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Gender Critical 'Lurkers'

471 replies

BadasIwannaB · 28/06/2018 19:36

I’ve been reading the Gender Critical threads on Mumsnet for a few months now and I’m ‘delurking’ to say THANK YOU! To all the intelligent, articulate gender critical feminists here - you are my absolute heroes, and you’re really giving me hope!

I’ve thought for a long time that many aspects of the supposedly right-on rhetoric about gender is deeply misogynist, and I was unsettled and annoyed at how much pressure there is on women not to challenge it, and how much supposed ‘feminists’ enforce that pressure. But for a long time I felt like I must be the only person who thought this, because I wasn’t seeing anyone speaking out, and on the v few occasions where I mentioned any of this to friends, it didn’t go down well. So it’s been hugely inspiring and reassuring to see that there’s this growing community here standing up for women against the bullshit. I’ve literally been reading the discussions here every day for the last few months, and it cheers me up so much! I’ve become such a fan of so many of you: LangCleg, Datun, Bowlofbabelfish, Ereshkigal, Angry Attack Kittens, I could go on and on…

So I started wondering, how many people like me are there reading these threads and cheering silently from the sidelines? I’m hoping there are lots of us. I think it’s easy to think we’re a tiny minority because of all the fear surrounding joining the discussion, but maybe if we all delurked we’d see that that’s not the case.

So any other lurkers wanna delurk?

OP posts:
farley123 · 29/06/2018 21:40

I am another lurker.

BoreOfWhabylon · 29/06/2018 20:41

Hello TelephoneThing!

Welcome to you and all the other lovely delurkers

TelephoneThing · 29/06/2018 20:36

I'm also a lurker. I've been reading Mumsnet for quite some time and the FWR boards in particular for the past couple of years. I've never even been registered but this thread has finally pushed me into registering and making my first post. Hello!
I've also got my DSD's (early 20s) lurking on the FWR boards. There's LOADS of us out here Smile

WarmestRegards · 29/06/2018 20:27

This reply has been deleted

This has been been removed by MNHQ for privacy reasons.

UnnecessaryFennel · 29/06/2018 20:26

reminds me of the Twilight Barking in 101Dalmations

Oh what a lovely image! Grin

Well, I'm delurking to add my bark. Amazing board, amazing women. I have learned so much. I am going to try to give less of a shit IRL, and speak out more. It's too important to sacrifice to 'niceness'.

Courage Calls To Courage Everywhere, indeed.

Hornets · 29/06/2018 20:14

reminds me of the Twilight Barking in 101Dalmations

BoreOfWhabylon that is beautiful!

(From a obsessive fan of 101 Dalmations) Grin

Skippydupont · 29/06/2018 19:45

Newbie lurker here. Only posted once, in praise of the brilliant Sporticus thread. Keep up the good work posters, you never know who you may be informing, educating and amusing.

BoreOfWhabylon · 29/06/2018 19:41

And that's why I hope posters will not leave MN Datun. There's nowhere like it for women of all backgrounds to come together to discuss these issues. It's a shining beacon, is what it is.

Datun · 29/06/2018 19:36

If we build it they will come smile

I love that. And it's true.

So many women thinking eh? And wondering if they're the only one.

Then they find themselves here.

Lostinedinburgh · 29/06/2018 19:24

Still here, still lurking, still learning.

R0wantrees · 29/06/2018 19:19
Smile
BoreOfWhabylon · 29/06/2018 19:18

Tell them to start threads here R0wan.

If we build it they will come Smile

R0wantrees · 29/06/2018 19:13

I have family in NZ who have followed recent discussions here and are not sure what to do or where online to find GC Kiwis. (It seems things are moving very quickly there)

BoreOfWhabylon · 29/06/2018 19:09

I don't post much on the FWR boards. When I do it's usually to deploy bees to repel invaders. 🐝🐝🐝

But I've lurked for a long time, learned so much and I'm still paying attention and being quietly gender-critical where I can.

This thread is glorious. It reminds me of the Twilight Barking in 101Dalmations!

And to the posters from USA, Oz, NZ and other far-flung places - I'd love to see you start threads and spread the word to bring more of your compatriots to here to discuss how these issues are affecting you.

Cyw2018 · 29/06/2018 19:01

I've been lurking for about a year. I have stuck my head above the parapet a couple of times on a much less anonymous forum, and had threats from a TRA that they would try and work out who I was and report me to my professional body. Even though I know I haven't said anything discriminatory or factually incorrect this really shook me, so have stayed quiet since, which is unfortunately what they want.

SmellyHead · 29/06/2018 18:06

I'm another lurker grateful for the time and effort the posters here put in to these discussions. Cheers all Thanks

Mxyzptlk · 29/06/2018 18:00

To all those who are peaking real life people, can you show them the petition on your phone or send them a link to it in hopes they'll sign?
It needs thousands more signatures to show the strength of feeling about this.
And if it gets to 100,000 it just may get debated in Parliament.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214118

CriticalCondition · 29/06/2018 17:36

Lurker here delurking to say thank you to the many intelligent, articulate posters here.

Yes, cheering you silently from the sidelines. And where I can, challenging instances of this creeping ideology in RL.

TransplantsArePlants · 29/06/2018 17:03

Pacers

I could have written your post

I am middle-aged with previously fairly flimsy feminist ideas

My gender-crit stance actually came from observing the pressures on my two (very different from each other) teen sons to conform to male stereotypes

Lucky enough to have had overwhelmingly positive relationships with men, but eyes opening wide at how my personality has been shaped by female socialisation.

Once you see misogyny you cannot unsee it. TRA ideology is an attack on women. Once you see that, you cannot unsee it.

Posted a lot under another name but maybe a year-long contributer to Feminism Chat. The knowledge, patience and communication-abilty on here is fab.

Acorninspring · 29/06/2018 16:59

Another lurker and occasional poster here

PerfectRatio · 29/06/2018 16:20

Hi, lurker here de-lurking to share my gratitude. Became aware of a groundswell on Twitter but I prefer the civility of debate over here. Thanks for a fab resource.

PugwallsSummer · 29/06/2018 15:44

I am also a lurker 👋

TheChampagneGalop · 29/06/2018 15:43

Wow so many lurkers. What a heartening thread!

I want to encourage everyone to dare to comment on threads in general as well. Even if you don't feel like your are as articulate as poster x or y, your thoughts are important to!

OrdinaryGirl · 29/06/2018 15:31

De-lurking. 👋🏼 Very grateful to the legion of MNers who are courteous and compassionate to and about those suffering from gender dysphoria, as well as trenchant in defence of the need for sensible discussion and the protecting of women-only spaces.
I have learnt such a lot, especially about the ramifications of self identification and am very grateful to Mumsnet for holding the line and allowing these conversations to take place. It's important that dissent on the issue isn't conflated with transphobia.

MorbidMuch · 29/06/2018 15:09

I lurk a lot and occasionally post.

Thanks to the inspiring women on the forum, I am a lot more active and vocal off MN.

I've signed petitions, contacted my MP, run a GC Twitter account and I'm having many productive conversations with people in real life. Most people are incredibly shocked when they realise the extent to which safeguarding and women's rights are being eroded.

I will try to post more on MN, even if I'm just lending another voice in agreement.