Aimee Challenor suspended from post

[donquixotedelamancha]

coventryobserver.co.uk/news/exclusive-transgender-activist-aimee-challenor-no-longer-in-coventry-lib-dem-post-amid-investigation-into-safeguarding-complaints/

From the article:

TRANSGENDER activist Aimee Challenor is no longer an officer for Coventry Liberal Democrats after the national party launched an investigation into fresh complaints, internet allegations and safeguarding concerns

It seems that certain political parties are so desperate they will take anyone.

From coventryobserver.co.uk/news/exclusive-transgender-activist-aimee-challenor-no-longer-in-coventry-lib-dem-post-amid-investigation-into-safeguarding-complaints/

PRISM

"Prism has told campaigners its volunteers including Ms Challenor are subject to safeguarding policies and procedures, which it had adjusted following the Verita report’s recommendations.

"It added Ms Challenor’s partner had never had any involvement in any form with Prism LGBTQ+ and had not attended any sessions or activities.

"It added: “For many years Prism LGBTQ+ has provided a valuable support service to the young people of Coventry and the surrounding area, many of whom have to deal with bullying and harassment simply for being who they are.

“The success of our group is due in no small part to the hard-work and dedication of our volunteers who give up their free time to help and support the young people. The feedback we have received not just from the young people but also their parents, guardians and carers is overwhelmingly positive with particular emphasis on how attending Prism has helped many young people with their confidence and self-esteem.”

Prism is not a registered charity and the only information about the organisation seems to be the Prism website, which does not name anyone running Prism.

Maybe the Coventry Observer could have a look into that before publishing any more statements from Prism?

Andy Healy (whole saga of Green Party punishing him for raising concerns about A Challenor!) tweeted on 28 October: archive.md/DXKZS

"Perhaps the reason Prism LGBTQ #Coventry is acting so irresponsibly regarding Aimee #Challenor is that for all intents & purposes Prism IS Aimee Challenor & has been for some time?"

I don't think it has been mentioned already in this thread that A Challenor's charming fiancee stated that he outed himself in response to his proclivities being discussed on Mumsnet!

Archived Twitter thread 15 July 2019:
archive.md/PhxK7

Thread starts:

"Aww, seems MN is looking into my past and making me the bad guy now. As long as I'm going to be a target anyway, let's be open and honest about a few things. Whistleblower11087 has shared with the MN class, let's share it with all of you:"

Thread ends:

"Aside: Funny how I'm happy to address this openly but the MNer had to hide behind anonymity. I know myself and am comfortable addressing my bad points, but I guess they must fear for their safety if anybody ever knows who they are..."

I missed the original Mumsnet discussion so I don't know quite how that Twitter thread ties in - but that last Tweet sounds rather threatening.

There is a thread about him, Nathaniel Knight. I will not comment as it speaks for itself
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3639203-Nathaniel-Knight-partner-of-Aimee-Challenor-worrying-twitter-admissions

The success of our group is due in no small part to the hard-work and dedication of our volunteers who give up their free time to help and support the young people

Every time I see that statement I think how little the person who wrote it knows about safeguarding. It is exactly 'volunteers who give up their free time' that we must be vigilant about. Because there are lots of reasons why people give up free time to volunteer with children. And some of those reasons are really fucking scary ones.

So there is an allegation of one to one private talks between a volunteer and the young people attending about sex? Given what we know from AC's social media accounts (all open at the time of DC's conviction and I'm sure screenshotted for posterity) AC has some very niche interests.

Both parents appear to have been exceptionally poor role models. AC has been very badly let down by all the older, professional people in AC's life, from Coventry Social Services onwards, who have failed to sit AC down and have a frank talk about what's normal and acceptable to most people, and what's not. AC is an adult but I believe has a professional diagnosis of ASD. The Greens and LibDems have ignored the obvious duty of care they had to such a vulnerable, damaged individual.

It's perfectly obvious why. A trans identity seems to blind many to the existence of all other issues in an individual's life.

No adult with even a miniscule understanding of safeguarding is going to have private one to one chats with teenagers about sex, surely?

but I guess they must fear for their safety if anybody ever knows who they are

Oh hey there, sinister comment. I wonder why women might fear for their safety if anyone associated with David Challenor knew who we were?

