18 Comments
User's avatar
Tulliola's avatar

I think you need a new association. Just as the Darlington nurses have, I believe, set up a new union. If enough people leave conspicuously and join the new one, that should get some attention.

Expand full comment
Lucy Beney's avatar

I agree – somehow we need to rediscover professionalism and boundaries, both have been lost.

Expand full comment
Teeps's avatar

Thank you Lucy for this hard hitting and heartfelt piece! As someone who has been trying to effect change from within for 4 years I congratulate you for cutting your loses, i still hope that as a member I can expose the rot and force their hand, but that perhaps says more about my tendency to stay in relationships long after I should leave! I have to know there is absolutely 100% no chance of it surviving and I’m very very close to that now

Expand full comment
Lucy Beney's avatar

I totally understand that – as I say, I have been teetering on the brink for a long time. It was that outrageous statement after the Supreme Court ruling, when the difficulties (and that is being polite) of children, women and gay people as a result of this ideology have never been acknowledged, which was the final straw. I felt as if I was being 'gas lit' by my own professional body.

Expand full comment
Jennie C-Knight's avatar

Well said, Lucy. The partisanship of the BACP and the blatant marginalisation of those who don’t subscribe to the new creed is of the greatest concern. A generation of children are being damaged by political ideology which has no interest in their safety or well being, and the BACP is endorsing this.

Expand full comment
Lucy Beney's avatar

I entirely agree – it is as if all rational thought, any moral code and any sense of responsibility have been ditched, to satisfy a few true believers in a fantasy. And these are supposed to be adults, in whom the Professional Standards Authority places its trust.

Expand full comment
Julie Dee's avatar

Well said, a thorough and thought provoking post.

Expand full comment
Lucy Beney's avatar

Thank you so much.

Expand full comment
Jason's avatar

It’s a brave step and I commend you for doing it! You can leave and keep your voice. And your voice is still needed. Others may do the same. 🙏

Expand full comment
Lucy Beney's avatar

Thank you, Jason. And thank you for using your voice in the way that you do – it is very powerful.

Expand full comment
Harriet L Plyler's avatar

Terrific writing, Lucy.

Expand full comment
Lucy Beney's avatar

Thank you, Harriet!

Expand full comment
Mike Walker's avatar

“Over a year after publication, there has been no statement from the BACP on the review and no revision of guidelines for woking with gender-confused children. “

A Freudian slip?

Seriously, well done, and good luck with everything you do.

Expand full comment
Lucy Beney's avatar

Thank you!

Expand full comment
Sue Parker Hall's avatar

This is an outstanding account of the present state of the BACP and our profession as a whole Lucy….thank you…as a fellow leaver I resonate with ‘the water’s lovely’….it is sickening to the soul to remain a member of a gaslighting organisation that tells you how diverse they are whilst shutting you out…their motto should be ‘inclusion for me but not for thee’…this piece is highly informative, poetic and playful…I love the membership card cut with pinking shears…how many of us still have a pair of those traditional things….?….staying in is a tough choice and those pushing back on the inside, like you say, deserve our respect and support…who knows how this disastrous tragedy will be turned around…at least two of the members standing in the forthcoming BACP election for trustees are ideologues and will be doubling down on this careless, cavalier and harmful approach. God help us.

Expand full comment
Lucy Beney's avatar

Thank you, Sue. You were an inspiring example, as I edged closer and closer to leaving. I suspect in the end, the whole thing will collapse under the weight of its own inconsistencies, as well as external pressure. Like you, I fully respect all those fighting from within. And you never know when a pair of pinking shears will come in useful!

Expand full comment
Naomi Epps Best's avatar

What a hard and brave choice. There seems to be an international counter current against ideological rigidity. Keep speaking!

Expand full comment
Lucy Beney's avatar

Thank you so much – and I particularly appreciate it, as you know all about difficult choices! Your piece in the Wall Street Journal was shocking and eye-opening. Thank you for all that you are doing to turn the tide – please keep speaking too!

Expand full comment