Has anyone reviewed the allegations made here? https://transrescuewatch.medium.com/the-trans-rescue-papers-when-help-looks-more-like-human-trafficking-exploitation-4e3d7886bfbc
I don't know what to make of it, but I think it's worth taking a really hard look at any questionable aspects of orgs if we're going to promote them here.
the responding to our attackers page doesn't seem to have been updated since before eden house was raided.
The ANBI reports, which I assume are legally required, never got posted for FY 2022 that I can find, let alone 2023. https://transrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/beleidsplan_EN.pdf
I guess its hard to know the full details, but the situation with Eden House in Kenya feels, in hindsight, very predictable, bringing too much publicity onto such a place (BBC and other major media pieces especially. And on video with AP here) caught the attention of the police. I don't know what to make of the other allegations though, not sure there's any way to independently prove or disprove them.
These are serious allegations that make this entire organization look downright sketchy and possibly exploitative. Trans Rescue has posted a response to that article on their website back in 2022, but it seems like it hasn't even covered most of the allegations. I'm curious to see if they can give us some answers. We'd be risking putting our trans community in danger, so if they're not able to give us some good answers, then we should really stop promoting them.
I'm glad it's not just me, I felt a little bit bad even posting them, since I get that the people promoting that medium article seem like they have strong grievances with trans rescue that may extend beyond genuine concern, but it seems like the response to such allegations was lackluster and lacking substance as well, and they've gotten if anything less transparent since.
In order, here's the posts I see from them addressing this:
the last post seems to have been in response to the medium article (shutting down taking new clients entirely because the people writing the medium article had pretended to be prospective clients to get some of the pictured screengrabs)
Discussing it with other mods. I have a lot of thoughts on this matter, but my impression is that the Eden House fuckup is a serious offense for the organization. Will present our thoughts to the comm eventually
Thanks for taking this seriously. Idk what the best path forward is but I had to say something at least. I think the idea of the org is a good one, but it isn't super clear to me how much useful organizational capacity exists either. If it's just two people in Europe, some remote volunteers presumably helping run the telegram, and a safe house in Kenya that is no longer safe, maybe putting our resources/trust behind a different org is a better use of time. And honestly the more cynical side of my brain is screaming at the whole situation, it just doesn't seem right. The aims of the project seemed to shift with the wind (first its help emigrating then its temporary safe houses then it's living openly at Eden House, then its a permanent commune for people to stay as long as they want?). A more disciplined and focused org would be preferable, but maybe that's asking too much idk
I googled them and it wasn't too far down the results. If there's any truth to them directing people from comparably/more safe countries to Kenya only for the "safe house"there to have poor opsec and get raided, that's unconscionable tbh.
They seemed a little bit fly-by-night but I did not expect anything this bad to even be alleged :(
This seems to confirm some details about the safe house. How could you think it's a good idea to run such a house publicly in a country where it is straight up illegal to be queer? While the organizers sit in fucking amsterdam or whatever
Has anyone reviewed the allegations made here? https://transrescuewatch.medium.com/the-trans-rescue-papers-when-help-looks-more-like-human-trafficking-exploitation-4e3d7886bfbc
I don't know what to make of it, but I think it's worth taking a really hard look at any questionable aspects of orgs if we're going to promote them here.
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the responding to our attackers page doesn't seem to have been updated since before eden house was raided.
The ANBI reports, which I assume are legally required, never got posted for FY 2022 that I can find, let alone 2023. https://transrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/beleidsplan_EN.pdf
I guess its hard to know the full details, but the situation with Eden House in Kenya feels, in hindsight, very predictable, bringing too much publicity onto such a place (BBC and other major media pieces especially. And on video with AP here) caught the attention of the police. I don't know what to make of the other allegations though, not sure there's any way to independently prove or disprove them.
These are serious allegations that make this entire organization look downright sketchy and possibly exploitative. Trans Rescue has posted a response to that article on their website back in 2022, but it seems like it hasn't even covered most of the allegations. I'm curious to see if they can give us some answers. We'd be risking putting our trans community in danger, so if they're not able to give us some good answers, then we should really stop promoting them.
I'm glad it's not just me, I felt a little bit bad even posting them, since I get that the people promoting that medium article seem like they have strong grievances with trans rescue that may extend beyond genuine concern, but it seems like the response to such allegations was lackluster and lacking substance as well, and they've gotten if anything less transparent since.
In order, here's the posts I see from them addressing this:
the last post seems to have been in response to the medium article (shutting down taking new clients entirely because the people writing the medium article had pretended to be prospective clients to get some of the pictured screengrabs)
Discussing it with other mods. I have a lot of thoughts on this matter, but my impression is that the Eden House fuckup is a serious offense for the organization. Will present our thoughts to the comm eventually
Thanks for taking this seriously. Idk what the best path forward is but I had to say something at least. I think the idea of the org is a good one, but it isn't super clear to me how much useful organizational capacity exists either. If it's just two people in Europe, some remote volunteers presumably helping run the telegram, and a safe house in Kenya that is no longer safe, maybe putting our resources/trust behind a different org is a better use of time. And honestly the more cynical side of my brain is screaming at the whole situation, it just doesn't seem right. The aims of the project seemed to shift with the wind (first its help emigrating then its temporary safe houses then it's living openly at Eden House, then its a permanent commune for people to stay as long as they want?). A more disciplined and focused org would be preferable, but maybe that's asking too much idk
Digging into it currently
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I googled them and it wasn't too far down the results. If there's any truth to them directing people from comparably/more safe countries to Kenya only for the "safe house"there to have poor opsec and get raided, that's unconscionable tbh.
They seemed a little bit fly-by-night but I did not expect anything this bad to even be alleged :(
edit: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-61979384
This seems to confirm some details about the safe house. How could you think it's a good idea to run such a house publicly in a country where it is straight up illegal to be queer? While the organizers sit in fucking amsterdam or whatever
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