Liz Truss backs police probe into controversial trans charity Mermaids – as parents demand CoE schools urge drop ‘radical and unlawful’ transgender guidance
- Liz Truss backed calls for a police probe into transgender charity Mermaids
- Mermaids has come under scrutiny over series of damaging allegations
- It comes as parents urge CoE schools to drop ‘unlawful’ trans guidance
Prime Minister Liz Truss today appeared to back calls for a police investigation into controversial transgender children’s charity Mermaids following a raft of allegations about the organisation.
At Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons, Tory MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge Miriam Cates said that over the past week ‘serious safeguarding failures’ by Mermaids have come to light, such as reportedly sending chest-flattening devices to young girls against their parents’ wishes.
Ms Cates asked the PM if she agrees it is ‘high time’ for a police investigation into the charity to be launched.
Mermaids has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks, following claims that they send ‘chest binders’ to children without parental knowledge. A member of the charity’s board also quit after giving a speech at a conference hosted by an organisation that promotes services to paedophiles.
And the charity’s online help centre has reportedly also been offering advice to teenagers that hormone-blocking drugs are safe and ‘totally reversible’, according to The Telegraph.
It comes as the Archbishop of Canterbury faces growing calls from Christian parents to drop ‘unlawful’ and ‘radical’ guidance covering thousands of Church of England primary schools that schoolchildren as young as five should be supported if they identify as the opposite gender.
Prime Minister Liz Truss speaking to MPs in the House of Commons
Christian parents Nigel and Sally Rowes won a legal case against DfE, which led to a £22,000 settlement for legal costs and a commitment from the Government to reform its trans policies
Mermaids has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks, following claims that they send ‘chest binders’ to children without parental knowledge. A member of the charity’s board also quit after giving a speech at a conference endorsing paedophilia
Ms Cates told the Commons: ‘For years, despite whistleblowers raising alarm, Mermaids have had unfettered access to vulnerable children.
‘Does my right honourable friend (Liz Truss) agree that it’s taken far too long for these concerns to be taken seriously and does she also agree that it is high time for a police investigation into the activities of Mermaids?’
The Prime Minister replied: ‘It’s very important that underage teens are able to develop their own decision-making capabilities and not be forced into any kind of activity. What I would say on the subject of the investigation she raises, of course those matters should be raised and should be properly looked at.’
The Charity Commission has opened a regulatory compliance case into the organisation after a number of complaints, and it is the first step taken by the regulator, and not a finding of wrongdoing.
The Rowes have written an open letter to the archbishop urging the CoE to drop transgender guidance covering its schools
A spokeswoman for the commission said: ‘Concerns have been raised with us about Mermaids’ approach to safeguarding young people. We have opened a regulatory compliance case and have written to the trustees. We now await their reply.’
A spokesperson for Mermaids told MailOnline: ‘Mrs Cates’ attitudes to LGBT organisations are well-documented and this is not the first time she has criticised Mermaids. We will continue to provide crucial support for trans and gender-diverse young people and their families, and remain accountable to our service users and the public at large through the Charity Commission and other regulators.’
DfE has stopped recommending Mermaids as a mental health and wellbeing resource for schools – and campaign group Christian Concern have launched a new petition to the archbishop, calling for trans guidance to be withdrawn from CoE schools across the country.
It came after Christian parents Nigel and Sally Rowes’ legal victory against DfE, which led to a £22,000 settlement for legal costs and a commitment from the Government to reform its trans policies.
The Rowes took action against the department after they and their six-year-old son were accused of ‘transphobia’ by a CoE primary school for refusing to support transgender affirming policies.
In an open letter to the archbishop, the parents – who withdrew their two sons from an Anglican school on the Isle of Wight in a row over its approach to trans matters – accused CoE schools of ‘violating the clear guidance’ from the Attorney-General by ‘forcing children to affirm the acquired gender of fellow pupils and failing to require basic steps to be taken to keep children safe’.
Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby is facing calls from parents to drop ‘unlawful’ transgender guidance covering the CoE’s 4,700 primary schools
Now NHS staff are warned they must NOT promote transgender Mermaids charity in latest blow to organisation
A group of NHS workers have been advised to drop support for transgender children’s charity Mermaids after a recent string of controversies.
Primary care staff employed by Black Country NHS Inegrated Care Board (ICB) have been instructed not to signpost information about the charity to patients amid safeguarding concerns.
Mermaids is being investigated by the Charity Commission following revelations that one of its staff had agreed to send a breast binder to an undercover journalist posing as a teenage girl.
The ICB told staff not to ‘signpost to this charity at this time and remove references to them in any support materials you may have’.
GPs and other staff have been brought up to speed with media coverage about the fallout, The Telegraph reports.
Mermaids has attracted additional scrutiny for weeks following its legal attempt to remove the charity status of the LGB Alliance – a charity set up to uphold gay, lesbian and bisexual rights.
During the hearing, Mermaids’ heads of trustees Belinda Bell insisted the charity ‘[doesn’t] give medical advice’ – despite its CEO Susie Green describing controversial puberty blockers as ‘reversible’ and The Telegraph’s subsequent scoop about the breast binder incident.
Scores of gender critical activists have criticised Mermaids’ practices, while author JK Rowling openly challenged Mermaids on Twitter.
This week it was also revealed that one of Mermaids trustees, Jacob Breslow, had spoken at a conference for B4U-ACT, a group assisting ‘self-identified individuals… who are are sexually attracted to children’.
They claimed that when they raised concern with the CoE’s Portsmouth Diocesan Board of Education in 2017 about the influence of so-called ‘radical transgender ideology’ at the school, the ‘Valuing All God’s Children’ (VAGC) guidance was used to ‘dismiss and shut down their complaints’.
In 2017, VAGC cited Mermaids as a reliable source on trans issues for the 1million children under the CoE’s care across the UK in a list of external organisations working in this area which is understood to have been provided by the Government. The annexe said: ‘We are unable to officially recommend any provider’.
Though this reference was removed in 2019, Christian Concern claims the content of the document still reflected the influence of ‘trans ideology’.
Christian Concern claims the local CoE diocese backed the school’s position based on its VAGC guidance on challenging homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
The parents asked for a meeting with the archbishop, telling him the guidance should be dropped ‘as a matter of urgency so that staff and children in Church of England schools are properly safeguarded and protected from harmful transgender ideology and practice’.
The couple were awarded £22,000 in legal costs after DfE relented in the face of a judicial review of its decision not to support the parents in their battle with a school on the Isle of Wight.
In a High Court order that confirmed that ministers had settled the claim, Whitehall officials said that ‘guidance for schools on transgender issues is being developed by the department in conjunction with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, with a view to undertaking a public consultation on draft guidance’, according to The Times.
A spokesperson for the Church of England told MailOnline: ‘It is simply untrue to describe the Church of England’s anti-bullying guidance for schools Valuing All God’s Children as ”Mermaids influenced”.
‘Mermaids had no involvement in or influence on the preparation of the guidance, published in 2017.
‘Initial copies of the guidance did include an annexe with a list of organisations working in this area, which was provided by the Government.
‘Although the text emphasised that the Church of England could not recommend or endorse any organisation as a resource, nevertheless the annexe was also removed three years ago for the avoidance of doubt.’
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre and former lay member of the Church of England’s general synod, said: ‘The Government must follow through and end its ”inclusion at any cost” policy. However, the attention must turn to the Church of England, which still supports Mermaids’ ideology in its ”Valuing All God’s Children” guidance.
‘The guidance continues to reflect the extreme trans ideology of Mermaids and Stonewall and ignores overwhelming evidence that affirming young children’s gender transitions causes tangible and serious harm.
‘The Church of England has over one million children under its care – will senior leaders finally listen and scrap this untenable advice?
‘Valuing All God’s Children is increasingly being used in courts of law to hammer Christians who believe what the Bible teaches – that each of us are made male or female, equally valuable but objectively different.
‘The Church of England’s failure to speak truthfully and compassionately on this point is hurting Christians and failing to safeguard countless children.’
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