Girlguiding - Supreme Court Decision email

[ProfMummBRaaarrrTheEverLeaking]

Have just had an email from them...

As the parent of a young member in Girlguiding, following April’s Supreme Court decision relating to sex and gender, we wanted to give you an update. Many organisations across the country have been facing complex decisions about what it means for girls and women and for the wider communities affected, including us.

Girlguiding’s governing charity documents set out that the membership and people who benefit from our organisation are girls and women. In April, the Supreme Court ruled that girls and women are defined in the Equality Act 2010 by their biological sex at birth.

Following detailed considerations, expert legal advice and input from senior members, young members and our Council, Girlguiding’s Board of Trustees has made the difficult decision that Girlguiding must change Girlguiding must change, following the Supreme Court’s ruling.

From today, 2 December, it is with a heavy heart that we are announcing trans girls and young women will no longer be able to join Girlguiding. This is a decision we would have preferred not to make, and we know that this may be upsetting for members of our community.

There will be no immediate changes for current young members but more information will be shared next week.

Most adult roles, including unit helpers, district helpers and administrative support, are already open to all, so we are confident that no volunteers will have to leave the organisation.

Girlguiding believes strongly in our value of inclusion, and we will continue to support young people and adults in marginalised groups. Over the next few months, we'll explore opportunities to champion this value and actively support young people who need us.

You can find our full statement and updated policy on our website.

We are proud to be the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated to girls and is focused on creating an equal world for girls and young women. For over 100 years, we have been a welcoming space for all girls to have new experiences, support their communities, build friendships and grow their confidence.

While Girlguiding may feel a little different going forward, these core aims and principles will always be the same. We remain committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect, particularly those from marginalised groups that have felt the biggest impact of this decision.

If you have any immediate questions, we have our special support team in place, to give volunteers, parents and carers the best support we can. We are asking Girlguiding HQ, trading and country/region staff to refer any volunteer or parent who has questions about this announcement.

A "heavy heart" and "upsetting" indeed!! 😤 Couldn't just stay factual could they!

Oh well, if it takes Legal to have them kicking and screaming into obeying the law, so be it!

Thank goodness. That was an insane policy. I wonder if the BBC is going to have a sad trans 'girl's' story.

You can bet on it!

At least they have now recognised and acted on the ruling. Still waiting for some organisations! Girl guiding should be truly a safe space just for girls. Better late than never.

I read that as trans girls can no longer join, but any who are already "in" can stay.

There will be no immediate changes for current young members

Be interesting to see what this information next week will be, I don't see how they can allow that?

Well well well.

(I agree it reads as if that those 'already in appear to be allowed to stay in')

Most adult roles, including unit helpers, district helpers and administrative support, are already open to all, so we are confident that no volunteers will have to leave the organisation.

Meaning that trans-identifying male volunteers will still be treated as women?

Well they’ve certainly been keen for“all girls to have new experiences”

Indeed, they could have expressed sympathy for the young people affected (who shouldn't have been allowed in in the first place) without all the emotive language and obvious disapproval of the law.

(Edit as I thought the male guides would be asked to leave, apparently not)

I think "already in allowed to stay" is fair enough, as long as relevant safeguarding is followed e.g. on residential trips, as those boys affected will then age out of the section they are in, and nobody has to get booted - it's not the fault of the individual child that they were allowed to join when they shouldn't have been.

That's how I read it. So... Still no proper safeguarding.

They say 'no immediate changes'. I would guess things might vary depending on what stage a trans guide is at. If they're in their last few weeks or months, I can imagine they might be allowed to finish that time but maybe not go to residential camps in it. Or they could be helped to transfer to a scout troop. Just speculating, I don't know any more than anyone else.

I thought that might be leaving the door wide open to complaints though "why is that child allowed but mine isn't" sort of thing that could lead to threatening with lawyers.

I wonder what they will do about the loyal volunteers they kicked out? Will they be reaching out them?

So basically, transgirls (boys) will be allowed to remain in clear violation of the law but they won't be accepting new ones so that's all right.

And any fetishistic men who have volunteered will be fine because men are allowed to be volunteers anyway.
And this makes GG very sad. Because...?

From Girlguiding FB page:

''This update includes information you may find upsetting. Please take care when reading.
From today, it is with a heavy heart that we announce trans girls will no longer be able to join Girlguiding. This is a decision we would have preferred not to make, and we know that this may be upsetting for members of our community.
There will be no immediate changes for current young members, but more information will be shared soon. Most adult roles - including unit helpers, district helpers and administrative support - are already open to all, so we are confident that no volunteers will have to leave the organisation.
Girlguiding believes strongly in inclusion, and we will continue to support young people and adults in marginalised groups. Over the next few months, we will explore opportunities to champion this value and actively support young people who need us.
We stand in solidarity with trans girls and women.''

Sad times.

They'd possibly get more lawyers if chucking out someone who was allowed in under the rules when they joined, than refusing new joiners when they have new rules in place. But I'm not one (a lawyer) so I don't know.

“…While Girlguiding may feel a little different going forward, ”.

This was the sentence that stood out for me. . With boys allowed in, then it’s been ‘a little different’ for a while. I now see it as returning to its roots, ie ‘girls’.

trans girls and young women will no longer be able to join Girlguiding

That makes it sound like all young women aren't allowed in - when I presume what they meant to say was no young transwomen.

This is one effect of the deliberate subtle push to split the word into two - so that trans just looks like an adjective that applies to an actual woman, rather than a full word that specifically refers to a male who wants to be treated as though he were female.

Even with the original single word, some people still got confused as to whether a transwoman was a man identifying as a woman or a woman identifying as a man; but at least it wasn't as deliberately designed to confuse and deceive.

Ridiculous that it's taken them so bloody long to come up with this statement when we all knew this was going to be the outcome. There are a lot of angry leaders on the Facebook groups though.

Goodness. The whining and moaning that they're no longer able to centre men and boys in Girlguiding says such a lot about the nature of the adults in charge.

They've done such damage that I can fully understand women avoiding them. But wouldn't it be good to replace these subservient women with those who are proud of women's history, unashamed to support a single sex organisation for girls and rigorous in safeguarding girls.

No celebration of the girls.

Mentions of 'young people' (this would be girls)

Much rending of garments and tears (over the loss of the boys.)

it is with a heavy heart that we are announcing trans girls and young women will no longer be able to join Girlguiding
Wtf? 🤬
Men, to the rest of us.