Are Glasgow's Rumpus Room & Toonspeak Abusing Children in Plain Sight?
A psychological assault is being perpetrated upon our children by our cultural institutions.
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There is a reason why the child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is so iconic. Like the witch in Hansel and Gretel, or Stromboli from Pinnochio it reminds us that children can be ‘caught’ by shiny things that are shielding something quite sinister. Especially now when there is a dirth of good experiences for children in the way of arts, sport or other pastimes, children or parents craving creative outlets might find oneself in the metaphoric cage being prepared to be eaten.
A lot of focus (rightfully) has been paid towards sexualised content and the psychological assault of our children in their schools. What is given less attention is the charities and cultural organisations who populate our communities. These are the Wild West of danger for our children as these organisations face little to no safeguarding oversight and can easily claim hold of our children via their seductive programming. At the very least they can plant ideological seeds of destruction.
As colleges and universities indoctrinate new arts graduates into critical social justice, those with an interest in children’s programming will see it as their role to expand and build utopias via their arts projects with children. Even moreso than school teachers, these artists have no tether to child development in the context of their projects, treating their charges as adults in small bodies. One such arts practitioner said to me recently (unironically) that she saw herself as a ‘psychologist’ for the teens she was working with.
Uh. No. You are a artist thanks. Please get back in your corner.
Parents (perhaps naive) to what is happening, allow their children to attend these sessions. I also think they can be pulled in by the experience of what they *want* for their children- be it art, drama or dance and gloss over the ‘tricky’ bits. And teens will often attend with no parental or knowledge whatsoever. This leaves vulnerable children (in particular) open to harm.
These are not politically neutral spaces but breeding grounds for destruction as children are emboldened in the same ‘rights based’ language we see in schools undermining what keeps them safe. (I draw your attention again to Let Kids Be Kids Video on Identity Disruption) These programs dehumanise our children.
Into the fray Toonspeak and the Rumpus Room….
Toonspeak a leading youth arts company in the East End of Glasgow has been encouraging vulnerable members to transition behind parents backs, a whistleblower reveals.
M. who worked with the company in 2021 and 2022 speaks of the ‘culture of gender ideology’ that permeated policies and programs. At the time she felt alarmed but powerless to do anything as she saw an autistic girl struggle with breast binders and an autistic boy assume a female identity that was under no circumstances to be shared with his parents.
She states ‘In light of the Cass Report, it’s quite clear, they should not have been affirming these vulnerable young people’
M went on to say that in a group of 14 young people, aged 14-25 with whom she facilitated a drama program, 4 were trans identified, and all 4 were also on the autistic spectrum.
“These young people had quite significant issues, some required fidget toys, comfort items and ‘time outs’. At least two had to leave the room during certain exercises if triggered by noises or movements.
In hindsight I wonder if the regular Toonspeak drama workers had any training in managing these quite complex needs let alone having the wherewithal to affirm trans identities. I know that no training was offered to me anyway, and that I was expected not only to affirm every gender identity presented, but I was also explicitly instructed not to inform parents.
There were no risk or impact assessments done in relation to any of this, and during one physical session I was particularly concerned for the physical health of a young woman wearing a breast binder. But the culture was such that affirmation was paramount, and to question any of it would have been unthinkable.
Over my time at Toonspeak, I witnessed the longer-term staff encourage this culture of gender ideology, giving the young people no choice but to comply. On one occasion, a child ‘deadnamed’ another child and the gasps in the room led him to apologise profusely to the boy whom he had correctly called ‘he’. It’s no wonder as several workshop leaders would routinely introduce themselves with name and pronouns. Several also had a seemingly ingrained habit of referring to individual young people as they/them, ignoring birth sex for all. So, what other option did these kids have?
I have to say for these young people, many of whom were living with significant challenges, including poverty, the chance to be part of the‘rainbow family’ might have offered an escape, or a sense of belonging, as they were so celebrated for picking up the mantle of trans.’
As you can see here Toonspeak workers see it as their moral obligation to make decisions on behalf of the child’s well being. Recently another troubling program came to light that of the Artist Space ‘Rumpus Room’.
Rumpus Room is a small artist led space in Govanhill Glasgow. When they started I was enthusiastic as I assumed the artist space would be just that, for making art. What has transpired is an organisation driven by projects that get kids jigged up on political issues like Palestine and Queer identities. (actually I think that’s it). Here is one of their instagram posts:
A quick glance at their instagram page finds that there is no interrogation of ideas but parroting of ‘right thinking’. But what I find most disheartening about this project is how exclusive it is. It is deeply ironic insomuch as they ‘validate’ the children’s identity it can become a straight jacket from which they cannot emerge easily. Childhood is a time for ‘trying things out.’ Good adulting and good parenting used to include a certain amount of ‘nod and smile’ as we (adults) would anticipate the many phases our charges might go through. No more. There is no play in here. It is all tragically serious. This robs children of the process of exploration and change that comes with the softness of the developmental shifts during the various child years.
