Mermaids and the evolving understanding of gender identity.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Given recent events, I thought it would be interesting to trawl the Wayback Machine and see how the organisation has developed over time with regards to diagnosing children as transgender.

What is Gender Dysphoria?

2009
Gender Identity Disorders in infancy, childhood and adolescence are complex and have varied causes: in the majority of cases the eventual outcome will be homosexuality or bisexuality, but often there will be a heterosexual outcome as some gender issues can be caused by a bereavement, a dysfunctional family life, or (rarely) by abuse. Only a small proportion of cases will result in a transsexual outcome
<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090307015630/www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/gidca.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20090307015630/www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/gidca.html

2010
Gender dyphoria, also known as Gender Identity Disorder, applies to someone who is unhappy with their biological sex and who wishes to belong to the other one.

Gender Identity is the sense of belief that "I am male" or "I am female". A child becomes aware of its gender identity before or around the age of five years, in many cases as early as 2 or 3 years of age. In most people their gender identity is the same as their sex, i.e. a woman or girl feels she is female and a man or boy feels he is male, but in a few people their gender identity and their sex do not match, and this can cause problems.

Gender Identity Issues vary considerably, some may be transient in nature, and some may not. They may arise when a child exhibits cross-gender behaviour to some degree or other. Some may be boys who prefer to take the female role or vice versa; others may have a compulsion to play with toys mostly used by the other sex (for instance, a boy who predominantly plays with dolls or a girl who always plays with action men and 'army toys'). Some children may only feel comfortable when playing with peers of the other physical sex, or may cross-dress from time to time.

Some children may be unhappy about their own biological sex and either wish to belong to the other one, or feel that they actually do; some adolescents may experience a crisis over a problem of gender identity or sexual orientation, or both. These situations can lead to considerable concern and distress for all those involved.
<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100718215911/www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/New%20Mermaids/whatisgid.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20100718215911/www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/New%20Mermaids/whatisgid.htm

2012
For example, your daughter may say that she wants to be a boy, or your son may identify himself as a girl. Or perhaps you are worried about your child's cross gender behaviour, but they won't discuss it with you, and instead are isolated and withdrawn.

Or it may be you, as a young person, and you feel that your body is wrong, and that you should have been a girl if you were born a boy, or a boy if you were born a girl.
(Added to 2010 description)
<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121109215055/mermaidsuk.org.uk/index.php/what-is-gender-dysphoria" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20121109215055/mermaidsuk.org.uk/index.php/what-is-gender-dysphoria

They seem to have removed their page about gender dysphoria sometime after 2016. However, we can glean some information about how to diagnose children from their parent testimonials

2019
"Kelly"
“From the age of two we started to notice that Evie didn’t quite fit in. I thought that my son was going to be gay, but it became apparent that there was something more than that.

“Evie always wanted to play with dolls, and never had any interest in traditional boys toys, like cars or dinosaurs. We had an older son and the two could not have been more different.

“Evie loved bracelets and constantly wanted to wear one, and when I bought the children Guess Who? to play she unclipped all the female faces and put them in a handbag to carry around with her.

“Evie would look longingly at other little girls who were wearing dresses or skirts, and every time I picked her up from the childminder she would be have raided the dressing up box for a princess costume. She would come to the door to meet me in a sparkly pink dress and a tiara with a big smile on her face.

“At other children’s houses she would love putting on the princess outfits, and would have a meltdown when she had to take them off as it was time to leave.
<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190301090129/www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/parents-voices.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20190301090129/www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/parents-voices.html

"Denise"
“We didn’t notice Sally having any particular problems or issues as she was growing up, but her primary school was very small and the classes were mixed together in infants, so there was no real distinction between boys and girls or age groups.

“But looking back I can see there were pointers. Sally always wanted to play with the dressing up box, and she always wanted to be a princess. She always wanted long hair too.
<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190301090129/www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/parents-voices.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20190301090129/www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/parents-voices.html

This ideology is based on sexist homophobic tripe.

You can't say that someone is a lesbian if they were born male. It starts and ends there.
You can't say that its not about stereotypes and sexism if you are talking about toys and clothes.
And you can't say its not sexist if its men who can say what they are, but lesbians and women who can not define themselves and are reduced to being a feeling in the head rather than material reality of the body you were born with.
You can't say its not sexist if you have men and pregnant people and menstrators.

God, the gender crits are so thick they actually thought we meant x when we said that...

So far as I recall, it's feminists who've been querying the need for surgery to treat a metaphor all along. TRA called us bigots and said we didn't understand. I've been called transphobic by trans people and allies alike for pointing out that 'born in the wrong body' is and always was a metaphor. This whole bloody mess has come about because of their insistence that it was a literal truth that needed bringing into material being through surgery and hormones.

Still, at least they've caught in at last. Now, perhaps they'd like to answer the question: if it's just a metaphor and there's nothing wrong actually physically wrong with the body, why the fuck are they advocating for surgical treatments?

What RedToothBrush said.

When you are born, it’s decided whether you’re a boy or a girl, based on the way your body looks. But for some people, looks can be deceiving and they’re given the wrong gender.

If words are used correctly in a statement, you can replace a word with its definition and still have the statement make sense.

So gender is accepted to refer to the sex stereotypes and sex role stereotypes associated with one or the other sex, and imposed on us by society. If this new Mermaids claim was at all coherent, using this definition instead of gender would result in a statement that also made sense.

When you are born, it’s decided whether you’re a boy or a girl, based on the way your body looks. But for some people, looks can be deceiving and society imposes the wrong sex stereotypes and sex role stereotypes on them.

Yeah. Me neither.

