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 imagine many volunteers are young and hoping it adds to their cvs...

Good point. It's damage limitation. If they can appoint someone to such a senior role and fail to use the appropriate safeguarding checks, it's reasonable to assume that they've failed to make appropriate checks on their other volunteers / staff.

Given the nature of that they want to talk to children about - believing they're the wrong sex, changing their bodies, their identity / sexuality - presumably the possibility that they've attracted other adults with dodgy views about children has finally occurred to them.

They really need a police investigation before they shred / destroy evidence.

What I don’t understand is why they are apparently so resistant to vet anyone in the first place. If I believe in my cause so fervently, surely I‘ll make sure it isn’t undermined by some shoddy character. Instead with Mermaids& Co it‘s all about how mean and spiteful you are for even bringing potential issues up.

Further to MrsJamin's post

What’s more, they didn’t find room in the tweet to signpost to other services, like childline or the Samaritans, as a stopgap.

Lots of room for allegations of abuse though.

Priorities, eh?

Every time he wears a tee shirt, he's happy to show that tat to the world? Surely not. It's its own DBS fail.

Are they real tats?

We need more than a CC investigation. If it is found that they went beyond their charity remit and had entered the political realm as a lobby group, we need to understand how it happened and where the checks and balances were missing.

The power of lobbyists have been the scourge of recent governments, though nothing like the problem they are in the US. Mermaids, whose remit is so narrow (gender questioning children) would be the perfect way for a much look at the wider question.

About a year ago I met a paediatrician working in a hospital in a market town. One of the blokes in the group had starting talking about a former colleague (IT) who had transitioned and that he felt it was really tough/unfair on the wife and children. Since it became clear I knew something about the topic she asked me if I could suggest support for the family of one of her patients. Her guidance only mentioned Mermaids but the family had rejected them, and she had strong doubts about the affirmation only approach. I suggested the Bayswater Support Group but expected this to be problematic, and understanding that it is very hard for any NHS doctor to go beyond guidelines. Guidelines are there to protect both doctors and patients. It was about a week before the interim Cass report, and so I was able to forward that and suggest that things were changing.

Things have changed, but in the interim we have been asking all sorts of trained professionals: police, teachers, doctors, social workers, to set aside their own wisdom and beliefs and accept, effectively, gender-woo. We have not trusted their judgement. Society needs to look into how this happened, as otherwise it is a dangerous step down the path to totalitarianism. In the same way as printing presses enabled the reformation by allowing alternative views to spread more easily, the internet is changing the way people gain their information. Mermaids as the poster charity for all sorts of organisations that should know better could be a massively important learning tool.

Datun · Today 08:25
Toseland · Today 08:02
Further to MrsJamin's post
Every time he wears a tee shirt, he's happy to show that tat to the world? Surely not. It's its own DBS fail.
Are they real tats?

One belongs to Mr Breslaw, the other to Sam Smith

I was struck by the similarity in style and subject

Oh. Ok. Got it. Thanks!

Telegraph view this morning. Accessible link here:

twitter.com/martinmonmouth1/status/1578269948077637632?s=46&t=075T2mjz1gMaiPxfNlkZpw

"politicians & regulators have been far too slow or craven to question whether bodies such as Mermaids should have any public role at all. It cannot go on"

Worth noting that Stonewall allow similar anonymity for their Trans-Advisory Group, despite their role in advising a huge number of major and important organisations. Though in fairness when Aimee Challenor was a member (appointed deputy chair after the Greens announced their inquiry if my memory is correct) she was named. I don't know if their checks have got better since - we have to take their word for it.

So much power, so little accountability.

From the Stonewall website:

MEMBERS OF THE GROUP WERE APPOINTED FOLLOWING AN EXTENSIVE APPLICATION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS. PLEASE NOTE, SOME MEMBERS OF THE GROUP HAVE ELECTED TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS, SO HAVE NOT BEEN INCLUDED ON THIS LIST.

I'm just looking at Kids' Company history. Marches in protest at its closure. Calls to save them, to think of the kids they helped and ignore the serious failings, allegations of drug taking, allegations of abuse. Celebrities lining up to protest 'vociferously' at its closure.

