Mermaids Shuts Helpline Service Due To “Intolerable Abuse”

British charity Mermaids, which seeks to support transgender and gender variant youth, was forced to shut down its webchat and helpline due to the severe levels of abuse staff and volunteer workers have received. The helpline exists to provide support for transgender children and adolescents who are struggling, and has been described as “vital."

Following the onslaught of hate comments, the charity will be reducing the hours from 24 hours to 9am-6pm, and closing on Wednesdays to allow volunteers to be taken off. On October 6, Mermaids posted their Twitter: “Due to intolerable abuse, we have made the decision to close the helpline and webchat services for the rest of today and tomorrow. Next week, to enable us to take all volunteers off the rota, we will reduce hours to 9am to 6pm only." They went on to state that the decision was made reluctantly, but out of support for their staff and volunteers.

This abuse follows from damaging reports from right-wing press outlet the Daily Telegraph, full of scaremongering and negative connotations towards the transgender community. The paper went as far as to label the offer of binders to transgender kids as “child abuse." A number of complaints were called in about the trans-youth charity as a result of these reports, causing the Charity Commission to investigate Mermaids for wrongdoing. Civil Society reports that Mermaids responded to these allegations by filing a serious incident report.

The charity continues to face disruption after a fundraiser for transgender youth was cancelled. According to reports from Pink News, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London, a famous queer vanue, was set to host a drag and cabaret event, raising money for Mermaids. The fundraiser was called off just a few hours before starting after the threat of abuse from transphobes was deemed too dangerous for those involved.

Vauxhall Ward, Lambeth councilors tweeted their disapproval of the threats made, posting that those who sent transphobic threats “should be prosecuted.”

Mermaids posted the change in their hours and closure on Wednesdays for the foreseeable future, but has otherwise been inactive on social media since their statement.

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