure parents to support life-changing medical interventions for their children. Mermaids will use the money to create a network of 45 groups nationwide.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/child-sex-change-charity-handed-500-000-by-national-lottery-dvbt7t2kb?shareToken=cd8d6faad97cd9dd3fe3f16eb3810f45

[CaptainKirksSpookyghost]

Anyone remember 'V' The miniseries from the 80's?

[CaptainKirksSpookyghost]

Or any Roger Waters album ever?

[AngryAttackKittens]

In my "better to laugh than to despair" moments I read the fawning cult-like comments on Twitter and think maybe World War Z wouldn't be a bad comparison. World War T?

[WeRiseUp]

Gallows humour.

[CaptainKirksSpookyghost]

Basically anything based on the Political landscape of 1930's europe pretty much covers it.

[AngryAttackKittens]

I mean, on the thread about Desmond Is Amazing we have a child's parents allowing said child to hang out with a convicted murderer, and a fawning media attempting to frame this as empowering for gay youth. I'm not sure it would even be possible to parody this shit at this point.

[WeRiseUp]

Disturbingly true spooky

But I suppose one thing we do have is all that creative output from then to see how this plays out and are forewarned.

[CaptainKirksSpookyghost]

I suppose one thing we do have is all that creative output from then to see how this plays out and are forewarned.

And yet, here we are.

[AngryAttackKittens]

Humans, not known for their ability to learn from history.

[TimeLady]

What is their fucking vision for the world?

Creating a dating pool of people

1. with no breasts or penises
   
2. with breasts and penises.
   

[silentcrow]

In terms of historical fiction I just keep going back to Maoist China - Red Scarf Girl is worth a read; or North Korea. It's like deliberate intergenerational warfare - splitting families apart, getting into schools, denunications, shaming the parental and teaching generation. Very effective tactics.

[ChattyLion]

bumping this important and useful thread

[AngryAttackKittens]

In terms of the setting children to spy on and denounce their parents part, the film Farewell My Concubine is interesting in terms of being one former Maoist young person who participated in all of that's attempt to atone for and I guess sort of emotionally purge the guilt for what he did during the Cultural Revolution. Some day the young people currently seeking out heretics to burn will be deeply ashamed of what they're doing now, but it will be too late to take back the hurt they caused to others or the damage it did to society.

[theOtherPamAyres]

On Twitter, Times writer Andrew Gilligan, notes that Susie Green is saying to her followers that everything will be fine. He wonders aloud whether the National Lottery have given her cause for optimism and that the so-called review is just a PR exercise.

twitter.com/mragilligan/status/1074991415048966147

A respondent agrees that the Big Lottery will probably continue with the funding because to withdraw such a large amount would be embarressing and too big a story.

This is going to be a recurring theme as we lobby to restore and strengthen safeguarding, unfortunately.

[CaptainKirksSpookyghost]

This is going to be a recurring theme as we lobby to restore and strengthen safeguarding, unfortunately.

Yep, it's going to take years.

[CaptainKirksSpookyghost]

The majority of the public need to know what's going on before anyone in power will actually do anything to take action.

This is what happens when things are being pushed from above.

[arranbubonicplague]

There are several claims in the Gilligan thread about the Letter of Support for Mermaids that David Challenor signed the letter but, if that was true at one point (I've no idea), it isn't now.

It is signed by Aimee Challenor, Sian Berry and the Usual Suspects.

[arranbubonicplague]

The case for support and the scrutiny of it needs to be revealed.

Otherwise, yes - I'd hope that there is a case for sustained objection to the lack of due process and diligence for examining an organisation's claims and the evidence based upon which it relies.

[LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD]

A respondent agrees that the Big Lottery will probably continue with the funding because to withdraw such a large amount would be embarressing and too big a story.

I don’t know - give it time and the shitstorm will be a million times bigger. Especially when links to the local constabulary and using them as a personal service is investigated.

[Sarahconnor1]

arran

I took a screen shot back in the summer of the 'i stand with mermaids' letter, im sure baloo challenor is listed at the very end before the organisations were listed. I lifted the screen shot direct from the link on the huff post website.

Will dig it out later.

[EmpressAdultHumanFemale]

He was definitely on it at one point. Might be worth tweeting the screenshot to Andrew Gilligan?

[Needmoresleep]

Arran, yes claims his name was there but is no longer.

A couple of other interesting signatories. Warwickshire Police...now would they be the ones who were investigating Challenor Snr at the time? If so signing a campaigning letter organised by Challenor’s daughter, even if David did not sign, sounds like a bad idea.

And Debbie Hayton.

[GrumpyGran8]

There are several claims in the Gilligan thread about the Letter of Support for Mermaids that David Challenor signed the letter but, if that was true at one point (I've no idea), it isn't now.
I've seen a screenshot of this, where he signed it with his 'furry' name. It was signed back in 2017 or earlier (Mermaids was appealing for support from the trans community after that court case with the woman who was trying to trans her son with Mermaid's help). David Challenor was charged with rape and other crimes in 2016.
Awkward!

[AngryAttackKittens]

He signed an official letter with his furry name? I know I shouldn't be surprised at this point, but still.

[Needmoresleep]

Try this mobile.twitter.com/Mum3Sun/status/1034046921747390464

A screen shot is also on the transcrime UK site.