Transgender Charity Trustee Removed After Speech at Pro-Paedophile Event Resurfaces

General view of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, and agender) flag outside a bookshop during UK Pride Month 2021 in London on June 1, 2021. (Edward Smith/Getty Images)

A trustee who sat on the board of the British charity Mermaids has quit after it emerged that he spoke at a conference for an organisation that was founded by a convicted child rapist.

Leading LGBTQ+ charity Mermaids, which promotes transgenderism in gender-dysphoric children, is facing a new backlash over the news that one of its trustees had spoken at a conference in 2011 hosted by an organisation that promotes services to paedophiles.

It has emerged just days after the Charity Commission, the regulatory body for charities in England and Wales, confirmed that it is looking into concerns about Mermaids’ approach to safeguarding young people.

Jacob Breslow, associate professor of gender and sexuality at the London School of Economics, gave a talk to U.S.-based B4U-ACT in 2011.

B4U-ACT was co-founded by Michael Melsheimer, a paedophile and convicted sex offender.

The Times of London reported that Breslow has quit Mermaids as a trustee. His name has been removed as a trustee from the Charity Commission register.

Mermaids told The Times of London that it was unaware of his historic appearance at the conference until it was contacted by the newspaper.

According to its website, B4U-ACT promotes services and resources for “self-identified individuals (adults and adolescents) who are sexually attracted to children and desire such assistance.”

‘Minor Attracted Persons’

Breslow’s presentation was titled “Sexual Alignment: Critiquing Sexual Orientation, The Pedophile, and the DSM V” (pdf).

His presentation noted that, “Allowing for a form of non-diagnosable minor attraction is exciting, as it potentially creates a sexual or political identity by which activists, scholars and clinicians can begin to better understand Minor Attracted Persons.”

“This understanding may displace the stigma, fear and abjection that is naturalized as being attached to Minor Attracted Persons and may alter the terms by which non-normative sexualities are known,” he added.

The term “minor attracted persons” is a phrase used instead of paedophile.

In response to the story, Joanna Cherry, Scottish National Party MP for Edinburgh South West, wrote on Twitter: “I thought I was beyond shocking but no, I’m actually quite shocked by these latest revelations. There is now more than ample evidence that concerns about safeguarding at Mermaids are well founded.”

On Friday, The Telegraph reported that the charity is being scrutinised over safeguarding concerns after claims that Mermaids supplied chest-binding devices and puberty blockers to teenagers against their parents’ wishes or behind their parents’ backs.

Safeguarding

At the time, a Charity Commission spokesperson told The Epoch Times that “concerns have been raised with us about Mermaids’ approach to safeguarding young people. We have opened a regulatory compliance case, and have written to the trustees. We now await their reply.”

Mermaids is a children’s charity that supports “gender variant and transgender youth.”

It also provides gender-diversity training in many places such as the NHS, schools, social services, children and adolescent mental health services, police and uniformed services, as well as other charity and corporate clients.

The charity has been handed grants from the National Lottery and taxpayer funds. Many celebrities and politicians have endorsed the organisation.

The Epoch Times contacted Mermaids and Breslow for comment.