The transgender rights charity Mermaids has defended itself after an MP asked the Prime Minister to support calls for a police investigation into its work.
Miriam Cates, the Conservative MP for Penistone and Stockbridge, said in parliament yesterday that Mermaids should face a criminal investigation over a series of safeguarding allegations.
Mermaids today dismissed her call and said that Cates’s attitude to gay and transgender organisations “are well documented”.
The Charity Commission opened a compliance case into Mermaids last month over claims it had agreed to send chest binders to children without parental knowledge.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s questions, Cates said: “Serious safeguarding failures by the children’s charity Mermaids have come to light, with revelations that the charity sent breast-flattening devices to young girls behind their parents’ back, promoted harmful medical and surgical procedures to children, and hired a trustee with links to paedophile organisations and a digital empowerment manager who posted pornographic images of himself dressed as a schoolgirl.”
She asked Prime Minister Liz Truss if she agreed “it is high time there was a police investigation into the activities of Mermaids and its staff?”
Truss did not back calls for a police inquiry, but replied: “Those matters should be raised and looked at properly.”
In response, Mermaids said: “Mrs Cates’ attitudes to LGBT organisations are well-documented and this is not the first time she has criticised Mermaids.
“We will continue to provide crucial support for trans and gender-diverse young people and their families, and remain accountable to our service users and the public at large through the Charity Commission and other regulators.”
This week, the charity announced that it had reduced the opening hours of its helpline after receiving “a high volume of distressing, and in some cases threatening, calls, emails and web chat as a result of some of the recent coverage”.
The charity said it took the step to protect staff from abuse, and said it had referred “all contacts of a criminal nature to the police”.
The Times newspaper (£) reported earlier this week that the Charity Commission had received a complaint regarding images posted online by Darren Mew, a former member of Mermaids staff, but Mermaids said the regulator had not been in touch on this issue.
Asked whether the regulator had contacted the charity about the complaint reported in The Times, a Charity Commission spokesperson said: “Concerns have been raised with us about Mermaids’ approach to safeguarding young people.
“We have opened a regulatory compliance case, and are engaging with the trustees.
“We can confirm that, in line with our guidance, Mermaids has filed serious incident reports relating to matters recently reported in the media.”