Mermaids being investigated by the Charity Commission - thread 2

[ResisterRex]

The first thread, towards the end of which there was a discussion about having a second thread but it wasn't added:

Mermaids being investigated by the charity commission
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4644323-mermaids-being-investigated-by-the-charity-commissionn_

There's been a new development so maybe a second thread would be useful:

Lottery pauses trans charity cash during investigation

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/c959a286-44e4-11ed-8885-043c27446b97?shareToken=6d482edb1a386656502f33453da5c230

I've not been on the other thread but the Lottery have suspended their funding for Mermaids.

Sorry if I am repeating something you all knew.

Thanks! Sadly I have to work all day as it feels like this is really unfolding

Here’s a link to the lottery funding being suspended:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lottery-pauses-cash-for-trans-charity-mermaids-during-investigation-f5gw3cprf

I know it’s been said before on these threads, but this is the perfect example of being hoisted by your own petard.

Just lost a long post.

Will try to resurrect it. In the meantime an article about JKR and India. The DM is going full throttle.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11283915/JK-Rowling-takes-thinly-veiled-swipe-Emma-Watson-backing-trans-charity-Mermaid.html

The problem with the CC investigation is that the CC is pretty much toothless and ineffective. There is some reputational damage to Mermaids now but they can recover from this. The bigger issue is the whole concept of a legion of "trans" kids suddenly appearing in western societies. It is fake from start to finish.

This is the DMs side bar article to their Caroline Farrow arrest story

“Susie Green’s powerful transgender lobby group has forged close links with a police force behind a series of hate crime investigations.

West Yorkshire Police launched probes into an award-winning TV writer, a mother of four and a transsexual man following complaints from Mermaids.

But The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the force received ‘training sessions’ from Mermaids, which supports medical intervention for transgender children.

West Yorkshire Police has promoted Mermaids’ work, tweeting one of its leaflets.

Mermaids has also advised Merseyside Police, NHS staff, social workers, the Scouts and student nurses.

One West Yorkshire officer, Inspector David Harland, declared himself on social media to be a ‘trans ally’, adding that he was dedicated to ‘doing all I can for the trans community’.

In February last year, West Yorkshire sent officers to Wiltshire to investigate a mother of four following a complaint by Ms Green.

Echoing the Caroline Farrow case, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull was questioned on suspicion of a malicious communications offence after Ms Green reported her for tweeting that Ms Green had illegally ‘castrated’ her ‘son’ by allowing him to have sex change surgery in Thailand at 16.

In April 2018, the force received another complaint, this time from Mermaid volunteer Helen Islan.

She claimed that transsexual Miranda Yardley, who has had gender reassignment surgery, had ‘outed’ Ms Islan’s transgender son by tweeting a picture of Ms Islan with her family, which included the child. West Yorkshire referred this incident to police in Essex, where Ms Yardley lives.

In a third case, West Yorkshire officers gave Graham Linehan, co-creator of the hit TV comedy Father Ted, a verbal harassment warning when transgender activist Stephanie Hayden reported him for referring to her as ‘he’ on Twitter.

A force spokeswoman said it was ‘committed to ensuring that anyone who feels targeted due to race, sexual orientation, religion, disability or gender identity is listened to’.”

The DM are not pulling their punches. The coincidence of the Farrow arrest, the Mermaids enquiry and the Tory conference is fortuitous.

The article goes on to describe Susie Green’s 2019 complaint against Caroline, ending with:

”Mrs Farrow believes police are only too willing to appease Ms Green and Mermaids, which she thinks is looking for a test case to codify misgendering into law.”

(It is still the DM. Was Caroline having roast gammon or roast chicken for dinner? Both are mentioned.)

Will be hard to keep up!

Has anyone noted India W's strenuous and hyperbolic defence of Mermaids? You really cannot the man out of a transwoman.

Statement from Mermaids Chair of Trustees, apologies if its already been posted elsewhere

web.archive.org/web/20221006005844/mermaidsuk.org.uk/news/statement-regarding-trustee-appointment/

Erm sorry to butt in, but what happened about the LGB Alliance and Mermaids trying to get the charity commission to take away their charitable status saying they were a political group? Has that all gone away and is it linked to this Mermaids investigation?

