Males who identify as women should call the cops if they are asked to leave a women’s toilet, a transgender NGO has suggested.
Mermaids, a controversial NGO focused on transgenderism among young people, has suggested that individuals who identify as the opposite sex should call the police if they are asked to leave a single-sex location.
The NGO’s suggestion — made in response to a ruling by the United Kingdom’s Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) that transgender people could be excluded from single-sex areas — has been described as “grossly irresponsible”, and the law-based assertions made by the organisation as “unclear and dubious”.
In a post on the organisation’s website, Mermaids said that those who identify as being transgender still have the right to enter single-sex locations despite the EHRC ruling.
“Mermaids is not happy with the guidance because we feel it is not inclusive enough of trans people,” the organisation said, before going on to claim that transgender people “cannot be excluded from a single-sex space without a fair reason” and that “someone being ‘scared’ of trans people is not a good enough reason.”
The NGO then makes a number of recommendations for what someone should do if they are asked to leave a single-sex location, which includes dialling 999 — the emergency number for the police — as well as calling them for help and advice on how to handle the situation.
“If you are at risk of harm, try and get somewhere safe and call someone you trust, or the emergency services if you feel comfortable in doing so on 999,” the organisation wrote regarding the issue.
However, according to The Telegraph, this suggestion has been deemed by critics of the organisation to be deeply irresponsible, with others saying that the claims made by the NGO were based on “unclear and dubious” interpretations of law.
“If an organisation is lawfully providing single-sex facilities, refusing to leave would certainly be a problem,” one barrister who specialises in equality law told the publication. “The provider would be entitled to use security or call the police.”
“Anyone wishing to challenge such an organisation’s policy should do so calmly and use the provider’s complaints policy,” she continued. “Mermaids appears to advise ignoring the EHRC’s advice, but then relies upon assertions about the law which are unclear and dubious.”
Another barrister said that the suggestion that people call the police emergency number should they be asked to leave a single-sex location was “grossly irresponsible”.
“Being entitled not to suffer discrimination on grounds of gender reassignment is not the same thing as being entitled to be treated as the opposite sex,” she said.
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