'Transwomen' (though not 'transmen' welcome at Ann Summers parties. Love balls.

It still has symbolic currency though and sends a message about women only spaces.

I think a typical person reading this thread will be so busy rolling their eyes at the notion that Ann Summers parties are being invaded by trans women that they won't bother to listen when real concerns are raised about single sex prisons, refuges and the like.

However, honestly, this is not the biggest priority for me when it comes to women-only spaces

Nor mine. It still has symbolic currency though and sends a message about women only spaces.

The point is if the host said it was for women only and men were there.

That is the point 🤷‍♀️

What is this obsession with ‘transphobia’? Women have every right to expect an Ann Summers party would be single-sex.

No one is saying encountering male participants there would be as bad as in, say, a rape-crisis centre or a hospital ward. It’s just one more thing that women must not be allowed to have for ourselves.

Yeah sunset. It’s virtue signalling

I have never been to one. But if I was going and they said it was just for women

I would leave if men were there

I think I've wandered into the 1950s too, women with loose morals?!
What with the women have sexy underwear to indulge in mens sexual fantasies, (can't possibly be wanting to feel sexy for themselves, is that it?) and now loose morals
This is FWR, right?!

If I get it right, the women who attend them aren't anticipating that vibrators will be passed around between men and women. They really might not be the sort of people who,as you suggest, would be happy with this. I'm not sure that there's reason to expect this, unless they're seen as women with loose morals.

Firstly, I'm not sure who would see a woman attending an Ann Summers party as having 'loose morals' unless it was someone who had just got off the train from 1950.

Secondly, even if you did associate the parties with 'loose morals' why would it make your morals any looser to pass vibrators around with men, than it would to pass them around with women? If you are coming from a place that says it's immoral to share anything sexual with someone other than your partner, I really don't see why sharing those things with women would be any 'better' than sharing them with men.

Although as I don't share Carrots' uniquely Scottish sense of humour it's a joke I fail to get

You're clearly not Scottishing properly lol

So it would be friends and acquaintances that would be invited to these parties, I'm not really understanding how a TW would get an invite unless the host actually invited them? It's not as if they're just showing up uninvited. Similarly if a TW wanted to host a party, the invitees would be aware they are transgender?

I'm not really seeing this as males encroaching on female spaces as it's voluntary.

I suppose it's possible to get invited and not know the other people attending, and discover once you've arrived that a TW is in attendance. That would indeed be awkward for women who don't subscribe to TWAW ideology.

Disagree that femininity/gender is purely sex role stereotypes

What else is it then?

The order forms are discreet and only the seller sees them.

However the ordering part is organised by the host, it's still apparent that everyone who attends is either buying or at least considering buying sex products. It's also inevitable that the products will be on display and will be talked about. And even if others don't know exactly what you've bought, you are sharing that information with the host - someone known to you.

It takes a certain level of confidence to go into that environment - especially nowadays when it's so easy to buy sex products anonymously online. Anyone with the slightest inhibition or discomfort would go online, rather than to a party.

The ridiculous stereotyping of Scottish people was clearly not a joke no matter how much back pedalling is done. Her suggestion that "jokey" stereotypes don't matter if the group being stereotypically laughed at isn't an oppressed minority is however risible. All mindless stereotyping is bad.

Thanks for typing that LApprentiSorcier so I didn't have to spend time explaining

I'd be interested in how you define this demographic. In terms of class? Education? IQ?

I think social demographic is irrelevant - what people who go to a party themed on the sale of sex toys and sexy lingeries will have in common is a willingness to buy sex products in full view of other people and being comfortable to talk to others about their use of such products. Confidence, perhaps, or a lack of inhibition in respect of their sexual activities.

People get challenged on things that matter, on jokes that laugh at disenfranchised groups, oppressed groups, marginalised groups. Not being Scottish is hardly one of those. It’s an off topic joke to laugh at how jokes don’t translate.

It's only banter, what can't you take a joke?!
Why is that always wheeled out when someone is challenged or questioned on something?

It was a joke you numpty, never meant to be taken seriously.

Although the water does taste much better the farther north you go. Makes for much better tasting tea. Now you’ll claiming I’m saying all Scots people drink tea right?

There is transphobia on this thread and it isn't coming from Quaggers, despite the determination of some posters to say it is

thank you
I'm ignoring those posts, they're just so ridiculous lol
I mean, usually you get "duh, you're detached from reality, you don't know what biology is!"
You show that actually, you do have a grasp on reality, and you get batshit posts like OMG, you're so transphobic, do better!