Mermaids (charity)
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| Founded | 1995[1] |
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| Type | Nonprofitadvocacyorganisation |
| Registration no. | 1160575 |
| Purpose | Transgender rights |
| Location |
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CEO | Lauren Stoner |
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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| By location |
| Policy aspects |
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| Organisations |
| History |
Mermaidsis a British charity and advocacy organisation that supportsgender variantandtransgender youth.[1][3]It also provides inclusion anddiversity training.[4]Mermaids was founded in 1995 by a group of parents of gender nonconforming children[5]and became acharitable incorporated organisationin 2015.[6]
History
[edit]Formation and leadership
[edit]Mermaids was founded in 1995 by a group of parents of gender nonconforming children, originally acting as a small helpline.[5]It aims to provide support for transgender youths up to 20 years of age.[1][7]Mermaids became aCharitable incorporated organisationin 2015.[6]
Susie Greenwas the chief executive from January 2016 until 25 November 2022 when she resigned.[8]Previously she worked as an IT manager at theCitizens Advice BureauinLeeds.Green was a trustee of Mermaids for four years from 2011. Her daughter is one of the youngest individuals in the UK to have transitioned surgically.[9][10]
Lauren Stoner was made interim chief executive in December 2022[11]and was appointed CEO for two years in February 2024.[12]
In August 2023, it was announced that Belinda Bell would be stepping down as chair of the charity, while remaining as a trustee.[13]Kathryn Downs, who is transgender, became chair in February 2024.[12]
The Tavistock Gender Identity Development Service
[edit]In the years from 2000, Mermaids alongside another campaign group, GIRES (Gender Identity Research and Education Society), lobbied clinicians atNHS Gender Identity Development Service(GIDS) to allow children access to early treatments such as puberty blockers.[14][15]After taking her child toBoston, Massachusettsin 2007 to receivepuberty blockers,Susie Green worked to make them available in Britain from GIDS.[14]In response, GIDS began prescribing blockers from 2011 onwards, making them widely available in response to demand from families.[15][14]Green said: "… we don't have any say on how they operate, how they prescribe, what they do in terms of the process."[16]
In July 2022, NHS England decided to close GIDS and replace it with regional healthcare centres, following the publication of the independentCass Review.[17]In response to the decision, Mermaids CEO Susie Green was "cautiously optimistic", but expressed concerns that priority would be given to mental health over medical care.[18]She said: "We would not want any further barriers to be put in place in terms of access to medical intervention."[18]
Online harassment of staff
[edit]In 2017, Mermaids reported that it and its volunteers had been the victims of online harassment. 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 journalistParis Leeswrote: "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."[19]
National Lottery funding
[edit]In December 2018, the charity was designated £500,000 in funding by theBig Lottery Fund,to create a national network of local groups.[20][21]However, the funding was put under review after criticism of the charity, including by anti-trans activistGraham Linehan,[22]who created a post on Mumsnet calling for members of the forum to email their concerns to the National Lottery.[23][24]In response to this, on 18 January 2019, YouTuberHbomberguybegan a livestream attempting to 101% complete the video gameDonkey Kong 64,with a goal of $500 to be donated to Mermaids. The stream became popular and raised over US$350,000 for Mermaids.[25]Among other guests, the stream featured an appearance by American politicianAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez.[26]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.".[27]However, in October 2022, National Lottery funding was paused due to the investigation by the Charity Commission.[28]
Media
[edit]The 2018ITVdrama seriesButterfly,about a young transgender girl, was substantially informed by Mermaids and its CEO, Susie Green, a consultant on the series who worked with creatorTony Marchant.[29]Marchant and cast membersEmmett J. ScanlanandAnna Frielalso met families involved with Mermaids to inform their creative processes.[30][31]
In July 2020, the charity complained that theBBChad no longer included links to themselves on BBC LGBT advice pages, alongside two other organisations.[32][33]The BBC said that Mermaids was removed after complaints were made about the information it provided, and for impartiality reasons.[33]
Data breach
[edit]In June 2019,The Timesrevealed that they had discovered adata breachby Mermaids in which confidential emails had been made readily available through their website.[34]The Timesstated 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.[34]Mermaids issued a press release on the same day, which acknowledged that a data breach had occurred, and that they had informed theInformation Commissioner's Officeand 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 Timesdisputed this.[7][34]After an investigation, Mermaids were required to pay a £25,000 fine.[35]
Training
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Writing inThe Daily Telegraphin September 2020, Kim Thomas said that some pressure groups, includingSafe Schools AllianceandTransgender Trend,have argued that some resources used by Mermaids in training sessions reinforce rigid gender roles and might cause non-conforming children to identify as transgender.[36]In contrast,AttitudequotedKate Lister,who said 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. "[37]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]
