The Court of Appeal has today told the High Court that it got Bell v Tavistock wrong. Its judgment today overturns a judgment that the High Court made in December 2020. This is wonderful news following almost 10 months of huge difficulty. Mermaids and most importantly the trans young people and their families that we represent are relieved that the Court of Appeal has today (Friday 17 September 2021) overturned the High Court’s decision from December 2020 that effectively barred trans young people from accessing life-saving medical treatment on the NHS unless they had a court order. The decision today…
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Proposed legislation has worrying implications for trans, non-binary and gender diverse people. Derwen Fay, who is genderfluid, shares their story I am concerned that the current mandatory voter ID proposals have the potential to disenfranchise and discourage many people from participating in the electoral process, a cornerstone of our democracy. In my opinion, the right to vote is one of the most important parts of our society, but these plans threaten to limit people from lower income backgrounds and the LGBTQIA+ community from participating in this process. There are many pitfalls within current proposals which I believe could be exclusionary…
New research shows most (86%) Brits do not understand that negative mental health is one of the most likely impacts of misgendering someone. A quarter do not understand why people change their pronouns, but almost a fifth (18%) would like to learn. Instagram and Mermaids are launching a new Insta Allyship Guide and calling for more people to think about their pronouns and #ShareWithPride to help normalise the conversation Instagram and Mermaids have released new research showing the lack of understanding around pronouns, and the impact of getting them wrong. The research1 of over 2,000 UK adults, revealed a third…
22.06.2021 Trans young people should have the same rights to bodily autonomy as any other young people We have seen the distress and further delay to accessing treatment that the High Court’s decision in Bell v Tavistock has created for our service users. The decision has put a further strain on the already marginalised transgender and non-binary community and their families in this country. We believe strongly that trans and non-binary children should have the same rights over their healthcare decisions as anyone else, in line with their evolving understanding. This is in line with the UN Convention on the…
Mermaids, leading UK LGBTQ+ charities and Good Law Project appeal the LGB Alliance’s charity status The Charity Commission’s decision to give the controversial LGB Alliance charitable status has been met with disbelief and sorrow by LGBTQ+ people across the UK. We have now lodged an appeal against that decision, supported by LGBT+ Consortium, Gendered Intelligence, LGBT Foundation and TransActual. The appeal is being crowdfunded by Good Law Project. To be registered as a charity, an organisation must be established exclusively for charitable purposes, as recognised in law, and it must pursue them in a way which gives rise to tangible…
Mermaids Director of Legal and Policy, Lui Asquith on the need for the EHRC, institutions and allies to do more. (This article discusses issues around homophobia, transphobia, racism, self-harm and suicide) Last Thursday we signed a letter, along with other leaders of trans* and LGBTIQ+ organisations to express our frustration and disappointment at the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) recent record on LGBTIQ+ people’s rights and trans people’s rights specifically. During the week of International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) we are reflecting on the last 12 months which has resulted in further suppression, marginalisation, policing…
We welcome the proposal set forward in the Queen’s Speech to ban the horrendous practice that is so-called “conversion therapy”. We, as LGBTIQ* people, are victim to “conversion therapy” if someone seeks to convert, cancel, cure, or change a person’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity. We call for the Government to publish a full and comprehensive Bill, that bans conversion practices: 1. In all forms, 2. For all LGBTIQ+ people, 3. Of all ages, 4. In all settings. It is vital that all forms of so-called conversion therapy are banned, in all settings including psychological, medical, privately in families…
The Cass Review has been launched in order to investigate the NHS’s provision for children and young people looking to access gender identity related healthcare. Dr Hilary Cass was appointed in late 2020 to chair this independent review by the NHS. The Review will take around 12 months to complete. Dr Cass has confirmed that this review will be listening to the lived experiences of children, families and clinicians who are involved in gender identity related healthcare. We welcome this news that transgender, non-binary and gender diverse children and young people and their families will be consulted throughout the process…
When I was 8 my family moved to Wales and most weekends we’d go for walks over the mountains, or scenic bike rides. I think I’ve always been a sporty person and I always loved being outside, taking the dogs for a walk or going down to the beach to go body boarding. I’m 20 now but when I was 10 I really wasn’t very good at sport in school, it was always rugby and football and I never clicked with them. Those were the sports that were forced on me, the stereotypically masculine ones. I know sports aren’t gendered,…
Today was an important day, as MPs in Parliament continue to search for the facts around trans lives, amidst ongoing misinformation and discrimination in society, in the media and – in some quarters – at Westminster. Primarily, the Women and Equalities Select Committee was gathering evidence around reform of the Gender Recognition Act. Lui Asquith, (they/them) Mermaids Director of Legal and Policy, gave evidence to the committee, representing trans children, young people and families. The two-hour session covered a wide range of issues related to gender identity, many of which have no connection to the Act itself. However, we’re pleased…