Girlguiding Scotland

[mb2512cat]

Calling all Girlguiding members in Scotland - adult members & parents of girl members - in Scotland. This is the time to organise against GirlGuiding’s policy of Male Self ID.

• Girlguiding is legally allowed to be a single-sex organisation under the Equality Act 2010, but chooses to ignore the provisions laid out in this act to exclude trans-identifying males from female-only roles.
• this is in contravention of its Constitution and it’s stated aims with the Charity Commission of being an organisation for girls and young women.
• There is no record of Girlguiding changing its Constitution to allow males to self ID into female roles at any AGM.
• The PVG process is flawed. Aside from the fact that, at best, it will only pick up individuals who have police records - Jimmy Savile would pass a PVG - those who do have records are able to take advantage of well-known loopholes which hide convictions of people who change their name and biological sex.
• Girlguiding reserves certain roles just for females. This makes a difference for safeguarding in two areas: first aid & residentials:
• “ If boys, or volunteers who are men, are present there must be separate sleeping and bathroom facilities for them.”
• “If the first aider is a man, a woman must be present when a member is being treated. A woman should deal with girls’ personal hygiene queries and needs.”
• in both these examples Girlguiding allows trans-identifying males to be treated as women for these purposes, a clear safeguarding danger.
• I implore Girlguiding members to organise on mass on this issue, otherwise Girlguiding will go the way of the WEP.

While I’m all for this - the change would have to be at national level (ie Girlguiding): Countries & Regions don’t operate autonomously. Or is the idea for organising & campaigning to happen at that level & be taken forward to national level?

Yes, we have to organise nationally, and I aim to do that, but right now the rights of girls and women are in crisis with the imminent passing of the GRR and today’s ruling in a Scottish court about sex and the Equality Act.

Girlguiding Scotland is a separately registered Scottish charity, with 9,000 volunteers, more than 10% of the national total, a £1.7m income, its own board of trustees, chief commissioner, salaried CEO etc. It has to obey the laws and rules of Scotland, for instance during COVID there were different rules for Scottish units.

Scottish guiders have to organise and lobby GG Scotland to scrap Male Self ID and comply with exception provided by the EQA 2010 or change its charitable object to include males. There must be more Guiders out there who think GirlGuiding’s stance is dangerous and offensive.

Girlguiding Scotland exists within Girlguiding though - different covid rules were to comply with Scottish law, as opposed to Girlguiding Scotland feeling inspired to do things differently. Similarly, Girlguiding Cymru & Girlguiding Ulster are required to follow the relevant laws for the bits of the UK they cover (notably the latter’s notoriously full-on rules covering Unit Accounts). BGO Units are required to adhere to the law of the country in which they are based; & the Channel Island Units follow those laws.

Girls being allowed to start Rainbows aged 4 in Girlguiding Ulster is the only place, IIRC, where Girlguiding’s own rules vary between Countries & Regions though. My fear is that the answer you’ll get is that the policy has nothing to do with Girlguiding Scotland other than that they administer it. Including launching investigations into Girlguiding volunteers agitating against it because that is a breach of the Volunteer Code of Conduct. Volunteers are now allowed (so gracious 🙄) to hold gender critical views; they remain effectively unable to express Girlguiding Critical views.

Please don’t misunderstand me, that policy is an absolute abomination & a betrayal of the core principles of the Guide Movement. “Safe girl only space” that young Members have repeatedly stressed they value being single-sex & HQ casually destroyed it. And knowingly updated their Programme so girls from the most marginalised backgrounds will struggle to participate, thus cementing their institutional ableism & racism for the C21. The direction Girlguiding has been moving in since the centenary (or even a little before that) has been disastrous. And I’m very alert to the dreadful steamrollering of women’s rights by the Scottish Government. I am just worried making the attempt at Country level rather than National will end badly for the Volunteers involved.

Or is the hope that Girlguiding Scotland’s Chief Commissioner will take the request forward to [a] Girlguiding [Council Meeting]?

The point is we have to start making a fuss at every level of Girlguiding : district, division, county, region. What is happening to girls and women is completely unacceptable. Are we going to let Girlguiding have yet another AGM where they brush this under the carpet? The trustees of Girlguiding, Girlguiding Scotland are liable for GirlGuiding’s policies. Mermaid and its trustees are being investigated due to safeguarding concerns. We gave to bring these risks right to the door of all GG’s trustees. They cannot keep ignoring this and brushing us off.

Not surprised older girld are anxious.
Dd had been at secondary less than a week and older boy tried to kick her shoe off.
Older boys also getting y7 boys to fight.
Ideally i think more girl only schools. As it seems to impact maths/science and sports.
The boys in class were rude to her when she won something.
However guides doesnt offer as good an experience as scouting.