Girlguiding defends transgender policy after criticism

The Girl Guides have spoken out against claims they are putting girls at risk by introducing a policy to allow transgender people to join the organisation.

The policy has been criticised by some of the group’s 500,000 members, with two leaders having their membership withdrawn after they publicly objected to it.

But Girlguiding said “simply being transgender does not make someone more of a safeguarding risk than any other person”.

The policy says leaders are not allowed to tell girls or their parents if another girl or leader in their unit used to identify as male.

In a joint statement, the chief guide, Amanda Medler, and the chief executive, Ruth Marvel, said much of the criticism was “inaccurate, aggressive and counter to the values we hold dear”.

They said they wanted to “set the record straight”, having tried to resist being drawn into the “highly politicised, emotive and often aggressive” debate around transgender inclusion.

The organisation said it had developed its policies in line with legal advice and those of other organisations with experience of supporting transgender children and young people. It denied it had drawn up policies based on comments from “individuals or pressure groups”.

Girlguiding said the law around transgender issues was “new and complex” and it would continue to review its policies against the latest advice.

Medler and Marvel said: “We are a young people’s organisation. Our focus has been, and will remain, providing our young members with opportunities to learn, grow and discover in a fun, safe, inclusive and legally compliant way.”

In April, 224 current and former unit leaders, volunteers and parents signed an open letter saying the new equality and diversity policy “poses safeguarding risks, reinforces gender stereotypes and denies informed parental consent”.

They said that a boy who identified as a girl was still legally and physically male and that trans inclusion, while laudable, must not sacrifice the safety and inclusion of girls.

One of the 12 leaders to sign the letter was Helen Watts, who led a Rainbows unit for girls aged five to seven in Ealing, west London. She and another leader were told to leave the organisation after reportedly making further comments on social media, encouraging others to breach the group’s equality and diversity policy.

Medler and Marvel said an independent investigation had concluded that both had breached the organisation’s volunteer code of conduct.