Aimee Challenor is marrying a nonce and the convener of Prism LGBT youth organisation went to the hen party last month. t.co/sr7dhOgRds

twitter.com/bunifoosh/status/1196040815900053504?s=19

Oh and he’s a teacher.

twitter.com/bunifoosh/status/1196041444412284928?s=19

Standard teacher/LGBT youth org things 🏳️‍🌈 t.co/pEjOLsIWaH

twitter.com/bunifoosh/status/1196042592942776321?s=19

Having helped run a children's sports club I was always surprised by the lack of information about safeguarding, management structure and other stuff on the Prism website. There is no way our Local Authority would have supported us or allowed us to use their facilities if we had not fulfilled everyone of the numerous Sport England requirements. Yet Prism seemed to be fawned on by the local police and others.

Seeing those screenshots, it makes me wonder whether the safeguarding policy is not on the website because it does not exist. I would like to be proved wrong.

So, just to get this right, there's a guy called Duncan Brightside, who's a year 1 primary teacher, who convenes an organisation for young gay people, and who posts a picture of himself naked on Twitter and makes jokes about "fingering"? And also goes to the engagement party of someone who's marrying a person who fantasies about sex with children?

I have understood this correctly, haven't I?

Yup. RoyalCorgi unfortunately you have.

What on earth has happened to all these organisations???

Holy crap, Sunset Beetch.

Those tweets would get any teacher on instant gardening leave at any school I've ever worked in.

Nor do I believe he could possibly be ignorant of cyber safeguarding/social media policy to that extent.

That's up there with NSPCC wanker...

I have understood this correctly, haven't I?

Yes. So has everyone else except anyone in a position of authority or responsibility for safeguarding.

It's happening everywhere. And it won't end well.

Good grief. I suspect that parents of children he has access to would have something to say about his 'extra curricular' activities.\

What on earth has happened in schools to see accepted safeguarding guidelines breached in such an outrageous way?

Possibly precedents like this might discourage the school or local authority from taking action.

www.theguardian.com/education/2019/nov/15/tribunal-awards-700k-to-headteacher-sacked-over-gay-dating-app-activity

We are letting LGBT children down so badly. They deserve the same level of safeguarding as all children. Unfortunately sticking a rainbow flag on something is blinding people to their responsibilities towards minors.

We are letting LGBT children down so badly. They deserve the same level of safeguarding as all children. Unfortunately sticking a rainbow flag on something is blinding people to their responsibilities towards minors.

This, this, this.

Also if people could try to wrap their heads around the idea that there's a whole lot of space between "be deeply ashamed of your sexuality and feel compelled to hide it" and "abandon all sense of appropriate boundaries and make fingering jokes in the context of talking about your job working with children" then that would be great.

What the ever loving fuck?

How does this work Lang? If the person concerned just looks totally dodgy, but hasn't actually done anything illegal, what is the recourse?

Like, I make sex jokes to my friend. I do not make those same jokes around children, because that would be inappropriate. If my job involved working with children I wouldn't make them on social media while talking about my job because, again, inappropriate.

Someone will no doubt be trying to get all these posts deleted which is why I am pointing out that the discomfort women are feeling here is not because the man referenced above is gay, it's because he's acting inappropriately for someone in the job he's in.

There's quite a shield around certain people in a range of professions these days. And - just as the NSPCC demonstrated so aptly with rubberman - there is a now sense of untouchability in certain professions. Even more since the safeguarding of children has become of lesser importance than the rights of adults (mainly males) to indulge in public displays of nudity, fetish and sexual behaviours.

Datun, surely the first step is to have clear policies, checks and procedures so that the likelihood that anything untoward happens is kept to a minimum.

I assume that since this person is a teacher they have an enhanced DBS. Just because someone's spidey senses suggest someone is dodgy, it does not mean they are. And the reverse. Lots of evil has been carried out under the cloak of respectability. But the potential for problems must be kept to a minimum.

Prism should have a clear appropriate safeguarding policy. Given they cater for quite a wide age range, thought should be given to older attendees. For example should 16+ attendees have DBS checks? The policy should be displayed on the website, as should the name and contact of the person responsible for safeguarding, and ideally the governance of the organisation and the names of the people running it.

I am not an expert in safeguarding, and someone like R0wantrees would know exactly what is required. However what Prism have is clearly not good enough. If someone was aware of a problem, perhaps including this poor use of social media, how would they know how to report it.

And what the hell are the police and others doing supporting Prism when a quick glance at their website gives no evidence that they have considered safeguarding or done anything to minimise risk.

How does this work Lang? If the person concerned just looks totally dodgy, but hasn't actually done anything illegal, what is the recourse?

Technically, your local safeguarding board. If it hasn't already been captured by queer theory.

Datun, surely the first step is to have clear policies, checks and procedures so that the likelihood that anything untoward happens is kept to a minimum.

Yes, which relies on the organisation itself tho. And they could not care about safeguarding, for whatever reason.