The Girl Guides are mired in a row over banning boys who think they are girls, with a breakaway group pushing to overturn the policy brought in last year. The Telegraph has the story.

Calling itself Guiders Against Trans Exclusion (Gate), the group encourages Guide leaders to oppose the policy through activism, including writing to politicians and attending protests.

It encourages members to show opposition to the ban by wearing the Guide’s promise badge upside down, changing profile pictures on social media to show support for trans allies and wearing a trans pride necker scarf.

Messages seen by the Telegraph show that multiple guide leaders have purchased sets of badges for their units – including one for a Rainbows group (aged 5 to 7) – and that badges had also been placed on sale at a recent official Girlguiding event.

But others are in favour of the ban, and said that relationships within the organisation were becoming hostile.

One Brownie leader, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “It’s an increasingly hostile environment. Communications from Girlguiding HQ seem to assume everyone is devastated by the rule change. I haven’t had a single parent ask me about it.

“The online briefings after the policy change focused on how sorry they were and how they could continue to support trans girls. The idea that some parents or volunteers might welcome the change seems beyond them.” …

A social media video published by Thatcham Rangers, a Girlguiding group in Thatcham, in Berkshire, shows girls holding slogans such as “trans girls are girls” and “our story includes trans girls”, while the Girlguiding promise is read over the footage.

In separate correspondence seen by the Telegraph, the group leader said she had been working with a local trans activist linked to a Pride organisation.

In a publicly available Gate YouTube briefing, guide leaders are encouraged to purchase badge sets and directed to a volunteer handbook designed to support discussions of trans rights in their units.

The handbook includes advice on how to bring other volunteers on board, guidance on explaining transgender issues to children as young as four and how to respond to complaints from parents. It also encourages leaders to wear pins featuring Pride or ally flags on their uniform to show support.

Worth reading in full.