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Mermaids Press

Two years on from the Bell v Tavistock judgement, Mermaids has produced a report reflecting on its impact for trans young people and their families In October 2019, a judicial review (or complaint) was made in the UK on whether people under 18 years of age could consent to puberty blockers (‘Bell v Tavistock’) and on 1 December 2020, the court ruled in Bell’s favour. Immediately NHS England froze access to new puberty blocker prescriptions, leaving young people in limbo.  Two years on from that judgement, the impact continues to be felt, highlighted in a new report, published today (1…

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Mermaids Press

A paediatric doctor and parent of a trans child shares her view on the future of healthcare for gender diverse young people in England. I have been a paediatric doctor for 10 years. I also have a primary-school age transgender child. When my child first raised questions about their gender identity (“Mum, how do people know if they are a girl or a boy? Because I think I’m a boy”) I went looking for evidence to help me decide how to respond.  After about six months of being supportive and non-judgemental while they continued to express their questions, my child…

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Mermaids Press

Two young trans people share their views on proposed changes to NHS healthcare services for trans and gender-diverse young people in England We continue our series of blogs from our communities on the impact of the proposed guidelines with two young trans people, Jamie and Elijah, who have shared their views on the specification.  The consultation on the proposed guidelines runs until 4 December 2022, and we have produced guidance on the consultation to help you respond.  Jamie: “Social transition – it’s a lifesaver” Social transition saved me as a teenager. To some, it may seem unbelievable how such simple…

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Mermaids Press

Mermaids CEO Susie Green has left the charity after six years in charge. Chair of Trustees Belinda Bell said: “The Trustees are very grateful to Susie for everything she has done over the last six years to support trans, non-binary and gender-diverse young people and their families, and to build Mermaids into the organisation it is today. “We wish her all the best for the future.” An interim CEO will be appointed shortly. 

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Mermaids Press

“It sounds like they are trying to stop trans youth existing” This month, we published a blog summarising some of the proposed changes to the NHS healthcare services for young trans and gender-diverse people in England.  The new guidelines were met with anger and frustration by the young people and families we support, with those on our helplines and forums expressing deep concern about the implications to their future wellbeing.  In response, we held two online engagement sessions, one for trans and gender-diverse young people, and one for parents to listen to their views.  What struck us most was the…

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Mermaids Press

Mermaids’ Luan meets writer Ezra Woodger to talk about his new book, To Be A Trans Man  Ezra Woodger’s To Be A Trans Man was published earlier this month.  It is a refreshing exploration of trans men’s lives that asks, what is masculinity and how do trans men and trans masculine people experience and express their masculinity.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by ezra john (@theezrajohn) In the book, Ezra talks to eight trans contributors who share their views on masculinity and enter detailed discussion on a range of topics such as their experiences growing up.  There…

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Mermaids Press

Mermaids would like to update our service users and allies in light of recent events. Firstly, we have regrettably continued to receive a high volume of distressing, and in some cases threatening, calls, emails and web chat contacts as a result of some of the recent coverage. We must protect our staff from this unacceptable abuse, and therefore we will be closing the helpline service tomorrow (Wednesday 12 October) in order to give them respite. We will be resuming a normal service as soon as we can, but we are operating in a particularly challenging environment at present and there…

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Mermaids Press

We want to update you about the position in relation to Dr. Breslow, the former Trustee of Mermaids who resigned his position this week. We have explained that it was only on the 3rd October that we became aware of his participation in a 2011 conference that would have disqualified him from becoming a trustee. Once notified, we immediately launched an investigation and Dr Breslow tendered his notice that same day. We want to apologise for the distress and concern this news has caused.  It is clear that Dr. Breslow should never have been appointed to the board, and as…

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Mermaids Press

Mermaids’ response to false claims in the media this week about the organisation and the services we provide We’re in the midst of a targeted, cynical attack on Mermaids and the services we provide, which seeks to distract us from the important work that we do, and to discredit the organisation. While aimed at Mermaids, we believe this to be an attack on the trans community as a whole, and an attempt to undermine the rights we have fought – and will continue to fight – so hard for.  This particular smear campaign began with the publication of a Telegraph…

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Mermaids Press

On Thursday 22 September, we were alerted to an upcoming piece in the Telegraph about Mermaids. We made the decision not to respond to the journalist’s request for comment but wanted to clarify our stance and offer some reassurance to anyone who might have concerns about some of the issues raised. Access to the forums We have robust security and moderation processes in place to ensure our forums are a safe space for trans, non-binary and gender diverse young people and their families. In August 2022, an individual – possibly a journalist – tried to gain access to the Youth…

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