AIBU to consider leaving our knitting group over its new policy?

I don’t agree it’s a false equivalence. Suicide is a serious medical issue. A social group designed to encourage minority immigrants to learn local activities is nothing like that.

She's not excluding anyone from the hobby of knitting. How could she even do that? Does OP claim the power to rule on who is and is not allowed knit? Lol, no. She's just excluding men from one group for women that developed from the friendship of a couple of women. Plenty of other knitting groups around for those looking for a more inclusive group.

A) not the same thing WHATSOEVER

B) if some things are non negotiable, you're implying that there's no circumstance in which women can push back here. By your logic, men could have access to whatever single-sex space they chose because we can't have mob rule by saying actually there's a line.

Except it doesn’t apply when it comes to basic human rights laid down English Law. No committee can make a decision contrary to the laws of the country.

Why does she want to attract these members?

Fair enough if a trans person just joins anyway.

That's a false equivalence. A better example would be a black or BAME hiking group which wants to allow white people to join. That would fundamentally change the ethos of the group which is to support black/BAME people specifically.
OP's knitting group was set up for women and we all know that introducing men to pretty much any social situation means they will come to dominate, regardless of how they identify. As PP has suggested, many organisations of this type have a constitution so hopefully any change to the original objectives would need to be put to a vote at an AGM or EGM.

😆 🤣

I think if she wants to open it up to people who aren't women then it's not a question of it being "trans-friendly" it's just changing it from being a "women's knitting group" to being a "knitting group".

Maybe ask if this is the intention and see if people are happy that anyone of any sex can join so long as they knit. If the majority are , then so be it but trans or otherwise is irrelevant. If most still want it to be women only then, well you get an interesting debate!

Males weren’t gatekeeping golf they were gatekeeping business opportunities and networking which was compounding the gender gap in higher position roles and directly discriminated against women by preventing them from progressing. that’s why it was considered justified to open those groups to both sexes. Even so there still are some Men only groups and clubs that exist today, just not as widely.

My grandad was an ace knitter. He was in the trenches in WW1. He knitted socks, and he traded his socks for baccy. Knitting is knitting.

Yes, as long as it doesn't claim to be a women's knitting group, that'd be the way to go. As you say, no reason why men of all stripes shouldn't want to knit. Just not in a group called a women's group.

Then other women who want a women's knitting group can have one.

A bit like the women's institute which has had to do just this.

'I don't want women in my golf club. They can go off and do their own thing'.
Does that sound right, to you? It's what was said for many years, gatekeeping a sport.
We absolutely shouldn't be gatekeeping hobbies like this, as though knitting/sewing is a 'woman's thing'.
It's one thing to want spaces for women. It's another thing to attach that to specific hobbies/crafts. Women have been victims of male gatekeeping like this. If it's an open group, not a friends only group, that meets in a public space like a community centre, not somebody's house, I absolutely don't think hobby groups should be gender-divisive.

How many geezers knit?

I'm.in a crafting group who hire a hall. We are a bunch of friends and it's not open for anyone to join. It's just us as friends. Maybe set up a breakaway group and set up a closed group? This way there's no committee, no treasurer. No accounts. Nothing. If we make any plans it's all lovely as we all agree on most things if not it's majority rule. Easy peesy. Set up the group you want.

Or simply 'Chair' as I did. That is the accepted term these days.

I think maybe it’s a bigger question. Do you need new members? Or are you only advertising to let people who are already interested seek out the group? Is it an activist knitting group doing lots of yarn bombing?
Otherwise, perhaps this level of information should be on your Facebook group/website in the small print.
I would have thought if a transwoman (or transman) was interested in knitting they would either ask or just turn up. If as a group you are trying to get a more diverse selection of women into knitting that should be decided on officially.

Why don’t you say chairwoman?

Why is this the same thing? White people are white people, black people are black people these are objective facts. TW are not women so your argument is a false equivalency isn’t it? Unless you think it would be ok for a white person to identify as a black person and make changes to their appearance that they feel would allow them to ‘pass’ as black? And then to self identify into groups/award/opportunities that had been created specifically to meet the needs of black people.

There is a committee and a constitution. That means that there is a set procedure for decision-making which should be followed.

Yes, it’s a knitting group, not a women’s group. There’s no ethical or legal reason to exclude men from a knitting group. If some women want to form a clique in a corner, they can.

You might get Tom Daley

I don’t blame you - to be honest I don’t want men in my sewing group trans or otherwise! They can go off and do their own stuff !

Men’s Shed isn’t a hobby group, it’s a medical charity specifically for mental health to counter isolation and loneliness because men are at higher risk of suicide. The correct comparison to men’s shed is a rape center for women or a breastfeeeding support group for women,

I agree. And then it is a knitting group, not a women's knitting group, and anyone can join which would be good.

And any women who want their own, and I can see why they might, can set up another one just for women.

Everyone should be happy! (But they won't be....)