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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Mermaids

18 replies

Rainandshowers · 26/06/2020 09:47

Name changed for this.

My children’s school are signposting children to Mermaids as a source of help and support.

Can anyone point me in the direction of some good information about why Mermaids are not not a reputable charity and recommend another.

Thank you

OP posts:
Awning10 · 26/06/2020 09:55

www.transgendertrend.com/

SerenityNowwwww · 26/06/2020 09:58

After the recent tv programme?

Ereshkigalangcleg · 26/06/2020 10:00

To be fair Newsnight, if that's what you're referring to, didn't spell out why Mermaids itself is bad, it focussed on the Tavistock.

SerenityNowwwww · 26/06/2020 10:03

That’s the one - but it threw up a lot of question marked and flags.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 26/06/2020 10:06

It did, but not for the uninitiated. It needs someone to join the dots.

SerenityNowwwww · 26/06/2020 10:08

Great big dots with bells and lights.

I can’t believe that people are still happy to go with a group with so many flags raised.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 26/06/2020 10:25

But if all they've seen is cheerleading "wonderful children's charity" posts on social media they're not necessarily going to realise this. They need to be pointed to articles (there are many) which take Mermaids apart, as for instance was suggested, those by Transgender Trend, or ones in the mainstream news media which name Mermaids in conjunction with the problems at the Tavistock.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/03/07/nhs-transgender-clinic-accused-covering-negative-impacts-puberty/

SarahTancredi · 26/06/2020 10:53

I wish you luck.

I did the same thing . They crossed out the link for a while bit now it's back.

Schools seem happy to believe transition can cure autism and that binders are harmless Angry

VortexofBloggery · 27/06/2020 09:11

You could mention this case, where Mermaids were banned from contact with a boy by the courts, www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mermaids-uk-charity-ban-as-boy-forced-to-live-as-girl-dvx3j99cn

VortexofBloggery · 27/06/2020 09:17

Also, Mermaids refers to a Dr Webberley who has been struck off for malpractice. There will be links in Google for that. This also happened (data breach) www.thetimes.co.uk/article/parents-anger-as-child-sex-change-charity-puts-private-emails-online-3tntlwqln. So OP I would ask the school if they could find an organisation that hadn't been banned contact from a child, hadn't caused a major data breach for vulnerable children and doesn't refer to medical staff who have been practicing illegally and are now struck off. Not too much to ask.

OhHolyJesus · 27/06/2020 09:36

Also the data breach, the safeguarding thing on direct contact with minors on their email and the puberty blockers.

Beni1993 · 27/06/2020 09:39

Sorry, clueless here Grin what is mermaids?

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 27/06/2020 10:16

Mermaids is a registered UK charity which exists to support families with a child identifying as transgender or having some doubts about gender. It used to be a very small support group. It is now run by Susie Green, whose eldest child, Jackie, is a transwoman. SG took J to New York when he was 12 so that a doctor there could prescribe cross-hormones for him. This would not have been possible in the UK at the time. She took J to Thailand for sex reassignment surgery which took place on J's 16th birthday. This would also not have been possible here at the time and the Thai government has since changed the law so that it isn't possible there either.

Under SG's management Mermaids has grown a lot and has received grants from Children in Need amongst others. It does a lot of training in schools and other public organisations. SG thinks the Tavistock Gender Identity Disorder Service is too conservative in its approach to putting children on puberty blockers and cross-hormones and there should be minimal gatekeeping. (Former Tavistock staff have reported that Mermaids staff/volunteers are known to be supporting children/parents pushing for faster access to puberty blockers/cross-hormones.)

She has tweeted approval of the North American approach of allowing minor children to consent to surgery, e.g. double mastectomy in the early teens. She believes strongly in affirming a child's stated gender identity without question, and if that means getting them onto a medical pathway early, so be it. (She has no medical, psychological or other relevant professional qualifications at all, by the way.)

SG presided over Mermaids at a time when it had a major data breach - last year? I haven't seen any report of the outcome of the investigation by the Data Commissioner on that. SG's professional background was as an IT manager for the Citizens' Advice Bureau, so this was particularly surprising.

Surprisingly for a very high profile charity growing fast, Mermaids has also had extended periods recently when it had very few Trustees. Its website has also sometimes indicated that some of their Trustees have opted not to have their details published. This seems odd, but I don't know about charity law. Maybe there's a good reason.

As linked above, Mermaids was also criticised in a legal case concerning a very young boy whose mother was trying to socially transition him against his father's wishes, but with the enthusiastic support of Mermaids. The judge sided with the father.

In recent weeks there are signs, however, that some transactivists are turning on SG and Mermaids. They believe all trans groups should be led by trans peope and SG isn't trans. So, watch this space!

SerenityNowwwww · 27/06/2020 12:03

I saw a tweet about prime supporting them 🙄 for the love of the wee man does nobody in marketing/sponsorship google anything anymore?

Bluebellbike · 27/06/2020 12:20

Additionally, young people joining Mermaids without their parents' knowledge are encouraged to transition in secret. Mermaids assists them with this. With regard to the case linked to by @Ereshkigalangcleg above, one of the Mermaids trustees raised a safeguarding concern about the parent involved at least a year before the court case. That trustee was thrown out of Mermaids and the concern was not upheld.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 29/06/2020 14:31

Interesting, bluebell, thanks.

alishylishy · 29/06/2020 14:49

My daughter (15, non binary around friends, happy to present as female to teachers and other adults) secretly joined the mermaids chat room on the advice of her school. She received advice from people who claimed to be adults on how to secretly buy a binder and disguise fresh self harm scars during P.E. There seemed to be no moderation and in the time she was accessing the site went from non binary -> trans and since I've blocked the site has returned to being non binary once more. Awful charity that encourages self harming behaviour and teaches kids to lie/circumnavigate safeguards parents have put in place.

Bluebellbike · 29/06/2020 15:17

Mermaids originally had three yahoo groups, for young people, parents and professionals. Mermaids committee members could respond to messages on the young people's group. Of course it may have changed now, but if the same system is used that would perhaps explain how an adult responded to a young person. However young people could just as easily get advice and information from other young people on there.

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