Mermaids (charity)
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| Founded | 1995[1] |
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| Type | Nonprofit advocacy organisation |
| Registration no. | 1160575 |
| Purpose | Transgender rights |
| Location |
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CEO | Susie Green |
Revenue (2020) | £902,437[2] |
| Expenses (2020) | £1,041,326[2] |
Staff (2020) | 18 employees, 7 trustees, 31 volunteers[2] |
| Website | mermaidsuk |
| Part of a series on |
| LGBT rights in the United Kingdom |
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| History |
Mermaids is a British charity and advocacy organisation that supports gender variant and transgender youth.[1][3] They also provide inclusion and diversity training.[4]
History
Formation
Mermaids was founded in 1995 by a group of parents of gender nonconforming children, originally acting as a small helpline.[5] They aim to provide support for transgender youths up to 20 years of age.[1][6] It became a Charitable incorporated organisation in 2015.[7]
Lobbying the Tavistock Gender Identity Development Service
In the years from 2000, Mermaids alongside another campaign group GIRES (Gender Identity Research and Education Society), lobbied clinicians at the NHS Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) for early interventions on children.[8] After taking her child to Boston in 2007 to receive puberty blockers, Susie Green worked to make them available in Britain from GIDS.[8] In response, GIDS began prescribing blockers, making them widely available in response to demand from families.[8] Clinical psychologist Kirsty Entwistle, on the GIDS staff from 2017, said: "Those who’d connected with Mermaids were terrified, because they’d been told that their child was going to kill themselves if they didn’t get blockers."[8] GIDS describes suicide as "extremely rare".[8]
In July 2022, NHS England decided to close GIDS and replace it with regional healthcare centres, following the publication of the independent Cass Review.[9] In response to the decision, Susie Green was "cautiously optimistic", but expressed concerns that priority would be given to mental health over medical care.[10] She said: "We would not want any further barriers to be put in place in terms of access to medical intervention."[10]
National Lottery funding
In December 2018, the charity was designated £500,000 in funding by the National Lottery.[11] However, the funding was put under review after criticism of the charity, including by anti-trans activist Graham Linehan,[12] who created a post on Mumsnet calling for members of the forum to email their concerns to the National Lottery.[13][14] In response to this, on 18 January 2019, YouTuber Hbomberguy began a livestream attempting to 101% complete the video game Donkey Kong 64, with a goal of $500. The stream became popular and raised over $350,000 USD for Mermaids.[15] Among other guests, the stream featured an appearance by American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.[16] On 19 February 2019, the National Lottery concluded its review into the charity and announced that it would follow through with the promised donation, stating that "did not find any grounds to withhold the grant.".[17]
Harassment of staff
In 2017, Mermaids reported that it and its volunteers had been the victims of online harassment, leading to concerns by parents whose children are supported by the organisation. CEO Green stated that she had been falsely accused of forcibly castrating her transgender daughter, Jackie. Her daughter maintained that "If my mum had not helped me, I would not be here today" and transgender journalist Paris Lees wrote: "Susie Green is saving lives and I wish my parents had known about Mermaids when I was growing up". Green raised concerns "that the social media backlash may put people off coming to the charity for help."[18]
Training
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Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Kim Thomas said that some pressure groups, including Safe Schools Alliance and Transgender Trend, have argued that some resources used by Mermaids in trainings reinforce rigid gender roles and might cause non-conforming children to identify as transgender.[19] In contrast, Attitude quoted Kate Lister as saying that the resource is "a visual representation of gender identifying markers ... At no point does anyone suggest children who act in ways that do not conform to a gender are trans. At no point does anyone suggest gay children are trans."[20] Likewise, Mermaids released a statement saying that they have never encouraged teachers "to state that 'tomboys' should be transgender", and that they do not provide classroom talks or lesson materials for schools, contrary to what had been reported in some newspapers.[4]
Media
The 2018 ITV drama series Butterfly, about a young transgender girl, was substantially informed by Mermaids and its CEO, Susie Green, a consultant on the series who worked with creator Tony Marchant.[21] Marchant and cast members Emmett J. Scanlan and Anna Friel also met families involved with Mermaids to inform their creative processes.[22][23]
In July 2020, the charity complained that the BBC had no longer included links to themselves on BBC LGBT advice pages, alongside two other organisations.[24][25] The BBC said that Mermaids was removed after complaints were made about the information it provided, and for impartiality reasons.[25]