In another irony I often recall it was the arts themselves in the past that helped to bridge this time for kids. My own memory of being in drama clubs with other ‘eccentric’ children was where we found shared purpose - not through the narcissistic practice of navel gazing and self declaration - but of making art.
And as I have often bemoaned, there are NO spaces or opportunities for kids in Glasgow to explore visual art in and of itself. The Glasgow School of Art has an (expensive) program but outside of that if you are a teenager. And then I got word this was being sent out to their mail list.
Despite the robust evidence of Cass and the disturbing revelations of WPATH this ARTIST organisation has taken it upon themselves to radicalise children. Children they have compelled to develop a survey which they plan to take to Parliament. Lest we forget we are now in #surveygate with Edinburgh Rape Crisis caught up in a scandal regarding their own ‘professionally’ manifested school survey via their arms length school outreach program Equally Safe at School. And they f***** it up.
Good survey writing is a fine art, good survey writing for children however is a fine art on a knife’s edge. Scottish Government does not have a good track record for this however. One might recall the ‘Child Sex Survey’ scandal in which secondary school children were asked invasive questions about their experiences of anal sex amongst others... It gave me some comfort to see two thirds of children opting out, recognising that boundaries had been traversed. Why are adults in our cultural, educational, and political sphere so interested in children’s sexuality?
We can further see Scottish government’s faulty research methodology used as the current basis of their trans guidance in schools.
Dr. Jenny Cunningham debunks every sentence of the clown show being promoted in Scottish schools in their pamphlet ‘Transgender Guidance in Scottish Schools’.And yet here we have artists. ARTISTS. Thinking that somehow they have the moral, ethical, psychological, or intellectual upper hand on directing children to do the same.
Get back to arts practice in and of itself PLEASE.
To that end I wrote the following letter to the Rumpus Room. We will see how and if they respond.
2 October 2024
To: Catrin Mhairi Jeans, Nadia Lucia Rossi, Rachel Rebecca Martin Walker
Board of Directors, Rumpus Room,
From: Kate E. Deeming
Former Dance Artist, Parent & Supporters Coordinator The Scottish Union for Education, Advocate on behalf of children and childhood
To the Board of Directors of Rumpus Room:
I am writing as I believe your organisation is initiating and perpetuating harm upon children.
Specifically in your framing of ‘queer’ programming for under 18s and your latest initiative “We’re Not Going Anywhere”. I think both pose numerous safeguarding fails for which you could be personally liable.
As you are aware I have made a career lasting decades advocating for and providing what is good for children. In recent years I have noticed the boundary between the adult world and childhood be eroded and in many cases, eradicated. Children are not adults in small bodies, we have an obligation to recognise their limitations insomuch as we provide them with the tools they need to thrive as they mature into young adulthood in later teen years.
No where is this more evident then in the adoption of the ‘LGBTQI+’ *cause*. We have normalised adults interrogating children about their sexuality. Why are adults so interested in who a child may be attracted to? Why are adults making children feel that they have to define whom they are attracted to? Why are adults compelling children to speak about intimate areas of their lives? Why are adults wanting to isolate this particular cohort away from their peers?
Of course, and as your program proves, it doesn’t end there.
We have also normalised adults telling children that they could be ‘born in the wrong body’.
This is nonsensical and denies children an open future. What is an ‘open future’ you may ask?
In paediatric medicine there is a concept called ‘open future’ . The right to an open future coined by Feinberg (1980), encompasses moral rights to be saved for the child until the child is an adult. For children are not yet autonomous but will one day become capable of autonomous decision-making.
Doctors recognise that -developmentally- children’s brains are still forming in such a way that it makes it impossible for them to make informed decisions about areas that have profound implications for life. (When the proverbial sh** hits the fan it’s the parents who pick up pieces, legally). (*And let’s not confuse things with Gillick and Fraser Competency-often misapplied)
Developmentally (and evolutionarily) children are impulsive and they defer to the adults around them. In this way (for the most part) ‘child-led’ is a lie. This is why medical doctors see to it that they preserve and keep children intact as much as possible in making medical decisions so that when they are adults and their brains are mature they can have all the options available.
There is overwhelming evidence that affirming a child’s ‘trans’ identity leads to a medicalised future. In this way affirmation is the opposite of an ‘open future’ approach.
I am sure you are aware of the recently released WPATH Files and Cass Report.
Both of these show epic failures in child protection in relation to ‘gender affirmation’. Both demonstrate ‘trans healthcare’ is a medical experiment at best with devastating consequences.
It shows that affirmation is not a neutral act and can lead children to devastating pathways wherein co-morbidities such as autism, sexual abuse & psychiatric conditions are ignored.
