Writer J.K. Rowling, creator of Harry Potter, spoke out against artists who have supported the transgender children's charity Mermaids, which is known to have connections to pedophile advocates.
The organization, which defines itself as "supportive" of British trans children; describes itself as "a safe place to be," for transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse youth," furthermore, it has received the support of public figures such as the Prince Harry, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and even Harry Potter actress Emma Watson. It has also been funded by the British government and the National Lottery.
Dr. Jacob Breslow - now a former administrator of the organization - gave a speech in 2011 in which he focused on criticizing the way pedophiles are viewed in society, he then chose to coin the phrase “minor attracted persons” instead of pedophiles according to The Times newspaper.
The doctor's presentation was for an event of the B4U-ACT organization, which supports "understanding about people in our communities with an attraction to children or adolescents, and thereby supporting them to live with truth and dignity." At the time, Breslow was a graduate student researching diverse gender identities at the London School of Economics and not yet part of Mermaids.
Celebrities in a panic
Social media collapsed following this revelation and J.K. Rowling, a critic of modern transgender ideology, stated that many of the celebrities and companies that supported or endorsed the organization should be in a "panic" over the "grave damage they have allowed."
I don't doubt that there are some panicked, public relations phone calls to people right now by certain corporations and celebrities, but since they remain completely insulated from the serious damage they have allowed, my sympathy can be measured in gnat's thimbles.
In addition to the case of the administrator who supported pedophilia, the organization also had an online moderator who encouraged children to join a platform known for sexual exploitation, as denounced by the writer herself:
We've now learned that Mermaids appointed a paedophilia apologist as Trustee and that their online moderator encouraged kids to move onto a platform notorious for sexual exploitation. This is a charity that's achieved unprecedented influence in the UK. 2/5 https://t.co/7guDJYAalJ
- J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 4, 2022
"The safety of young people is our priority."
After learning of the information published by the British newspaper, Dr. Breslow resigned from his position as a director of Mermaids. The pro-transgender charity said that Dr. Breslow and the pro-pedophile organization's views are "completely at odds with their values."
Once notified, we took swift and decisive action to investigate. Dr. Breslow resigned the same day. We will review our processes and procedures in light of this event to make them even more robust. Protection is of utmost importance to Mermaids and the safety of the young people we support is our top priority.
However, these justifications were not enough for the writer, who commented:
When you appoint a trustee to a children's charity, you do due diligence. A simple Google search would have enabled Mermaids to read Breslow's own words. Either they did literally no checking, or they were fine with his views. Either way, it's a catastrophic safeguarding failure. https://t.co/TBWHiDbXca
- J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 4, 2022