(It is still the DM. Was Caroline having roast gammon or roast chicken for dinner? Both are mentioned.)

I think it’s two separate police visits - the first one was the Susie Green complaint and the second one was this week’s hurty feelz complaint.

There was speculation that it was because of the case that names had to be published - in this thread here. Some agreeing and at least one person not:

twitter.com/francesbarber13/status/1577700021654491138?s=46&t=wyuWGGU1Sa4RPpGFyu1SZg

I didn't follow the LGBA case that closely but I think it's just been delayed a bit. As in: will carry on later and I'm not sure why there's a delay!

I think they ran out of time at the last hearing. Not sure why. It's still ongoing anyway, so that's one more thing Mermaids are having to deal with due to their own poor decisions at the moment. What possessed them to bring the LGB Alliance case is beyond me.

I think they ran out of time at the last hearing. Not sure why. It's still ongoing anyway, so that's one more thing Mermaids are having to deal with due to their own poor decisions at the moment.

Yep, closing submissions are being made on 7th and 8th November. If they survive that long...

The logical body to complain about having its toes trodden on would be Stonewall, not Mermaids. They were originally part of the action against LGB Alliance but left sharpish as I recall.

But then I think some of the people at the top of Stonewall are smarter than those at Mermaids

I agree. With the exception of the trustee issue (which is, of course p, a massive exception), the Charities Commission have had evidence of the goings on in the private forums since 2020 and what has been published about the forums is incredibly tame compared to what the CC has. They contacted Mermaids in 2020 who gave them whatever reassurances were needed to keep the CC happy. I think there is still a massive possibility this will happen again and the CC will just tell them to fix X,Y,Z processes.

However, at least short term there will be massive reputational damage done and I see this as buying time to get to the final Cass Review report etc and hopefully is one more step out of this horror show.

Not sure if the statement they did make about the trustee was on the last thread. It appears as though they would have done some kind of search (what is a social media "review"?). Assuming someone else has done a check of some description also appears to be part of their statement:

web.archive.org/web/20221006005844/mermaidsuk.org.uk/news/statement-regarding-trustee-appointment/

"All trustees and staff are subject to background checks including enhanced DBS searches, social media reviews and other due diligence. On this occasion we also placed weight on the fact his employer is a globally renowned institution that would have carried out its own checks."

Last time the Lottery Suspended funding someone managed to raise £350K for them by playing Donkey Kong online. I wonder if they’ll get the same support this time?

Not sure if the statement they did make about the trustee was on the last thread. It appears as though they would have done some kind of search (what is a social media "review"?). Assuming someone else has done a check of some description also appears to be part of their statement:

It's incredible isn't it. It REALLY shows them up again. We thought the LSE would have done the checks so we didn't need to be that thorough' is clearly the reason their safeguarding failed. Actually using it now to justify that failure is breathtaking. They still don't get it.

Not only that, Datun, but there seems to be a skirting round the method they say they used. What is a social media review? Everyone would assume it's a search. But by using a different word, a get-out has been planted. "Ah we never said we did a search" etc

And if they want to be transparent, stop hiding the names of trustees !

I hope the media start asking what exactly is a 'trans child'? Why are they 'trans'?

And not some nonsense about gender not matching sex. What gender? What is it? How does it manifest itself?

What happens to that explanation when you cant use words like toys, hair, dresses, tomboy, gay or gender non conforming.

And, of those children, what percentage had the mermaids training?

Exactly. A review suggests he gave them a list if something which they looked at. Review done.

That quote in the article about being the victim of a smear campaign

Since when is expecting a children's charity to not hire someone so closely linked with paedophiles a smear campaign.

Mermaids could make this go away I'm an instant simply by looking on the Internet at any potential recruitees. And by spending the money they raise/have donated on proper research and investigations into outcomes and the health and well being if the children.

Instead they waste time and money getting mothers arrested and trying to shut down lesbians.

All anyone really wants is what's best fir the children. Anyone who sees that as a smear campaign, anyone who sees safguarding as an inconvenience and personal attack, anyone who would rather call the police on someone with a negative outcome than look into it,has no business having anything to do with children.

I’d like to know how JB became a trustee. Did he approach them or was he invited by them? If it’s the latter who suggested him and why did they think him suitable?

So many questions but not holding my breath for answers.