Mermaids

Mermaids logo

Mermaids is a UK charity supporting transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse children, young people and their families. Founded in 1995 by a group of parents seeking support for their gender-diverse children, it was the first organisation of its kind in the United Kingdom. Mermaids provides helpline support, online resources and community events for young people and families navigating gender diversity. It is a member of the LGBT Consortium.

Background

Mermaids was established at a time when there was very little support available for gender-diverse children and their families in the UK. Its founders – parents of gender-diverse children – created the organisation to share experiences, advocate for better healthcare provision and provide peer support. It grew substantially in profile during the 2010s as public debate around trans youth issues increased.

Legal action against LGB Alliance

In 2021 Mermaids commenced legal action challenging the Charity Commission’s decision to grant charitable status to LGB Alliance, a gender-critical organisation founded in 2019 which explicitly excludes trans people from its remit. LGB Alliance was established by activists who had broken from Stonewall over trans inclusion, and is widely rejected by mainstream LGBT organisations – including Stonewall, the LGBT Foundation and the LGBT Consortium – who dispute whether it represents LGB interests or functions primarily as an anti-trans campaign group. Mermaids challenged charitable status on the grounds that LGB Alliance’s objects were political rather than genuinely charitable. In July 2023 the legal challenge was unsuccessful.

Charity Commission investigation

In 2022 the Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry into Mermaids, examining its governance and policies including guidance on chest binding.

In October 2022 a trustee, Dr Jacob Breslow of the London School of Economics, resigned following reports of his participation in a conference hosted by an organisation that had promoted services to paedophiles. Mermaids stated that it had been unaware of the conference's background when the trustee was appointed.

In October 2024 the Charity Commission concluded its investigation, requiring Mermaids to rewrite guidance on puberty blockers and to suspend its chest binder lending service pending proper safeguarding procedures and parental consent frameworks. The Commission also found governance failures in trustee recruitment. Mermaids accepted the findings and committed to implementing the required changes. The Commission did not recommend revocation of charitable status.