All is not well at Gender GP

[TinDogTavern]

Oh dear oh dear

twitter.com/kathrynbristow/status/1485838645135355908?s=21

Quel surprise!

You have to feel sorry for anyone subject to appalling working conditions and for that I am sorry that Kat went through this

However, it comes as no surprise that employment conditions were/are shit and that it is all about the £££ at the top. GenderGP cares very little for the actual individual, they are simply a cash cow to them. I wonder if in a previous life H would have been at the top of a MLM outfit.

The fact that Kat was employed for a task she was clearly unqualified for should have rung alarms bells in Kat's head. But their judgement seems a bit lacking; I wouldn't choose when my employer was reeling from damaging leaks as the moment to demand a complete change in the terms of my contract unless I was in a position of power and knew they were afraid I would leave.

Sorry, not employed - contracted. Their demand for wages etc suggested they wanted to become employees. There are many reasons why companies go for self-employed contractors instead of employees...

It appears that employing people who might be unstable, who then go on to create instability, could be interpreted as most unwise.

That is why you have contractors instead - gives you a bit of distance and you can cut them loose without having to worry about redundancy, employment tribunals, sick pay etc.

I feel sorry for Kat over this too actually, despite my dim view of the Green party women fiasco and the pushing of gender woo. It sounds awful.

As a more general thought, a lot of younger trans-identifying people are encouraged to place a lot of trust and faith in affirming doctors and organisations, especially in the context of being told that if their parents don't affirm, they have this lovely affirming "family" of trans people and organisations to turn to. At what is often a difficult and stressful time, especially as identifying as trans is highly correlated with being an abuse victim, difficult childhood or MH conditions.

If you find they don't actually care about you as an individual after all, that must be devastating.

Likewise appreciate there are poor working conditions and, it seems, unrealistic expectations about KB's ability to meet the job requirements in the absence of relevant training or qualifications.

These understandable causes of discontent will always be confounded with poor performance reviews grounded in acknowledged failure to meet basic standards.

I feel KB may yet understand why it is that most organisations frown on potential employees or contractors having public political or lobbying affiliations because it does lead to adverse commentary.

@QueenPeony

I feel sorry for Kat over this too actually, despite my dim view of the Green party women fiasco and the pushing of gender woo. It sounds awful.

As a more general thought, a lot of younger trans-identifying people are encouraged to place a lot of trust and faith in affirming doctors and organisations, especially in the context of being told that if their parents don't affirm, they have this lovely affirming "family" of trans people and organisations to turn to. At what is often a difficult and stressful time, especially as identifying as trans is highly correlated with being an abuse victim, difficult childhood or MH conditions.

If you find they don't actually care about you as an individual after all, that must be devastating.

I agree with this.

I came out as a trans man at 16 and did not have a supportive family. My new 'family' were made up of other trans people, all very mentally ill, all between the ages of 25-50. They had no business hanging out with a 16 year old and I believed I was groomed (not gender wise, as I had realised my trans identity before I met them, but overall).

They ruined my mental health but it was awful after breaking away (which I did after they trampled my name because I went back to uni, went to therapy and got a job, which was seen as a betrayal).

I'm now a lesbian and happily married. Many other lesbians may identify with the feeling of your gender also being 'lesbian'. I believe I am non binary and I do use they/them pronouns but I am also realistic and also see myself as a woman. As does my partner.

Surrounding yourself with 100% other trans people who are equally, if not more traumatised, is never useful.

I raised an eyebrow at one of tweeter suggesting that cis people can't understand the trans experience. Duh. Why is it that some transwomen claim to understand the female experience.

That said, I am often uneasy about relatively young trans people being lauded and applauded. Aimee Challenor, Lily Maddigan, now Kat. A gay friend told me he was worried about three, quite vulnerable friends, who had decided they were trans. Trans is somehow hailed as a cure all solution when a proportion may be hurting for other reasons. I think the gatekeeping requirement for a GRC, where you need sign off from two medical professionals is important. Perhaps to protect wider society, but just as importantly to protect the vulnerable. I think Kat also identifies as autistic. I think both Lily and Aimee might have been better served if they had received proper support whilst teenagers rather than being hailed as trans poster-girls.

