Dear J.K. Rowling, We would like to begin by offering our solidarity with you as a survivor of domestic and sexual abuse. Reading your moving and honest account, we felt a connection to your pain. That connection exists between us, regardless of any differences we may have around gender identity. Writing those passages must have been very difficult for you and the subsequent front-page headline in a tabloid newspaper was nothing short of deplorable. As a trans charity, our staff and volunteers deal with cases of domestic abuse regularly and we hold unquestioning solidarity with all survivors of domestic violence….
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How the star of the Harry Potter films helped our trans social media manager overcome that blog post. I’m sitting on my Slytherin bed sheets feeling gutted. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced what feels to me like transphobia. It’s not the first time someone’s let me down by saying things that seem to deny who I am, and it certainly won’t be the last time I’m hurt by someone I thought was my friend. I’m Jake and I’m a non-binary muggle. I came to terms with my identity when I was 17, at a time when toxic trans…
It is one of the primary duties of MPs to represent the views of their constituents in Parliament. As a constituent, it is your right to have your voice heard on issues that affect you and other people in your area. Writing to your MP is a great way to ensure that your MP, regardless of the political party they belong to, knows your views. When MPs receive lots of letters showing viewpoints like yours, they are more likely to listen. People often think they’re powerless to influence the decisions made by their MP, but actually writing a letter can…
We’re proud to have launched our powerful crowdfunder campaign, “If I Had A Voice”, sending the plea to journalists, broadcasters and social media campaigners: “If you haven’t listened to transgender kids, don’t speak about them”. Corpus Linguistics research carried out exclusively for Mermaids by Professor Paul Baker of Lancaster University found that*: – The British press has increased its coverage of stories about trans people over the last 6 years writing roughly three and a half times as many articles in 2018-19 compared to 2012. – Mentions of transgender children are 23 times as common in 2018-19 compared to 2012. – An analysis of…
Recently, we’ve tried very hard to step away from the most degrading examples of anti-trans rhetoric in the national press and focus on the positive. Today, in the middle of what might feel like nothing short of an orchestrated onslaught, we feel we have no choice. We cannot stand silent amidst a slew of misleading stories, seemingly designed to undermine, frighten, alienate and demonise a vulnerable minority, including children. We have been approached for comment by all of the journalists responsible and it has been depressing, trying to offer fact-based, reasonable information. In truth, while a small number are simply too…
This year, for Volunteer’s Week, we’ve asked our amazing volunteers to share what giving up their time for Mermaids means to them! We have a very diverse range of volunteers ranging from LGBT activists, to parents and former service users. Together they work so hard to provide our vital services, such as the support line and forums, to everyone who needs them. If you’d like to become a volunteer for Mermaids, click here to find out more! Our trustees are amazing LGBT rights champions who love to get involved with supporting our service users! Some of our most dedicated volunteers have themselves been…
Last week, Phoebe Waller-Bridge revealed in an interview on the American network, NPR that she ‘desperately wanted to be a boy’ when she was younger. Cue the inevitable reaction from certain members of the press. Within hours, articles appeared implying the actress and writer was lucky to have grown up before the days of trans awareness because…well…she would have been forced to take medication and identify as a boy for the rest of her life against her will, right? One of our young people, Sarah, wanted to explain that, then as now, it’s actually just about exploring who you are and there’s…