"Children in Need are currently funding 37 projects to the value of over £2.6 million specifically focused on young people affected by issues of sexual identity and gender identity."

[flashbac]

www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/changing-lives/stories/supporting-lgbtq-young-people-aross-the-uk/
Just posting a reminder of the causes CIN promote...

I dislike CiN. I was a trustee of a charity to help children with additional needs access sport, drama, music etc - we ran sports days and music days with lots of volunteers so parents could have some respite.

The main costs were transport for the children and hall hire and CiN wouldn't help with either. We would basically have had to launch a completely new area with employment costs before they would consider funding it, and only then for the first couple of years.

Reading the link as I hope people will do you'll see it's a bit more complex than you make it sound.

In my experience of young people struggling with gender identity, in every case it's a current culture-driven coping strategy to deal with all the other issues they have - exoerience of racism, undiagnosed or diagnosed neurodiversity, trauma, general 'not fitting in', mental health difficulties of various types.

More support for children and young people suffering in those ways is welcome. If it has to come in a gender envelope, then in a way I'm sorry about that but it is also the current cultural expression of these issues and meets the children where they are.

How can you argue with this?
"Many young people may face a range of issues as they explore or question their sexual or gender identity, including negative impacts on their emotional wellbeing and mental health, bullying, discrimination and isolation. Therefore, funding the social support of these young people is more important than ever."

They distributed 49,851,000 of grants last fiscal year. So a tiny proportion of their funding is going to help children who are struggling to fit in. Do you really begrudge those children benefiting from less than 0.01% of the charities budget?

This.

I avoid supporting charities which produce vast amounts of tat.

A large proportion of my annual charitable budget goes to local children's causes. I don't need a badge or a wristband to show I have donated.

Does CIN still support Mermaids?

Posts like this make me terrified for my teen dd. She hasn't settled on a sexuality yet (she says) and wears very gender neutral clothes. She already gets stared at by typical presenting women and girls in public toilets and ladies changing rooms. Luckily kids her are are much more accepting than adult women, but attitudes are still isolating and cause her massive mental health issues.

I read the link, it doesn't say which specific projects are being supported which is potentially a concern. I wouldn't want to see any money going to the likes of mermaid or stonewall type places (amongst others). Funding services that will encourage a child to believe they can medicate or identify their way out of their sex or body is not a positive thing.

I loathe CIN. Wealthy tax avoiding celebrities encouraging children to buy shit that goes to landfill.

It also makes children into fodder for pity in their 'who we're helping' shitty videos.

The whole thing needs to get in the bin.

And there is no such thing as a trans child.

I don't support CIN because I don't agree with the causes they support. DC are at Catholic school and clearly they feel the same way as its never been a thing. We support other worthy causes frequently.

This
It pisses me off how every year my DS school raises money for this charity by own clothes day and cake sales etc. It's hard to say no to young children who want to join in with their friends.
I've started just sending him in in his own clothes like everyone else, but not sending the money. Nobody has ever asked about it.

Hear hear

👏🏼 i dont donate to CIN and never will.

This. I hate all the slebs extorting us to give as much as you can while their personal wealth could pay off our national debt. It's crass and in the current cost of living crisis, unbelievably insensitive.

A lot of the families being asked to give money to CiN via schools are precisely the families that CiN and those school should be helping, not guilt tripping into parting with cash they don’t have.

Also, I wonder if anyone on the Board of CiN has bothered to read the Cass review report?

It’s why I don’t donate to them. I’m not finding that claptrap.

*funding

A quick Google says that they give money to Gendered Intelligence. The people who trained Stonewall in all things Transgender, in 2015.

Given up giving to "national" charities.

Support local ones. They are often more in need anyway[forgive the pun]

More actual support is very welcome but medicalising them and entrenching horribly stereotypical views of men and woman whilst modelling aggressive responses to attempts to question whether these ideas have any basis in reality is actively harmful to those vulnerable children - and it's what is dressed up as 'support' nowadays.

@howmanybicycles I'd disagree, reading the link. But I'm sure quality varies.

I'm not a big supporter of CIN but on the back of this thread I'll be making a donation.

What is it in that link which reassures you? It sounds like the usual propaganda to me.

Literally no woman of any age, gives a shit how she dresses. Absolutely ridiculous to suggest younger people are more accepting when they’re trying to trans anyone who doesn’t conform to stereotypes.