Transgender Trend Statement on the Sunday Times Article 16/06/2019 Regarding Mermaids
The revelation in the Sunday Times that the charity Mermaids published online hundreds of private emails, some revealing personal details of children’s names and medical details, is one more indication of the organisation’s carelessness around the protection of children.
Concerns about Mermaids are not new. Any charity which works with children must be subject to the highest level of scrutiny and yet this has not happened. Instead, a charity which began as a support group for parents, has been enabled to act way beyond its level of competence and expertise through substantial government and lottery funding. Questions must be asked about organisational capture by a charity acting on the basis of an ideologically-driven belief not adequately supported by science, and in thrall to the panacea of drastic life-changing medical intervention.
There needs to be an investigation into how this group, with no medical qualifications, has been given the authority to influence the approach towards the most vulnerable children, both within schools and the NHS. The evidence of Mermaids’s communications with the Tavistock and the Equality and Human Rights Commission raises serious questions about how a controversial children’s charity is given undue influence behind the scenes.
This charity must be held to account on the same basis as any other charity working with vulnerable children. Their methods, and the belief underpinning them, must be held up to public scrutiny and not hidden behind the word ‘transgender’ or the acronym ‘LGBT’ by agencies more concerned with the protection of their social justice credentials than in the welfare and safeguarding of children.
Mermaids has been enabled to operate within a protected and unaccountable bubble of ideological untouchability which they have fortified with shouts of ‘transphobia’ to silence anyone who dares to approach anywhere near, referring even to the Sunday Times article as “this latest hostile and transphobic article” in their press statement in response.* This is not acceptable practice for any charity whose remit is the support and protection of vulnerable children; it creates a highly dangerous loophole wherein normal standards of safeguarding, child protection and duty of care do not apply.
The wholly inadequate review of the Mermaids Big Lottery funding application is a case in point in its failure to examine the evidence submitted by people with concerns, instead relying on the testimony of the Mermaids CEO, Susie Green, as evidence for their suitability to receive £500,000 of public money.
It is when organisations or individuals appear to be above scrutiny that scandals occur, such as that around the disgraced Kids Company. Lessons must be learned from such cases. It is too late to notice red flag warnings in retrospect.
It is now time for a serious investigation by the Charities Commission into the activities of Mermaids. Big Lottery funding should be suspended immediately pending the results of a proper inquiry.
Action needs to be taken now and to this end, as a matter of urgency, we call on the government for an immediate moratorium on all scientifically questionable ‘gender identity’ teaching within schools.
Update
*This statement has since been deleted. The amended press statement can be viewed here.
Perhaps a petition is needed to ensure this very important issue is debated in the House of Commons. I for one would sign it.
I’ve been TERFed for saying that Susie Green’s behavior is questionable.
The idea that believing pushing puberty blockers on children is “transphobic” is one of the reasons I went from being fully supportive of the TRA agenda to Peak Trans.
I refuse to toe the line to any totalitarian belief system.
This is just the tip of the iceberg as we see these groups implode.
I a at a loss as to why Mermaids ( the very name is questionable) does not warrant scrutiny by the Charity Commission, Big Lottery and the Government. You would have thought after the fiasco of Kidscape not that long ago all three institutions would have instigated much greater oversight into how Mermaids operates.
The same might also be said of the NSPCC and it’s fetish employees ‘outing’ themselves at work.
What ever has happened to safeguarding children? Have all 3 forgotten Saville and co?
Well written and crucial response. Thank you.
I have no doubt that there are many more parents (and others) like us, seeking groups like this one than they are admitting for fear of being called “negligent parents” or bigots. How tragic that I had to go digging through the internet to find pro-active, loving parents rather than ones that want to teach political correctness at the expense of their precious children. I am one of them. I wish I could find a group like this in the U.S.
Unfortunately in order to get an inquiry you need high level political concern and involvement.
I recently wrote to my MP (Mr. Mark Pawsey, Con., Rugby) referring him to the transcript of the recent House of Lords meeting on the ethics of transgender treatments for children and adolescents (I am a retired doctor). I particularly highlighted the fact that such treatments, although lacking clinical evidence, were being driven ideologically by such groups as Mermaids, with potential harm to children.
His response was to virtue signal about the importance of the role of schools, with the support of the Department of Education and the Government, in teaching (? brainwashing) children about tolerance and diversity. He also preached at about the importance of ridding schools of homophobic and transphobic bullying etc. He completely failed to address any of the issues which I had raised.
The truth is that the trans lobby and Stonewall are now so powerful that MPs are shit scared of questioning or challenging any aspect of queer theory lest they be branded “phobic”. As for admitting that they might be wrong about Mermaids – how often do Governments admit they got it wrong? OK perhaps after 30 years as in the infected blood transfusion inquiry.
Sadly we will probably have to wait 30 years until a generation of mutilated, sterile, sexually impotent adults ask why was this done to them as children!
This is a response to Tom Goodfellow. I have written countless letters to all sorts and conditions of politicians over the last three years, making strong and clear arguments against their support for the TG cult’s toxic agenda. I received exactly the same pathetic response as Tom got. I echo his words here:
“[Their] response was to virtue signal about the importance of the role of schools, with the support of the Department of Education and the Government, in teaching (? brainwashing) children about tolerance and diversity. [They} also preached about the importance of ridding schools of homophobic and transphobic bullying etc. [They} completely failed to address any of the issues which I had raised.”
The calibre of these people as politicians and as human beings is so contemptible.
Great response by you to this scandal. Sadly I also think it will take a generation before anyone admits it’s been a toxic disaster for many vulnerable children. Too many vested interests with connections and influence right up to the Government. It’s unbelievable.
Opposing the utter madness behind the trans ‘outbreak’, because it does feel like a viral infection, must gather momentum . The outbreak of transgender populism has to be continually challenged until our MP’s begin to seriously think on the rammifications and impact this madness has on young vulnerable children.
Those of us who involve ourselves in fighting the wrong must keep the pressure going and not lose heart.
With regard to MP response. I think the Brexit debacle has taken over the minds and hearts of politicians allowing by default groups like Stonewall LGBT and Mermaids and any other subversive group to crawl under the wire! A bit like the fox who waits his time and surreptitiously crawls under the hen house and mutilates the coup! It’s so much easier for lily livered MPs to toe the party line with a stock answer. They seek popularity. But all the time, we as a nation bow to this insidious blackmail it will continue. Our children deserve better. We are guardians for such a short time but we will be held responsible for how we act now.