The Charity Commission has instigated a statutory inquiry into transgender youth support charity Mermaids. The regulatory body began investigating Mermaids in September, after reports about the supply of chest-binding devices to teenagers.
A formal inquiry has now been launched because of ‘newly identified issues’ with Mermaids’ governance and management, the Commission says. Mermaids offers support around gender and identity to children and young people up to age 25.
The inquiry will examine: firstly, the governance and management of the charity by the trustees, including its leadership and culture; secondly, whether the trustees have complied with their duties and responsibilities under charity law; and finally, whether there has been any misconduct and/ or mismanagement by the trustees.
Chest binding may be used by transgender people to help relieve the symptoms of gender dysphoria, which is a sense of unease because of a mismatch between biological sex and gender identity. An interim report into gender services for children last March raised concerns that some binding devices may be potentially harmful.
Mermaids says it will co-operate ‘fully and openly’ with the Commission. It said it was already prioritising acting on ‘a number of significant challenges’ that had been highlighted by a report which the charity commissioned earlier this year into its own ‘equity, diversity and inclusion’, concluding: ‘We know we must do better and we are absolutely committed to doing so’.
Christian Concern asked people to ‘pray that the dangerous and controversial campaign group would continue to be exposed for what it truly is, and that many young people struggling with issues of identity would be protected’.
Simon Calvert, a Deputy Director at The Christian Institute, said: ‘Mermaids has come under increasing fire over recent months following revelations that it had been sending potentially harmful chest binders to girls as young as 13 without their parents’ knowledge.
‘In October, Dr Jacob Breslow resigned as a trustee of Mermaids after it emerged he had delivered a paper in 2011 that attempted to normalise sexual acts with children.’