Kat seems to have been exploited. I have no doubt that Kat cared about some of the people they saw. However is someone on a minimum wage with, presumably only basic relevant skills, the right person to support vulnerable teenagers. And why did the employers not decide this at the outset, rather than, as it seems, waiting until Kat's political profile brought bad publicity.

I have no doubt that Kat cared about some of the people they saw. However is someone on a minimum wage with, presumably only basic relevant skills, the right person to support vulnerable teenagers. And why did the employers not decide this at the outset, rather than, as it seems, waiting until Kat's political profile brought bad publicity.

I wonder if it's possible that both Kat and the employers believed that they reciprocally conferred status and good public standing upon eachother? And then, when both independently came in for some scrutiny, both found fault with the arrangement and felt let down?

At the time of Kat being co-chair of Green Party women, shutting down debate etc, I saw Kat's involvement with Gender GP as more damning for Kat, than the other way round. Why would Gender GP object to being publicly associated with a TW leading a women's group and doubling down on their suitability for it? –you'd think they'd applaud that.

I agree it is really wrong to think that just because someone identifies as trans, they are qualified to support vulnerable young people in a medical setting - but that is how this ideology works. Being trans - despite there being no proof, test or logical argument for it - makes you automatically an expert.

I'm more surprised by what appears to be a genuine belief that Gender GP are motivated by altruism rather than profit,it seems incredibly naïve. They sound like dreadful employers.

I thought this was interesting.

One of the questions, which I'll quote in full was "Some of the requests in the letter appear to be asking for different terms and conditions for our trans team members. How does that sit, from your perspective, with the notion of equality with your cisgender colleagues?"

Written without irony?

I'm blocked from that Twitter account.

I never use Twitter - why would I be blocked??

@whiteroseredrose you may follow or have followed someone previously that account doesn't like so it's an autoblock (I think) l am too, but I only use twitter to moan at the railway people and hermes so no idea why either!

@whiteroseredrose

I'm blocked from that Twitter account.

I never use Twitter - why would I be blocked??

I can see it (not on Twitter).

Do you have an account that you don't use that might be on a blocklist?

Thanks. I have possibly 'liked' comments in the past.

I don't actually know how to use it but may have followed a link then hit like.

Ah well!

Kat's twitter bio is just a long list of ailments. Kat also says Kat is black which doesn't fit with the photo

Provider of questionable lifestyle choices to vulnerable consumers is not a tip top moral employer?

Colour me shocked.

I have never tweeted a single tweet but am blocked from a fair few accounts for wrong like

@Lovelyricepudding

That is why you have contractors instead - gives you a bit of distance and you can cut them loose without having to worry about redundancy, employment tribunals, sick pay etc.

Isn't it also liable to cause the employees problems with the tax authorities (IR35) - or is that only an issue if you're actually paying them decently?

So the doctors who made a fortune promoting puberty blockers and hormones to vulnerable kids (and got disciplined by the GMC for it) also treat their employees like shit and don't actually care about trans rights.

I'm shocked.

@FOJN

I'm more surprised by what appears to be a genuine belief that Gender GP are motivated by altruism rather than profit,it seems incredibly naïve. They sound like dreadful employers.

I thought this was interesting.

One of the questions, which I'll quote in full was "Some of the requests in the letter appear to be asking for different terms and conditions for our trans team members. How does that sit, from your perspective, with the notion of equality with your cisgender colleagues?"

Written without irony?

This is an amazing quote really. Kat sounds very naive and clearly gender gp have been intentionally exploiting staff, which should be illegal really (possibly it is). I hope trans supporters realise this institution isn’t on anyone’s side but their own- it would never have occurred to me they were hiring minimum wage, I’d have expected professional qualified staff who believed fervently in the gender dogma, so I’m a bit shocked for all the vulnerable young people who have attended there.

I would have thought Gender GP were falling foul of employment law by trying to avoid it?