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Mermaids - helping children & teenagers to deceive their parents

(249 Posts)
FarNorth Mon 26-Sep-22 13:51:59

"Mermaids, which receives funding from the taxpayer and runs training for schools and the NHS, offered to send a breast binder discreetly to a girl they believed was only 14, even after they were told that she was not allowed to use one by her mother.

Evidence obtained by The Telegraph shows that the charity’s staff have offered binders to children as young as 13 who say that their parents oppose the practice.

Chest-binding has been described by parent groups as a form of “self-harm” and it can cause breathing difficulties, chronic back pain, changes to the spine and broken ribs.

Dr Hilary Cass, the former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics, who is leading a review of trans children’s services for the NHS, describes it as “painful and potentially harmful”."

12ft.io/proxy?q=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/09/25/exclusive-trans-charity-mermaids-giving-breast-binders-children

(The Telegraph link should open without a paywall)

Galaxy Sat 08-Oct-22 13:32:02

Yes am sure. When I listened to the accounts from the managers of care homes at the time (I was working with children with learning disabilities but the managers were all shoved together into one sector so to speak) what I was struck by was the powerlessness the staff felt. And I think that led to a 'giving up' on those children.

Namsnanny Sun 09-Oct-22 13:00:12

You're right to compare the attitude taken to the Rochdale victims (it's still happening according to Maggie Oliver) and Mermaids because in my view the same strategy was used to silence discussion or complaint.
The use of indoctrination, the shaming of dissenters (accusations of racism, bigotry, etc), then verbal attack.

It gives me hope when I see there are still some brave people out there, who have fought hard to bring forward the truth.

They, and the real victims need support.
Because children's lives are too important to let personal attacks or in fighting distract from this.

FarNorth Mon 10-Oct-22 00:31:05

Here's a brief video of a young woman detransitioner of 21 who has been on testosterone for 5 years - so, since she was 16.
She's not in the UK, but it's very likely that young people on Mermaids' poorly regulated forum have been sharing info on how to get hormone treatment from dubious sources.

Here is the 21 year old woman.

mobile.twitter.com/KCMiller1225/status/1579132480975941633

Mollygo Mon 10-Oct-22 09:34:40

Noticeable that most replies critics her for not knowing what testosterone would do.

FarNorth Mon 10-Oct-22 12:14:11

When she started on it, she probably thought she was totally happy with what it would do.
Like Keira Bell & Sinead Watson who have said they had serious mental health problems that were ignored while their belief in transition as the answer was affirmed by people who should know better.

Mollygo Mon 10-Oct-22 15:41:57

Do you think your private life is nothing to do with your work? Or is it a safeguarding loophole?

Just wondering why might a man who produces pornographic images of himself and publishes them online want to work in digital engagement at a charity that encourages children to keep secrets from their parents and demands that children signing up to their services have an email address that their parents can’t access?

FarNorth Mon 10-Oct-22 17:57:23

I guess it depends what your work is , although even very ordinary jobs may have a condition about not doing anything that might bring the employer into disrepute.

For the case you mention Mollygo that does seem unwise of the man, or of the employer if they know about it.

FarNorth Mon 10-Oct-22 18:00:08

Ps, the secret emails & deception of parents seems to have been a basic part of the employer's operations.
So, very unwise all round, I'd say.

FarNorth Mon 10-Oct-22 23:15:29

I guess you meant Darren Mew, Digital Engagement Officer, Mermaids.
I did see his pornographic pics of himself on twitter but they've been deleted now.
Mermaids seems shockingly lax (to say the least) on safeguarding and I hope they get closed down very soon.

Mollygo Mon 10-Oct-22 23:21:56

Yes I did mean Darren Mew. Unbelievable-or sadly not.

Doodledog Mon 10-Oct-22 23:35:40

I've just googled. Shocking. Well, maybe not, but disgraceful, anyway.

FarNorth Tue 11-Oct-22 00:20:51

Okay, here's Darren Mew.
Click on the link at your peril as it includes Mew's unsavoury photography of himself .

grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/totally-normal-childrens-charity

Glinner says
"The point of this is not Darren’s completely legal and nothing-to-do-with-children photography hobby, but it does rather put the lie to the statement on Mermaids website which claims that all trustees and staff are “subject to background checks including enhanced DBS searches, social media reviews and other due diligence.”"

For comparison, I used to work in a supermarket and I'm pretty sure that public display of photos like Mew's would have been perceived as breaking their rule about not bringing the company into disrepute.
And Mew works for a children's charity.

Mollygo Tue 11-Oct-22 08:13:06

Even having the second picture he posted on my phone, would have brought into question my suitability to work with children. But he could post it and still be employed by Mermaids.

25Avalon Tue 11-Oct-22 08:54:25

If you did this as a teacher you’d be out on your ear! DBS only show whether you have a criminal record.

Namsnanny Tue 11-Oct-22 11:52:43

Then ofcourse there was Dr Jacob Breslow associate prof of gender and sexuality. Who was/is part of a group trying to get the phrase 'minor attracted people' used as a DSM label, instead of using the word paedophile.

How will the children who have been through this organisation cope in the future?
Surely their trust has been shattered?

MerylStreep Tue 11-Oct-22 15:24:22

Get ready with the report button, VioletSky: What a sick bastard ?

25Avalon Wed 12-Oct-22 22:42:32

Take a look at “No turning back” on Ickonic, a video, of two people who regret transitioning. The producer was concerned her kids were being told at school that they could have been born into the wrong body so she started researching.

Mollygo Wed 12-Oct-22 23:49:00

Is this what you mean? m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfi4akR5xmQ
Thanks 25Avalon.

25Avalon Thu 13-Oct-22 08:56:11

Mollygo that’s even better or worse. Terrible what we are doing to our children. I went on the Ickonic website and saw trailers from the film. I’d not heard of them before. We need more like it.

FarNorth Mon 17-Oct-22 21:26:30

Here is transwoman Blaire White on 'trans kids'.

BW says : "A transgender child is like a vegan cat. We all know who's making the lifestyle choices."

www.instagram.com/reel/CjouJ9gPIYs/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

Mollygo Tue 18-Oct-22 08:12:27

Thanks for the link FarNorth. When you read some of the accounts, that analogy is perfect.

varian Tue 18-Oct-22 17:59:11

Not XX and not XY - one in 1,666 births

About 700,000 babies are born each year in the UK.

25Avalon Wed 19-Oct-22 22:57:25

Thanks FarNorth. Here in the UK the NHS is spending money on this rather than life threatening illnesses such as cancer which if not detected in time result in death.