‘Stalinist’ Guides blasted by mother axed in trans row
A BROWNIE leader has accused Girlguiding of conducting a ‘witch hunt’ and behaving like ‘Stalinist Russia’ in a row over its transgender policy.
The mother of two, who ran a unit of eight Brownies, was expelled, along with another volunteer, for breaking equality and diversity rules.
The charity’s policy says leaders are not allowed to tell girls or their parents if a girl or leader in their unit who identifies as female was born biologically male. However, the women believe parents have a right to know if their daughter is sharing bathrooms and bedrooms with someone who has the physical body of a boy.
The sacked leader, who wished not to be named but who has been in the organisation for 20 years, discussed the issue within a private Facebook group for Guide leaders which had about ten members. But a screen-shot of one of her posts was sent to senior members within the organisation. This ultimately led to a disciplinary hearing last week in which she was informed the post had breached Girlguiding’s Code of Conduct and social media policy.
She was also found to be culpable of trying ‘to garner support from other Guiders to challenge a Girlguiding policy’ and was told her actions ‘constitute pub- lic engagement in debate where there are alternative, more appropriate spaces to be used.’ On the same day, Helen Watts, the leader of a Rainbow unit for girls aged five to seven, in Ealing, west London, was told by telephone her membership was also being terminated.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, the unnamed woman said: ‘I feel like I’m in Stalinist Russia. Girls have a right to female-only spaces. They should have the right to say whether they want to get dressed or get changed for swimming in a space where there are only female bodies, not male bodies.
‘It’s even more important we safeguard children from those who want to take advantage of the policy and get access to girls by identifying as female … The whole thing is a witch hunt.’
A Girlguiding spokesman said: ‘Girlguiding is for all girls, and that includes trans girls. Simply being transgender does not make someone more of a safeguarding risk than any other person. It is important we find ways to discuss these issues in an environment of mutual respect and tolerance.’