Dear MNHQ:

Mainly a lurker here for the last couple of years. God, I have appreciated the insight and clarity of many of the names mentioned above, and many here still plugging away too (looking at you, Floral and Datun, amongst others)

Barracker was another voice I greatly appreciated who I think is no longer here?

All the women posting on FWR have taught me so much. I understand the frustration, OP, but personally feel grateful to Justine and MNHQ for holding firm in the main.

Thanks to info on here I have felt able to contribute in small ways; feeling informed enough to talk with friends and family, post occasional challenges on FB when I'm feeling brave and have the energy for fielding the replies, digging holes, writing to MPs, making a few local connections with other GC women, engaging with consultations etc

I agree with a PP, a lot of the recent gains probably wouldn't have happened without this board and all the eloquent vipers who hang out here.

.

Slightly different as it was a FB group, but The Skinny Confidential had over 50,000 female members. Instead of moderating the difficult political discourse of its varied membership, the owner shut the whole thing down because it was too much hassle: www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8759749/The-Skinny-Confidential-founder-shuts-Facebook-group-negativity.html

Another vote for MN is walking a difficult line.

They may not get everyone moderation call right but the whole thing moves fast and they are doing it on the fly.

I am a classic 'came for the miscarriage support, stayed for the feminism' user and there are so many of us who learned of all these issues through this site.

I think mumsnet HQ has been brave as.

And I, for one, are grateful.
The tide has turned.

Can't believe they banned Maryz.

It would be brilliant to bring the wrongfully banned people back

I agree with @nauticant.

It would be good to see banned posters allowed to return.

I think R0wantrees took a hiatus.

I always thought the ProdigalKittensReturn was AngryAttackKittens with a new name?!

I hope R0wantrees is still about, with her encyclopaedic thread knowledge.

Right, I think you're all great. I haven't big-upped Datun in a while, but she and Lang were key to me 'getting' it! Their patience and articulacy... for literally years!

FloralBunting too, and Michelle.
Goosefoot, I always appreciate your point of view.
There are lots more.

The fact that there’s a whole book written about the role of MN, suggests a greater reach than we might have realised.

Is there? What and by whom, please?!

I saw Prawn on here yesterday - she mentioned being ill so maybe that's why she's been awol ( and good to see you back @PrawnOfThePatriarchy)
*
Lass* wasn't banned, afaik - she was certainly being targeted for some of her staunch defence of the rights of girls and women and I think she decided enough of that shit and left.

Echoing Manderley's excellent post above - I think Self-ID might well have marched straight through without Mumsnet.

I think MNHQ probably play a game of chicken with the lawyers. When they get threatened by with legal action they delete threads because they can't afford to let them stand. It's infuriating and wrong, but ultimately says more about the individuals who use money and might to demand women are silenced than it does about Mumsnet. (And we see them.)

Thank you, @MNHQ

Did I not see Prawn today??

Also on the missing list, Lass.

I miss AngryAttackKittens.

The fact that there’s a whole book written about the role of MN, suggests a greater reach than we might have realised. And FWR held the line, day after frustrating day.

Women are like water wearing away rock. We persist, tide after tide until even the rock can’t withstand our power. Or the occasional fierce storm when entire cliffs crumble into the sea.

Out of interest, are there any other sections of MN that are subject to the level of banning and deletions that posters on here have been? Honest question as I don't go much further than here these days.

Women's experiences of being sectioned and not protected, while so vulnerable, from predatory and/or disinhibited males were removed from FWR.

I find that unforgivable.

Yes, MN has 'allowed' discussion - some discussion, some of the time. Is it better than no discussion? Yes. But let's not lose sight of the fact that we're thankful for crumbs.

There has been no wholehearted support of feminism and women's rights in this area from MN. A reluctant partial tolerance, with MN are at pains to publicly distance themselves from us.

Personally, I'm grateful to MN, despite my absolute despair of the moderation. After all, it's a business, and out to make a profit. It could have prevented all debate, and saved itself a lot of hassle.

PS I think PrawnofthePatriarchy posted only today.

It is one of the things you could get away not knowing much about until recently. Parents need to understand this. And safeguarding.

I would never have known about fpfw or wpuk or posie parker or Glinner or Magdalen Berns or Helen Joyce or any of those fabulous and powerful voices if not for MN.

Ditto.

I have discovered more female heroes in the past few years in real time doing real things for women than I ever knew of before I joined MN. Amazing women.

Although that makes me think with amusement of that article posted the other day, about the problem with MN being that it allowed women to talk together about things other than prams, which is obviously just dangerous, and it led to them thinking activist thoughts and things. The naivety. All the boards here are stuffed with women talking, there are better news digests here than in the newspapers, better journalism and research very often, women practically sharing advice on every damn thing you can think of between themselves, keeping each other safe, there's no one staying nicely in their box anywhere on the site.

Demanding apologies is straight out of woke 101.

MNHQ have likely had to make compromises on all sides to keep this board going. I haven't always agreed with their choices, but I'm grateful for the safe space in a time when it would have been much easier for them to shut it down altogether.