BBC removes trans charities from support page

[teawamutu]

From Penis News, but hopefully this link won't give them revenues:

<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200710172219/www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/07/10/bbc-gender-identity-support-mermaids-lgbt-transgender-non-binary/" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20200710172219/www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/07/10/bbc-gender-identity-support-mermaids-lgbt-transgender-non-binary/

[PurpleHoodie]

Listening

As a lay-person, I read that as "those running Mermaids diverted too much money given to the charity into their personal bank accounts".

As I say. As an lay-person.

Would be really interesting to read a fully accounted Commission report.

[PurpleHoodie]

Thanks for your expert input .

Sadly much needed these days when it comes to so-called caring charities.

[ListeningQuietly]

Purple
The Charity Commission never look at charities until its too late (Kids Company)
but I suspect its a lot less trousering and a lot more "that grant was for that purpose over that many years but it seems to have been spent on media and lawyers very fast"
Decades of experience tells me that cockup is always more likely than conspiracy

[PurpleHoodie]

Thanks Listening.

I'm thinking more and more that gettting back to giving to local, smaller, known charities is the way to go.

[ListeningQuietly]

Purple
In many areas local charities duplicate
there are definite economies of scale
cannot fully explain because my name and address are on the accounts of the charities in question
the bigger problem is the defunding of the Charity Commission and its requirement to show value by the number of charities
rather than the total income of charities
therefore it is minded to prop up the tens of thousands of dormant charities
rather than holding to account the active ones

Personally I do not believe that Mermaids as it currently operates
is within charity law - as its become a political lobby group
but the bar has been set so high by lack of resources
both at the CharCom and in national press
that they get away with poor practice
( as do many, many, many others )

[AnyOldPrion]

Personally I do not believe that Mermaids as it currently operates is within charity law - as its become a political lobby group but the bar has been set so high by lack of resources both at the CharCom and in national press that they get away with poor practice
( as do many, many, many others )

So many charities are not being held properly to account, but if you are running a very controversial charity and fall into that group, then you leave yourself wide open to valid criticism.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Well, the times article today....

[BitOfFun]

@NeurotrashWarrior, do tell!

[BitOfFun]

Ah, I've found it!

The Sunday Times article is by Laura Dodsworth, whose photography project focuses on the experience of detransitioning women. It can't be reproduced in full here for copyright reasons, but this excerpt says a lot, I feel:

"I fear that the detransitioned women I interviewed are canaries in the coalmine. Not only for detransitioners, but for womanhood. They all, in some combination, found being a woman too difficult, too dangerous or too disgusting. “I put the problem inside myself,” says one, “when actually it is with how the outside world sees women who don’t conform to feminine norms.”

These interviews, and my wider research, have uncovered common themes of girls who felt they didn’t fit typical feminine stereotypes, and felt uncomfortable in today’s hypersexualised culture. High rates of sexual abuse, harassment, autism, self-harm, personal rejection of being lesbian and homophobia all play a part. Feminism has made life better for women, but is it any easier to be in possession of a female body?"

-------------

One of the subjects of Laura Dodsworth's project spoke up, saying:

"A few painful and difficult things have happened to me that I think were behind me wanting to be a man and not be a woman. I know I was not in the wrong, but they are things I can’t talk about publicly. What I know now is that transitioning wasn’t the way to deal with those things. You go to the gender clinic and within a couple of months you’re on testosterone. The psychiatrist said I was trans. I thought if they prescribed me testosterone then I must be trans. Aside from general questions, no one explored if there were other issues or challenged me."

[SheWhoMustNotBeHeard]

There's an article about detransitioning. I can't see it all because I'm not a subscriber.

Anyone have a token?


www.thetimes.co.uk/article/25f95e06-bf8f-11ea-9ea2-5a548b3aebca

[TheProdigalKittensReturn]

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/25f95e06-bf8f-11ea-9ea2-5a548b3aebca?shareToken=452299b360e5fbebb4ca0fecef0dcb3f

[Xanthangum]

Mermaids collaborating with Garden Court Chambers, Allison Bailey's employer?

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Sorry bit, I went off to find a hate token and then read it and got very cross... thanks prodigal!

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Hate token?! Share token!

[PleaseChooseAnother]

@ListeningQuietly

There is something odd at Mermaids ...

This page
beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details?regid=1160575&subid=0
says that the 2019 accounts were qualified
but on page 19 here
apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends75/0001160575_AC_20190331_E_C.PDF
they are not qualified
BUT
the 2018 accounts say that the Independent examiners report is on page 6 here
apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends75/0001160575_AC_20180331_E_C.PDF
but page 6 is missing from the PDF

and they changed accountants between 2018 and 2019
very odd

The statement of qualified/ unqualified on the charity commission page comes from the annual return submitted by the charity. Often charities misunderstand the question and think they're saying whether the auditor is qualified. If seen this error many times and the charity commission don't seem to particularly care.

The 2019 independent examiners report is an unqualified "no matters to report" report.

The report for 2018 has been filed out of order - the report is the last page in the pdf - also "no matters to report"

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Xan I don't understand the implications of that? Would Allison know? I suppose it's possible not.

[Xanthangum]

Sorry - that wasn't to suggest t anything about Allison, more that this is more evidence that rather than assuming a neutral stance, Garden Court Chambers, in addition to being a Stonewall floofyfloof have an active commercial relationship with Mermaids which might colour their opinion.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Hmmm

[Aesopfable]

@Xanthangum

Mermaids collaborating with Garden Court Chambers, Allison Bailey's employer?

Garden Court Chambers aren’t Allison’s employers in the conventional sense. I suspect when Mermaids say they are working with them they mean working with barristers from that chambers. That in itself should not be an issue. I imagine it would be off to have barristers from the same chamber working on opposite sides of the same case but that is not happening here.

[ListeningQuietly]

Pleasechoose
Fair enough - I did not feel like scrolling through all the pages last night.
Still wonder why they changed accountants
and YYY to the number of people who think that qualified is good when it means bad !

[BatShite]

I will never understand why people who claim to care about trans youth are against calls for Mermaids and GIDS to follow proper ethical and safeguarding procedures.

Yes, quite baffling really.

Same as the opposition to any studies to do with the topic. Especially on detransitioners. Better understanding is always good no?

[TheHeartbeat]

So what’s happening at BBC? Are things final now?

[merrymouse]

Page 5 seems to have the Independent Examiner's report for 2018, but it is included out of order, at the end of the accounts.

[merrymouse]

sorry - already spotted

[merrymouse]

I think Mermaids are given unwarranted credibility as experts, but I haven't heard any evidence that they are financially irresponsible in the way that Kids Company was.