WI Sisterhood

I'm waiting for the women's group I'm part of ladies circle its like round table but for women to do this.

I nearly quit when I found out they allow self ID and caused drama as a member tried to get me chucked out for objecting to it. I stay for the other brilliant women.

There's something brilliant about it just being a group of women.

I haven't had chance to read the new guidance from the equality and human rights commission but I'm hoping it makes it clear the organisation can be women only.

I've been thinking about this all afternoon and trying to work out why it pisses me off.

I think if someone wanted to join who was trans and they just joined in, didn't try and take over and make a big song and dance about it then I might feel better about it.

I joined the WI a couple of years ago, it's a fantastic group of women aged from between 35- 80, I realised early on its the only time I get to be solely with women in a structured event and I really like it, I don't want that changed. There's something very special about being women only.

Someone on twitter has done a very naughty pastiche if the cover...

Maybe women will start by sending back their copies and asking for their membership to be refunded.

l wonder how many of us are members of the WI, I'm not

I am. My magazine just arrived.

Ffs is all I have to say on the matter.

Miss the old WI, my aunt went to a talk on Witchcraft, Crowley and Baphomet.

I’m sure the WI should look at the feminine empowerment of witchcraft if they wanted to attract a younger audience? Or is that considered passé these days?

Wouldn't it be lovely if the WI had decided to do an issue about lesbians instead?

Perhaps with an article about how excluded lesbians feel, now that men have been given the all clear to appropriate their sexuality and spaces? Or even just assuring lesbians that they would be very welcome in the WI, and wouldn't need to worry about having someone sidle up to interrupt their conversation by whispering into their ear, asking them not to mention their female partner again, or make any other references to their sexuality, since it could "give the wrong impression about the group", and might "scare away potential new members"?

Sigh. Yes, wouldn't it be lovely if there were some women's institutions that still restricted their membership to actual women?

Is it time to start a splinter group? The equivalent of the LGB Alliance for adult human females who have been squeezed out of the Women's Institute? Would we need to call it the Adult Human Female's institute? Or borrow Kelly-Jay's terminology and call it the Femalist Institute?

Um. All I am seeing is exclusion of women who fear/don’t want to use mixed sex facilities. I’m seeing women excluded from shortlists and jobs that really need the experience and POV of a woman. I’m seeing the word woman being used to exclude no-flippin-one.

Don’t cry your excluded tears when you are the one doing the excluding.

“ At a time when the transgender community are experiencing prejudice and exclusion”

That pissed me off more than Petra’s membership really. Excluded from what? Single sex spaces which are single sex ? Prejudice from whom? Do you mean women protesting about the attempt to erase our sex class and redefine us? Yes, naughty prejudiced women trying to defend our rights 🙄

I actually feel a bit sorry for Petra being used in this way as a kind of woke token. Petra must know that the WI don’t really see them as a women else they wouldn’t have made such a big thing about this.

@hennybeans was it a pole dancer or a pole fitness instructor. Very different roles. Pole fitness requires a hell of a lot of skill and stamina. Shorts and crops are needed to be worn so you can 'stick' to the pole.
Pole fitness changed my life. It turned me from a sporadically fit person to a confident sportswomen. I wouldn't begrudge anyone sharing the sport because it's an amazing workout (I stopped when pregnant and now am overweight. Boo!)
But pole dancing, where you just walk around the pole and grind is not a good workout and boring as shit. I could understand this being annoying.

I used to get excited when the news used to announce things like ‘first woman astronaut’ or ‘first women to get through SaS training’ even ‘first woman to become PM in the U.K.’.

They are just taking the Mickey now...

I just heard a news item about this on BBC radio 4 news.

Seriously - a transwoman on the cover of the WI magazine was deemed newsworthy enough to be a news item on the BBC's midday bulletin.

Such things make me want to ask transpeople out there (honestly, no snarking) - don't you realise things like this are not the victory you seem to think they are? That things like this will always emphasise the "difference"? We're supposed to believe TWAW but would a natal woman make the news if she appeared on the WI cover? Answer, no. So there must be a difference for this to be deemed newsworthy. Why is highlighting this difference ok in some contexts and not others?

Thought this was the Wi Spa at first! So, a women's institute centres males.

I'll get me recipes of the internet and books. If I want to join a women's org, it will be an actual sorority.

Why is everyone in such a mission to ‘educate’ us. Such people rarely seem to listen, or be open to ‘education’ themselves. Wonder why.

Melissa Green, General Secretary of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI), said:“We were delighted to interview Petra in the latest issue of WI Life. The work she does as a speaker and activist is so inspiring, educating other members and the wider community on the issues that trans people face today.
“At a time when the transgender community are experiencing prejudice and exclusion, it is so important that trans voices are heard and amplified in the WI and society.
“We want to make it clear that not only are trans women welcome to join the WI, but they are celebrated and truly enrich our membership and our values as a bold and inclusive organisation for women.”

Why is it so important that trans voices are amplified in the WI Petra? Why are you more interested in talking to someone who has identified as a woman for six years, rather Lorraine, Petra's 'loving wife' who has been a woman her whole life. Why do you think women should be interested in Petra?

Apparently ‘you’re so brave’ and ‘I wouldn’t have guessed you were transgender ‘ are ‘flaming arrows’ to Petra. She also says ‘The best way to compliment a trans woman is to treat her just like any other woman – because she is‘. Sorry love, but no. That is the shit I hate the most. I couldn’t read the whole thing. Plus I’m sure it’s longer than the usual feature article. So tired.

WI has been well and truly Stonewalled.I and a few others are trying to get them to look again at their ‘inclusivity’ but it is apparently more important to welcome men wearing skirts than to provide an organisation for biological females.They totally ignore that they are probably excluding real women who have good reason to be somewhere away from men, in their twisted policy of inclusivity of self- definers .

This seems apt:
www.theonion.com/woman-takes-short-half-hour-break-from-being-feminist-t-1819576049

Honestly someone on FWR posted recently that becoming a feminist ruined her life in a way because of how it opened her eyes to everything and once you start seeing it all you can't stop. I'm feeling like that atm.

YES!!

I need a T-shirt saying ‘Feminism Ruined My Life’ - but I don’t think most would get the real meaning!

I wonder how many of us are members of the WI, I'm not. A lot of organisations were accused of being out of touch and the WI was top of the list at one time. I think when membership falls, they take the opportunity to see how they can draw in new members. I assume the WI brought in a cool media company and I would like to bet they suggested Stonewall Champion. Now, the result is likely to be that the WI will lose some of it's members and not draw in the cool crowd either. The only winners are the media companies who rake in the cash and SW who get their Diversity championship fees. We all now know that SW demands the obliteration of women in order to progress up their lists. How on earth is that going to work in the WI without destroying the organisation

*The final straw was a meeting where a drag queen was going to come and give us makeup lessons. What?! No thanks. And he charged a high fee too.
*
That's just awful.

Honestly someone on FWR posted recently that becoming a feminist ruined her life in a way because of how it opened her eyes to everything and once you start seeing it all you can't stop. I'm feeling like that atm.

I always thought of the WI as somewhere where women could share experiences and life stories, support each other. It’s not the brownies for grown ups to play jam making and knitting.