I want to create a meetup group for women but confused about pronouns/gender/inclusivity

Piddock. I am a director of a Women's Empowerment group. We do every single thing you have mentioned 😊 it is very fulfilling and I have made friends I would never had met even though we are all local to each other.

That is EXACTLY the sort of proper womens group I'd love to be part of. I dont suppose you're anywhere near Milton Keynes, are you?

@EmpressWitchDoesntBurn I do hope that the women on here are mindful of this and are careful before joining any group or disclosing details.

I've been involved in dozens of women's networks informal and formal, professional and recreational.

It works best when you don't announce it as such and have no written formal structure or aims and keep it unbranded - just meet-ups and whatsapp groups and social activities and chat.

If you want to create a professional 'Woman Supporting Women' brand with a public identity, social media, formal aims - you're fucked already sorry. Your group will be invaded, or legal threats will shut you down or people will destroy you from the outset. If you are happy with Self-ID, then there are a million different groups already in that space so what's the point.

We're in a war situation here. Think of yourself as the French Resistance - you have to do it on the down low. Or the masons, funny handshakes, nods and winks.

Call it a book club - that more or less guarantees no penis people show up. Or 'PTA'.

There's a few of those types of groups on Facebook. The biggest hurdle they face is getting the numbers up and moderating. In many of these types of groups that I've seen, they're simply too broad on subject matter. Sometimes you can learn a lot by connecting to people who are very different to you of course, but these kinds of group will have a woman posting about a corporate courses her company runs, then someone promoting what looks to be a mlm/pyramid type scheme, then a post about a drawing someone's toddler did, followed by recommendation requests for a good restaurant in Liverpool when most of the small group are from all over the place or would have no interest. The activity dies out too quickly because everything's too broad and random.

There's a fee things I wanted to comment on the language of your post, which might affect your marketing if you go along with it -

'Empowerent' - not a word I personally take to. It reminds me of huge brands like Gilette trying to sell me female empowerment through their pink new razor, 'empowering' me to shave my body hair. Men don't really use that language because many already believe they have what it takes but they just need to go on courses or develop their existing skills. They don't need to be 'empowered' as such and I don't feel that way either. I find that language a bit corporate-speak and a bit patronising.

'Best practice' - sounds like part of a power-point presentation in a law firm.

'Safe space' - this used to have meaning but it's nonsense speak used by people who want to shut important women up, like Julie Bindel. It's frequently used by university students who think that they should not be exposed to any ideas, ever, that make them feel uncomfortable.

'I'm finding it all v confusing' - how so?

If it's local and f2f then prob less issues.

How will you get members IE where will you advertise it?

I wouldn't put it on here. It's a local thing. Would be outing. And would be instantly targeted by our monitors :)

Can you advertise something like that on here? That way you'll get people with a similar mindset. Or are people cautious about meeting others through mumsnet?

Not everything has to be inclusive. It drives me mad.

Sadly, I think you'll be targeted.

I'd just call it whatever you want, but restrict membership by requiring new members to be vouched for by an existing member/moderator. & be careful who you make a moderator.

Anything with 'woman' in the title is TRA catnip.

You either tackle that head on, or call it something very boring without the word 'woman' in the title, & quietly refuse membership to anyone who isn't a woman, in an attempt to stay under the radar.

& yes, it absolutely sucks that you can't just...be a group for women. & need to even consider this.

[quote piddocktrumperiness]@EmpressWitchDoesntBurn I agree and apologise[/quote]
Thank you - I apologise too for the cross-post when you’d already acknowledged the other responses on the subject! I hope this goes really well for you.

It’s a lovely idea.

Can I suggest that you avoid the terms ‘cis’ or ‘cisgender’ when setting up your group, OP?

I know people say it’s ‘just a description’ but many feminists would be put off, since it’s an unnecessary prefix - women are simply adult human females, we don’t need a further label. It also implies that the user believes in gender ideology & the old-fashioned stereotypes that go with it.

Cis??? Fuck off

Please not cis, OP, women are women.... I would be concerned about contacting you online if you refer to women as cis .......

How are you setting it up? Is it local real life? Online?

A microcommunity of friends- people you already know and their friends?

Really depends on how and what. More details pls

Please don't use the word "cis" anywhere in your description as you are much more likely to be targeted by TRAs and their "cis" identifying female friends, if you try to keep males out.

"Cis" is gender identity ideology terminology. It doesn't respect different beliefs. Most of us reject it here on FWR.