@Whatwouldscullydo

They learned a lot about gender dysphoria from Mermaids. The whole family has taken part in the organisation’s residential get-togethers, where families meet and share information

Thing is gender dysphoria is no longer a requirement to be trans so I really cannot understand why such emphasis is placed on distress whilst they simultaneously believe that no dx is even needed.

So if its not dysphoria then why is the NHS paying for it?! Such a scam.

Can someone tell my what ‚the events of this week‘ are that apparently precipited this?
(Sorry for not being better informed).
I have gathered that the government‘s School guidelines have changed and they say ,,don‘t work with Organizations that [do what mermaids does]‘‘
Is there something Else that happened? Or is there a background story on how that change in the school guidelines came about? (I obviously followed the brave struggle of women and the organizing oVer the past years, but it looked like a lost struggle. To be clear, I was on the sidelines because I live in another country. And I see all that played out in the UK slowly come to us...).
Thank you in advance for any insights you can give.

@rogdmum does that exist on a link anywhere?

Datun thingybob

Wow, this thread has been eye opening. I didn't know about 'gender euphoria' but I understand know, thanks to your explanations. Isn't this 'condition' and its motivation completely separate from the language about desperate unhappiness and suicidal tendencies often used to bolster TRA claims? Also does it not imply zero desire for surgery?

Neuro I’ve DM’d you

Sally Hines latest twitter eruption on the topic (polite translation: you are all too stupid to understand why we never said this) currently at odds with Mermaids reverse reverse ferreting.

@deepwatersolo

Can someone tell my what ‚the events of this week‘ are that apparently precipited this? (Sorry for not being better informed). I have gathered that the government‘s School guidelines have changed and they say ,,don‘t work with Organizations that [do what mermaids does]‘‘ Is there something Else that happened? Or is there a background story on how that change in the school guidelines came about? (I obviously followed the brave struggle of women and the organizing oVer the past years, but it looked like a lost struggle. To be clear, I was on the sidelines because I live in another country. And I see all that played out in the UK slowly come to us...). Thank you in advance for any insights you can give.

A review into the NHS provision of gender identity services for children was also announced this week. Mermaids might be investigated as part of this as they have offered to refer children to GIDS and there have been accusations that they have coached children about what to say in order to be prescribed puberty blockers.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4030690-NHS-independent-review-into-childrens-gender-ID-services

Thanks @rogdmum

Could all please archive/ screenshot anything that's relevant and would now be against guidance, mermaids or any other organisation.

@BovaryX

Datun thingybob

Wow, this thread has been eye opening. I didn't know about 'gender euphoria' but I understand know, thanks to your explanations. Isn't this 'condition' and its motivation completely separate from the language about desperate unhappiness and suicidal tendencies often used to bolster TRA claims? Also does it not imply zero desire for surgery?

It's useful to such people to be viewed as in the same category as vulnerable and suicidal children. It makes it harder for everyone else to be critical of them and accuse them of being simple fetishists.

mobile.twitter.com/sally_hines/status/1309598403299606528

Just went to see what Sally Hines was saying. Doesn't that just fail basic standards that you'd expect of academics? I would not be inclined to be educated by this person.

Aren't archives a wonderful thing?

Thank you for explaining to me. I honestly don’t see why the Professor can’t just say this is what Transgender means. I understand that it means different things for different people and that is fine. People describe their sexuality in different ways I know people who say they were born gay but some people say it is a choice.

I think the Guardian article is really good and balanced. How do you explain what being trans is to children? You can’t give them Professor Hines’ gender studies text book. I do wonder if Mermaids will go back to adopting a more subtle approach.

@testing987654321

https://mobile.twitter.com/sally_hines/status/1309598403299606528

Just went to see what Sally Hines was saying. Doesn't that just fail basic standards that you'd expect of academics? I would not be inclined to be educated by this person.

If I tweeted out stuff like that on a social media account where my job & place of work was recognised I’d be fire but Sally has done this sort of stuff many times & strangely remains, it seems, unsackable

Sally Hines is the gift that keeps on giving.

Who the fuck would want SH batting for them?

OldCrone

Yes, I agree. It is so manipulative.

@TyroBurningDownTheCloset

Well, I certainly don't identify with the social construction of girlhood that's foisted on us by others from birth onwards. According to Mermaids I'm trans.

They'd make a lot more sense if they jettisoned the word 'gender' and explained in plain English.

'Gender dysphoria' is the function-crippling inability to meet the behavioural and presentational requirements our society attaches to our sex.

Perfectly easy to understand. To reduce it to "being uncomfortable" is like calling debilitating depression "being a bit sad". And reducing it to an identity renders any analysis of the causes off-limits.

Brilliant. No need for mystical identities at all, this has real explanatory power. We all know that the 4000% rise in FtM teenagers is about exactly this.

It's very easy to go to twitter advanced search, exact phrase "born in the wrong body" + dates: 2015-2018 and see just how many TRAS actively used that rhetoric.

mobile.twitter.com/search?lang=en&q=%22born%20in%20the%20wrong%20body%22%20until%3A2018-09-26%20since%3A2015-09-26&src=typed_query

Anyone?

NHS enquiry (sorry can't remember who's leading it) must be causing Mermaids much distress, they will be caught in a real bind. Enquiries tend to bring out the past and the fact that they have overridden DoE with their interpretations will be out there for all to see. Nowhere to hide, and they know it

There must be some real sadness for that small number of people who have Gender Dysphoria. Why did they get caught up in this? The rush to get everyone on board has meant that many have just been trampled underfoot.

Since Mermaids restated their position I was thinking that we would be in for another classic Sally Hines Friday night.

The fact that Sally Hines can rant mad abuse but still has a job as an educator when other women have been sacked for politely expressing scientific truths tells you everything you need to know about the condition of free speech in this country.

I think I now understand the new Mermaid’s position. Easily encapsulated in Rachel Rooney’s rather wonderful My Body Is Me.