Following the commencement of the regulatory compliance case by the Charity Commission in 2022, the Department for Education has removed Mermaids from its mental health and wellbeing resources for schools.[38]
Government policy
[edit]![[icon]](/translate/en.wikipedia.org?u=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFile%3AWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg&t=vi){kind=small} | This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(October 2021) |
The charity criticised the UK Government's April 2021 decision to disband the LGBT advisory board without a planned replacement, describing the move as "very concerning".[39]
Challenge to LGB Alliance charitable status
[edit]In June 2021, Mermaids along with other charities includingStonewallbegan raising funds to appeal the awarding of charitable status toLGB Alliance,describing the latter group's activities as "denigrating trans people".[40]The case began in September 2022,[41]and ruled in July 2023. The judges determined that "the law does not permit Mermaids to challenge the decision made by the Charity Commission to register LGB Alliance as a charity".[42]
Conference at Great Ormond Street Hospital
[edit]In March 2022, Susie Green was due to speak on a panel regarding support for transgender youth, alongside Stephanie Davies-Arai, ofTransgender 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 byGreat Ormond Street HospitalandHealth Education England.[43]PaediatricianHilary Cass,journalistHelen Joyce,psychotherapistStella O'Malley,and academicLisa Littmanwould also have participated.[44]
Following complaints to the organisers by Mermaids and a trainee doctor, Davies-Arai's appearance was cancelled. Susie Green said that 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. "[43]
Standards of Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse People
[edit]In September 2022,Susie Greenco-authored the 8th edition of the standards of care issued by theWorld Professional Association for Transgender Health.[45][46]
The Daily Telegraphinvestigation
[edit]In September 2022, Mermaids was the subject of an investigation byThe Daily Telegraph,which accused the charity of offering chest binders to transgender youth without parental consent and to have told users they believed to be as young as 13 that hormone-blocking drugs are "totally reversible".[47][48][49][50]The investigation relied largely on an anonymous adult pretending to be a 14-year-old named "Kai" in order to access services from Mermaids.[48]The Telegraph, masquerading as "Kai", exchanged emails with the charity, during which the charity staff agreed to offer them a chest binder.[48]The Daily Telegraphcriticized the charity for not investigating the fictional Kai's mental health and for not requiring that "Kai" inform an adult, despite "Kai" describing their parents as unaccepting in the email exchanges.[48]Mermaids responded by saying that they take "a harm reduction position with the understanding that providing a young person with a binder and comprehensive safety guidelines from an experienced member of staff is preferable to the likely alternative of unsafe practices and/or continued or increasing dysphoria".[48]
Charity Commission Inquiry
[edit]On 29 September 2022 theCharity Commissionopened a regulatory compliance case into Mermaids, based on complaints made about the charity as a result ofThe Daily Telegraph's investigation.[51][52]Mermaids subsequently submitted a number of serious incidents reports to the commission in relation to issues raised in the media, and also closed its helpline temporarily due to what it described as "intolerable abuse" received by staff and volunteers.[53]Funding from the National Lottery has been paused during this investigation.[28]
On 2 December 2022 it was announced that the Charity Commission had opened a statutory inquiry on 28 November and that the charity's management and governance were now being looked at.[54][55]The Charity Commission said the opening of the inquiry was not a finding of wrongdoing.[56][57]This followed the resignation of CEOSusie Green,in November 2022.[55][56]
As at July 2024, the inquiry was still ongoing. Mermaids said that this was “significantly impacting our services, staff and volunteer wellbeing, our reputation, and our finances”.[58]
Resignation of trustee
[edit]In October 2022, DrJacob Breslowof theLondon School of Economicsresigned as a trustee of Mermaids after it was revealed that he had spoken at a conference organised byB4U-ACT,apaedophilesupport group, as a PhD student in 2011. In a statement, Mermaids described the organisation as "completely at odds" with its values, and said that "Once notified we took swift and decisive action to investigate... Safeguarding is of the utmost importance to Mermaids and the safety of the young people we support is our highest priority. "[59]Belinda Bell, the chair of trustees, apologised for the distress caused by the news of Breslow's links to the group, and said that he should never have been appointed to the board.[60]
On 12 October 2022,Miriam CatesMP usedPrime Minister's Questionsto ask for a police investigation into Mermaids.[61]In response, the charity said that her "attitudes to LGBT organisations are well-documented and this is not the first time she has criticised Mermaids".[62]
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Appearing alongside British television writer and anti-trans activist Graham Linehan last year...
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External links
[edit]- 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