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“We are worthy of celebration and respect”

Lui Asquith (they/them), Director of Legal and Policy at Mermaids, with an important and timely reminder this Trans Awareness Week Trans Awareness Week was introduced as an opportunity to platform our lives and raise awareness; it’s an opportunity for anyone to understand what it means to be trans from people that are trans and non-binary. This year’s TAW is particularly crucial. It must be a moment to remind everyone – and in some instances, ourselves – who we are as people (not as headlines) and that we are worthy of celebration and respect. I know first-hand that sadly many of…

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Neopronouns 101

What are neopronouns, how long have they been around for and how do you use them? Rome explains… Personal pronouns are a way of referring to oneself or another person. Many people wonder why the trans community advocate for the correct pronoun usage, and the answer is simple: pronouns matter.  They are a form of self expression and act as a bridge between the three basic concepts of expression: how one feels, how others view us and how we view ourselves.  One thing to always note is that pronouns do not equal gender identity, and any person of any identity…

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Residential reflections: A life-saving weekend

Looking back on our first residential weekend in more than two years Last Saturday, I threw a rucksack on my back and ventured out into the murky morning. Destination: my first residential weekend as a member of the Mermaids team.  Watching the rain drip, drip, drip down the train window as we pulled out of the train station, I was nervous. Painfully so. Not only would it be the first time at a Mermaids event, but the first time meeting my new(ish) colleagues and the people we support since starting as Digital Engagement Manager at the end of August. The…

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THE BAN CONVERSION THERAPY CONSULTATION IS NOW LIVE

CW: conversion practice, conversion therapy, homophobia, transphobia  So-called, “conversion therapy” is an abhorrent practice which seeks to change, “cure” or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, which is currently still legal.  The Government has today launched a long-awaited public consultation on how that ban should work.  Upon its launch, Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss MP, said: “As we build back better from the pandemic, I want everyone to be able to love who they want and be themselves. Today’s announcement sets out how we will ban an archaic practice that has no place in modern life.” The…

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Gender Pending: A Coming Home Story

For me, it was a long process of leaning into uncertainty. Not knowing, not having any set answers and eventually identifying myself with the fun rhyming label: ‘gender pending’. And as someone prone to anxiety and obsessive intrusive thoughts, this was both an incredibly challenging and ultimately powerful journey.” In this essay, Jennifer explores honestly and openly the long, scary and ultimately releasing journey of realising and owning their truth as a non-binary person. Beginning with an initial seed of awakening in 2019 and then tracking back through the memories of unease and dysphoria through their childhood and adolescent days…

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A love letter to Black Queerness

October marks Black History Month in the UK, as it is celebrated during the month of February in the US. This month is not just important – it is an essential reminder that as Black people we have had our story hidden or told through a white lens. There’s a real hunger for the affirmation we get when we unearth Black stories, and for the inspiration we get when we celebrate the stories of those who came before us. As much as this is true, it can be a bittersweet moment for Black queer people. There’s plenty of information going around….

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Legal experts explain how to ban “conversion therapy” in law as government delays consultation

A group of senior human rights experts have joined with parliamentarians and civil society leaders to launch The Cooper Report, which recommends to government how to ban the harmful and degrading practices of “conversion therapy” while urging swift and immediate action to avoid further lives being damaged and lost.  The Forum, chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, was launched in June 2021 and brings together some of the most experienced legal minds in the country including highly respected legal academics, influential barristers, international human rights lawyers together with senior parliamentarians and civil society leaders.  The Cooper Report, named after the…

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An update on Mermaids’ appeal against LGB Alliance being granted charity status

An appeal by Mermaids, supported by Good Law Project and LGBT+ Consortium, along with other leading UK LGBTQIA+ charities, against the decision to award charity status to the LGB Alliance, has had its timetable to trial set out. The directions order from the Tribunal sets out the next steps for the case to trial. The key points in the order are that: LGB Alliance is now a respondent to the appeal, along with the Charity Commission. The hearing is to take place between March and May 2022 (date to be confirmed). The decision earlier this year by the Charity Commission…

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Mermaids reaction to the Sports Council Equality Group Review into Transgender Inclusion in Domestic Sport in the UK

Today (Thursday 30 September 2021) the Sports Council Equality Group have published their “Review into Transgender Inclusion in Domestic Sport in the UK.” We are disappointed to read this review, which rather than focussing on bettering its existing guidance for trans people in sport, yet again ignores the lived experiences of trans people, and misinterprets the Equality Act and academic literature. This report will have ramifications for trans people in the sporting community, and only seeks to cause unnecessary hostility, exclusion and confusion for those wishing to participate in sport. It is important to remember that the SCEG report only…

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Changing my name: CJ’s story

I knew that I wanted a new name after I figured out I was a trans guy, so once I changed my name and was no longer connected to that female part of my past, I felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. It solidified my identity and just felt right after a few years of not knowing why I felt wrong. I loved certain male names, long before I knew what trans was or that it was something people were allowed to be. I would always be the boy character in games and when you needed…

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