When children are affirmed they are more likely to pursue medical pathways such as puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, and irreversible surgeries. Healthy children are left infertile, sexually unable to function, with stunted brain development, liver cancer, osteoporosis, dementia and with worse psychiatric conditions then they started with. These medical interventions shorten lifespan with the disruption of healthy endocrine systems. Gender non-conforming children who would otherwise grow up ‘to be gay’ are told they are the opposite sex and not to be happy in their healthy bodies and emerging sexuality.
We only have to look to the cross party meeting at Holyrood from May interrogating gender ideology in schools and institutions. In it, a girl who had been subjected to the worst forms of sexual abuse was told by her social worker ‘change gender and be happy’. And she was denied the support she needed. We only have to look at the stats on children ‘identifying out of their sex’ to see a range of co-morbidities evident - sexual abuse, autism, discomfort with being gay etc etc.
I have heard of many cases of autistic children being groomed by reddit & validated by schools and cultural organisations whilst their parents are trying desperately to keep their bodies intact. Or perhaps worse, autistic children from chaotic backgrounds whose parents cannot or do not know how to advocate for them fall into a cycle of self harm. It is common thing to be uncomfortable in one’s sexed body during the process of puberty, but for autistic children, girls in particular, sensory issues are often a major factor in their condition. It does not mean they are ‘trans’.
Your organisation is not set up to handle these things - nor should you be. You are artists. Do art. By validating a child’s distress (not your job) you are denying them their open future. And you are denying them the help they may need.
It is worth pointing out Children in Need has just suspended Lottery Funding to LGBT Youth Scotland after it’s lax child protection policies were overridden by political grandstanding & ideology. With two paedophiles associated with the org, & more grooming allegations ongoing it is apparent that the ideology created a massive loophole for predators to access children.
In another massive over reach I see you advocating for education policy. Are you aware that Scottish education has the worst literacy and numeracy rates for decades? I am sure you are well aware of the best indicator of a healthy and stable society is access to a good education. Poor kids will be lifted from poverty when they learn stuff. Not when the school environment becomes politicised beyond recognition. The curriculum should be based on subject knowledge which is universally available regardless of how you identify. Your campaign is nonsensical & potentially harmful, not least to the children whom you are egging on. Don’t ‘trans’ kids deserve a good education to? Don’t they deserve to *not* be singled out because they are *queer*?
For your reference I am attaching the pamphlet ‘Transgender Ideology in Scottish Schools’ written by Dr. Jenny Cunningham NHS paediatrician of 30 years with a specialism in autism. It cites current schools guidance and demonstrates the poor quality research that was used to justify harmful policies.
On the matter of research, your survey in no way will be considered to be robust evidence gathering. Again, well outwith your remit or skills as a community arts organisation. Not to mention you are potentially asking vulnerable children to disclose things to you, a stranger. This is anti-safeguarding.
What’s more what is the parental role in all this? As pointed out previously I often hear of parents who are left on the back foot as educational and cultural organisations think ‘they know better’. You and your colleagues will not be there for the child in one, ten, twenty years. Their parents will. To that end I am aware of two court cases currently being prepared to litigate against teachers who went against parental guidance which led their children to harm. It is worth keeping this in mind.
In closing, I would urge you to reframe your art’s project for… art. There is a dirth of opportunities and spaces for children to express themselves without having to declare their allegiance to an identity or political cause. Your prioritising of politics over form is more reminiscent of Maoist training centres for the Red Guards then spaces to enlightened thought.
But mostly kids just need to be kids. There is enough time in the world for them to have to engage with the issues we adults struggle to come to terms with. If children don’t learn to get along in the ‘soft spaces’ now it is unlikely they ever will? They will become dogmatic, intolerant and censorious. They will be unable to meet someone and form relationships on common humanity and base their judgements not on what they look like but on the content of their character.
I would be interested to see your Equality Impact Assessment, Safeguarding Policies and parental permission forms.
I will be posting this on all my social media channels.
I look forward to your response
Regards
Kate E. Deeming
Adults need to recognise that childhood is fragile and innocence is fleeting. There is enough time in the world for children to have to worry about the woes of this world. Give them the tools, the foundations that will allow them to weather the storm.
Thanks for listening/reading, if you think what I do is valuable please consider becoming a substack supporter for £4 per month, £30 per year or £250 founding membership or buy my a cup of coffee!
https://buymeacoffee.com/kateedeeming2
Thanks to my current subscribers your support allows me to continue to spend time researching, reporting and advocating on these issues- I do appreciate it!
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What an amazing letter, nailed it. Who do these people think they are?
Interesting. These gay activists are probably never going to have children themselves, so they are using the children of others to act as their own surrogate children, trying to raise them as 'their own' ideologically. Total narcissistic self-projection and pathological revenge behaviour. They are being the parent they wished they'd had. No wonder they despise the idea of family. Pure solipsism and righteous-presumption madness.