Government policy
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The charity criticised the UK Government's decision to disband the LGBT advisory board without a planned replacement in April 2021, describing the move as "very concerning".[26]
Challenge to LGB Alliance charitable status
In June 2021, Mermaids along with other charities including Stonewall began raising funds to appeal the awarding of charitable status to LGB Alliance, describing the latter group's activities as "denigrating trans people".[27] In September 2022, the case began.[28]
Data breach
In June 2019, The Times revealed that they had discovered a data breach by Mermaids in which confidential emails had been made readily available through their website.[29] The Times stated that these included names of transgender children and their parents, together with contact details and intimate medical information. The newspaper reported that there were internal emails from the trustees that criticised the leadership by Susie Green, as well as criticism from parents.[29] Mermaids issued a press release on the same day, which acknowledged that a data breach had occurred, and that they had informed the Information Commissioner's Office and had corrected the breach. The press release stated that the breach was limited to internal emails and that no emails to and from families were part of the information leaked; The Times disputed this.[29][6] After an investigation, Mermaids were required to pay a £25,000 fine.[30]
Conference at Great Ormond Street Hospital
In March 2022, Susie Green was due to speak on a panel regarding support for transgender youth, alongside Stephanie Davies-Arai, of Transgender Trend, a "gender-critical" website. The panel would have been part of an event, eventually postponed, for an expected 100 to 150 trainee child psychiatrists organised by Great Ormond Street Hospital and Health Education England.[31] Paediatrician Hilary Cass, journalist Helen Joyce, psychotherapist Stella O'Malley, and academic Lisa Littman would also have participated.[32]
Following complaints to the organisers by Mermaids and a trainee doctor, Davies-Arai's appearance was cancelled. Susie Green said: Mermaids "cannot be a part of a conference that gives a platform to Transgender Trend" and advised the organisers to "stay clear of anyone involved with anti-trans pseudo-medical platforms that have been set up with the sole intention of attacking trans people (especially trans youth) and their healthcare." Davies-Arai said that it "should concern everyone that the NHS has allowed unsubstantiated claims of 'transphobia' to influence their decisions."[31]
Standards of Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse People
In September 2022, Susie Green co-authored the 8th edition of the standards of care issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.[33][34]
Controversy
In September 2022, Mermaids was the subject of an investigation by The Daily Telegraph which found that they had been offering free chest binders to children as young as 13 without parental consent.[35] In the same article, it was reported that the "newspaper has seen discussions in the charity’s moderated forum for 12 to 15-year-olds on how to raise money to start taking drugs and the best way to take testosterone". Various campaigners and MPs, such as Miriam Cates, have suggested that the charity "is stating an extreme position on gender ideology and it is going behind parents’ backs to speak to children. This raises huge safeguarding red flags”.
References
- ^ a b c "About Us". Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ a b c "Charity Details". Charity Commission for England and Wales. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ "Mermaids (National)". Birmingham LGBT. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Statement in response to coverage of DfE guidance in the Mail on Sunday". Mermaids. 26 September 2020. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ "'Pictures of me as the Child Catcher were posted online'". www.thirdsector.co.uk. 21 May 2019. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Trans charity Mermaids UK 'deeply sorry' for data breach". BBC News. 16 June 2019. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
- ^ "MERMAIDS - Charity 1160575". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Charity Commission for England and Wales. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Turner, Janice (17 June 2022). "What went wrong at the Tavistock clinic for trans teenagers?". The Times. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- ^ "NHS to close Tavistock child gender identity clinic". BBC News. 28 July 2022. Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ a b Ghorayshi, Azeen (28 July 2022). "England Overhauls Medical Care for Transgender Youth". New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ^ Cooney, Rebecca. "BLF to review £500k grant to transgender children's charity Mermaids". Third Sector. Archived from the original on 12 September 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ "NSW Liberal candidate likens anti-trans activism to opposing the Holocaust". The Guardian. 14 April 2022. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
Appearing alongside British television writer and anti-trans activist Graham Linehan last year...
