Why is Mermaids promoting breast binding at events for young people?

Mermaids is arguably the most influential charity focusing on transgender rights in the UK. It claims to have been supporting transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse children, young people, and their families since 1995, and has been at the forefront of key policy changes affecting transgender people in this country. Today, however, the charity is distinctly evangelistic.

This approach worries me greatly. As a teacher, I know how impressionable young people can be. I think it is deeply irresponsible to suggest, as Mermaids do, that children have a gender identity that can differ from the sex that was ‘assigned at birth’.

This evangelistic approach from some in the trans movement can also lead to worrying outcomes. This week, for example, Mermaids posted a blog on the news section of its website about a ‘residential’ weekend it recently held. According to Mermaids, these weekends are generally aimed at the ‘young and not so young’ to ‘empower and enable families and young people to access the best care possible.