Mermaids want to create a community space that is safe for all. To make this possible we need all members to share in that commitment. Please read through the following code of conduct carefully so you know what you are committing to, before we can approve membership to the Mermaids community.
Forum membership is for either:
- parents/guardians (who may or may not be trans) of children and young people in the UK (up to and including age 19) who are gender questioning, gender diverse and/or trans, or
- young people in the UK aged from 12 up to and including age 19, who are gender questioning, gender diverse and/or trans.
Parents with older children could contact Fflag or Gendered Intelligence who also support trans adults over 19.
Mermaids take the safety and privacy of its members very seriously, which is why we ask for your contact and identifying information in the application process.
The information helps us assess if this is the right space for you and helps us verify your identity so we can keep our community spaces as supportive and safe for families and young people as possible.
The information you give in the application will only be shared by the admin team (the moderators) of the forum and will not be seen by anyone else.
MEMBERSHIP RULES
Once you become a member, you will have access to our community and information about online and in person events. Please adhere to the following Code of Conduct when using the online forums
- To help protect your information, members should choose a username that does not make your name or identity known to other users.
- To help protect everyone’s private information, you should never disclose your full name, or if you are a parent/guardian, the full name of yourself or your child, or share identifiable photos.
- The forum is confidential; nothing posted may be quoted or reproduced anywhere without the permission of the original author and of any member who is quoted or referred to in the posts.
- You should not reveal the identity, email address or other personal contact details of any member.
- The forum is a space of safety, respect and building community. Any behaviour which makes another member feel unsafe, or which breaches any of the code of conduct, whether on the forum or off, is unacceptable and may result in your removal. If you have concerns, please contact info@mermaidsuk.org.uk.
- Advertising on the forum by people with a financial interest in a business, or products, is not allowed.
- Spamming – i.e. posting a quantity of messages that are not relevant – is prohibited
No posts by members are affiliated with or endorsed by Mermaids. - No posts by members are affiliated with or endorsed by Mermaids. Posts are the personal opinions and experiences of individuals who publish to the forum.
Our community is friendly, caring and supportive. To maintain this, the moderators review all posts and may withdraw any which don’t meet the standards of the code of conduct. We will notify you if this happens and explain why.
We encourage members to post a brief intro about themselves shortly after joining. Where members have not activated their registration we will follow up to check, and ensure members are able to access and navigate the forum. At times we will also use the email address supplied to notify you of events in your area/targeted at your age group/interest.
To keep of community safe, posts including the following will be deleted:
- Personal attacks, name calling, bullying
- Trolling, misleading or deliberately inflammatory behaviour
- Sharing or seeking identifying information
- Identifying personal photographs or images
- Graphic, offensive or unlawful content
- Advertising or personal fundraisers
- Promotion of violence or discrimination
- Content that we suspect contains malware including but not limited to viruses, Trojans, key-loggers etc.
- Content that causes undue upset to other users
Respectful Conversation
- Remember that you/your child may not be in the same place as others. Every member of the forum has a unique experience and journey. Be kind and thoughtful.
- Please remember that although you may have an opinion everyone’s experience and opinion may be different
- Be respectful of other members when discussing your opinions. Consider what you are posting and how it may affect others.
- If members report, and/or admin consider that a post is potentially triggering and/or hurtful in any way, we will remove it and notify you of the reason for this.
Where the comments are unacceptable or don’t have members best interests at heart we reserve the right to take action, which may include issuing a warning, or removing a user from the forum.
Please address any queries regarding this code of conduct, or the administration of the forum, or to report content on the forum to info@mermaidsuk.org.uk
Disclaimer
Members are warned to be careful when using the internet, not to give out personal details in response to private mails etc., and to be careful about meeting people they have got to know online.
Mermaids, its owner, facilitators and moderators take no responsibility for the safety of their users as they go about their lives or for the content posted by members.
While Mermaids is acutely aware of the strain being placed on young people and their families by the current situation regarding NHS support and/or treatment, the charity does not signpost to private organisations or individuals regarding medical pathways.
We reserve the right without notice to record, suspend, remove or delete User Content or to disclose to the relevant authorities any User Content if: (a) it is the subject of a complaint; (b) if we consider that it breaches our terms and conditions (including those laid out in this document); (c) if we consider that such steps are necessary to protect us or others; (d) a criminal act or civil wrong has been committed; or (e) we are required to do so by law or an appropriate authority.