- ^ "'Massive shame' as Big Lottery Fund announces review of £500,000 funding grant to Leeds' Mermaids UK transgender support charity". Yorkshire Evening Post. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ "Funding row charity's Donkey Kong boost". BBC News. 22 January 2019. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ Wells, Adam (21 January 2019). "Marathon Donkey Kong Stream Raises Over $350,000 For Transgender Charity". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
- ^ Greenwald, Will (21 January 2019). "Ocasio-Cortez drops in on Donkey Kong 64 Twitch stream". PC Mag. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ Mohdin, Aamna (19 February 2019). "National Lottery to give grant to transgender children's group". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 19 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ Marsh, Sarah (27 August 2017). "Police investigate online abuse against charity for transgender children". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Thomas, Kim (29 September 2020). "What are the new rules for teaching identity in schools?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
As the number of children identifying as transgender has increased, schools have consulted trans charities such as Stonewall and Mermaids about how best to approach the topic. These charities have, however, come under criticism by campaigners, including Transgender Trend and Safe Schools Alliance, for reinforcing a rigid belief in gender roles, and for encouraging children who don't conform to gender stereotypes to believe they might be trans....A large number of the organisations providing training and resources to schools on trans issues use non-conformity to gender stereotypes as evidence that a child is transgender. Mermaids, for example, regularly uses a chart showing gender identity on a 12-point spectrum from a Barbie wearing a pink dress to GI Joe in military fatigues.
- ^ "Activists Hit Back at The Sunday Times for Transphobic Fear-Mongering". Attitude. 24 December 2018. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
The discussion is on how we socially see gender expressions. In psychology, these archetypes are called 'hyper masculinity' and 'hyper femininity' - mermaids have just renamed them to be more accessible. This isn't new or unique to Mermaids. The 'jelly baby' spectrum being used in the lecture is basically a visual representation of gender identifying markers. In academic terms these are 'gender identity', 'gender expression', 'biological sex' and 'sexual orientation'. At no point does anyone suggest children who act in ways that do not conform to a gender are trans. At no point does anyone suggest gay children are trans. In fact, the woman taking the session self identifies as lesbian - and FULLY understands she is not trans.
- ^ "Mum of Leeds transgender woman who inspired ITV's Butterfly opens up about daughter's suicide attempts after bullying". Yorkshire Evening Post. 25 October 2018. Archived from the original on 1 June 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ Percival, Ash (14 October 2018). "'Butterfly' Writer Tony Marchant On Changing Attitudes To Transgender Children And The Importance Of Trans Representation On Screen". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
- ^ Harrison, Ellie (28 October 2018). "Paris Lees: 'Butterfly is the best thing to happen to the trans community for years'". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
- ^ "A joint complaint to the BBC on behalf of UK LGBTQ+ organisations". Mermaids. Mermaids. 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ a b Brown, David (30 July 2020). "Mermaids and other trans groups dropped by BBC Advice Line service". The Times. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Youth campaigners hit out at decision to disband government LGBT panel". CYP Now. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ Ames, Jonathan; Baksi, Catherine (2 June 2021). "Transgender legal battle: Stonewall backs Mermaids against LGB Alliance". The Times. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ Gentleman, Amelia (9 September 2022). "Judge to consider trans charity's appeal to strip LGB Alliance of legal status". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c Gilligan, Andrew (16 June 2019). "Parents' anger as child sex change charity Mermaids puts private emails online". The Times. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ Elliot, DAC Beachcroft-Camilla (27 July 2021). "£25,000 ICO fine is no drop in the ocean for Mermaids". Lexology. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ a b Somerville, Ewan (19 March 2022). "Great Ormond Street cancels trainee doctor conference over trans 'safety' complaints". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ Hayward, Eleanor (26 March 2022). "Gender event off after trans activists attack 'extreme' views". The Times. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
- ^ Dixon, Hayley (16 September 2022). "Children as young as nine can be prescribed sex change hormones". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
- ^ Coleman, E.; Radix, A. E.; Bouman, W. P.; Brown, G. R.; de Vries, A. L. C.; Deutsch, M. B.; Ettner, R.; Fraser, L.; Goodman, M.; Green, J.; Hancock, A. B.; Johnson, T. W.; Karasic, D. H.; Knudson, G. A.; Leibowitz, S. F. (19 August 2022). "Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8". International Journal of Transgender Health. 23 (sup1): S1–S259. doi:10.1080/26895269.2022.2100644. ISSN 2689-5269.
- ^ Dixon, Hayley (25 September 2022). "Exclusive: Trans charity Mermaids giving breast binders to children behind parents' backs". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
External links
- 1995 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Crisis hotlines
- LGBT charities
- LGBT health organizations
- LGBT political advocacy groups in the United Kingdom
- Organizations established in 1995
- Health charities in the United Kingdom
- Transgender organisations in the United Kingdom
- LGBT youth organisations based in the United Kingdom