If an organisation fails in its safeguarding, management, and organisation, if it is leaving gaping holes open through which bad actors can infiltrate, if it is pushing harmful narratives and offering advice based on bad science or unevidenced theories, then it risks harming children as much as it seems to be helping them.

Ahh my earlier post. I omitted to say that:

We need a public enquiry

Arabella, My neighbour worked for a marketing firm that provided pro-bono support for Kid's Company in its early days. They soon withdrew, unimpressed by what they saw. (He told me at the time but never went into detail.)

Mermaid Trustees are interesting. When I last looked on the Charities Commission website a few years back, it appeared that they came and went quite fast.

Gosh, so many parallels here.

'Discussion about Batmanghelidjh has been high profile and polarised, but so far we have heard little about the many contradictions her work highlights, or the children and young people involved, both of which warrant closer attention.'

'While Batmanghelidjh’s pseudoscientific approach can be seen to be reactionary and in line with the individualistic politics of the present government, what is interesting is how she has commanded progressive support.'

'The story that led to her stepping down as chief executive was run by the right wing Spectator. In subsequent press reports, there was much more criticism from right of centre media than left of centre papers, which have reflected much stronger support for her.'

'we very rarely hear from those “kids” themselves, even though such involvement is now an article of faith for progressive social policy. Why not?'

'Every statutory, voluntary and private social services organisation should be making it possible for such service users to speak for themselves and listen to what they say. That, rather than flamboyant founders, bad science and inadequate evidence, should be the key criteria for designing and supporting social services for the future. Otherwise such services may provide endless fodder for the media, but little help for those who need them most.'

www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2015/aug/03/kids-company-charity-camila-batmanghelidjh

Honestly, Needmore, reading about it there are so many echoes! Media furore, Batmanghelidjh’s claims of a 'malicious discrediting claim'. Most of all, how bloody long it took for them to shut it down. Years!

Can we set up a petition to call for a public enquiry?

I'm just reading through this morning all the quote tweets to the closure of the helpline announcement. Fuck me, they've played a blinder haven't they? All of a sudden they're the victims! 'Blood is on these terfs hands', 'pure senseless evil', 'put kids at risk' - hyperbole off the charts.

And of course, directing all their rage at JKR. Any other charity that had a scandal like this, people wouldn't be able to get away from them fast enough. Not mermaids though. Pulling off a massive DARVO, and now all their supporters are breathing a sigh of relief that they can continue as normal with their "I'm protecting trans kids, those women are hateful bitches who want them to die" narrative.

Conveniently forgetting that this is all about mermaids employing that man, which they either knew about or failed spectacularly at safeguarding (and if they failed here, where else have they done?) Nope, won't talk about that, just back to woman hate as usual.

Have just signed up to twitter because of this news story breaking. Am in Australia so am interested in how the UK open discussion about this in the media will have an affect on our policies here.

Never really identified as a "feminist" so to go from nothing to being considered a "radical feminist" is quite funny really.

How can we help in our everyday lives to promote active discussion & consideration about this issue?

It also seems that there is a big push to highlight the "rise in transphobic hate crime" caused needless to say by all the media attention on trans issues. Nasty, nasty investigative journalists highlighting risks to trans children from charities supposed to support them.

@InvisibleDragon With the notion of crimes against transpeople, how are they being recorded & where is this data, I wonder....

if they are listed as their identified gender, how do we define a transhate crime?

It is hard to take these allegations of crime seriously when the activists speak in hyperbolic terms, saying we are "literally" committing violence with opinions & pronouns.

I would have though most violent hate crimes against transpeople would be perpetrated by men, yet it is "TERFS" (i.e biological women) who are being labelled as these violent haters.

The organisation may be worthy of respect if they actually seemed to be on the forefront of research & considerations for all the kinds of reasons behind gender dysphoria.

Their constant obstructions when it comes to data are seriously concerning & shady

It's pure diversion.

Instead of looking at the serious failings of a children's charity, make a LOT of noise about the people who raised the alarm.

I mean, if they have had abuse, that's wrong, and they should be raising the matter with police, of course.

There's a link to a Telegraph article on the Fair Cop twitter thread today. The Home Office seems to be disputing the rise In hate crimes. I can't read it because paywall, but if anyone wants to take a look......

Are non crime hate incidents still being recorded?