An update to the WI Announcement thread. My DH just got a reply to his application to join them.

I agree. But the point is to require one or the other.

If the WI are most concerned about their male members then they can be the People's Insistute or something, or there can be a split, the Everybody Institute and the Women's Insistute, which can then be set up and run by women for women according to the EqA.

The days of pretending to be single sex while being mixed sex are done. They need to pick one and have the guts to own it.

yes but you are not being unkind to some evil professional third sector NFWI apparatchik who created the stupid policy. you're ruining the night of some poor local volunteer who almost certainly understands that men are men and doesn't want them at her meeting. Please remember this is real people.

Arrgh, kill me now!

Rather like men put poor women in charge of changing rooms and women in women's spaces in horrible positions. It's a case unfortunately of that little and very woman-like thoughtful kindness in the moment handing over women's rights in law, and it's much how we got into this mess as a sex class.

Just go mixed sex WI ffs

no

women dominated things are rare and valuable (like Mumsnet for example). the current fad for nonsense should not kill 100 years of women helping women and enjoying each other's company

No, be kind is over, if they’re going to have stupid policies then they’re going to have to deal with the consequences and some uncomfortable situations are going to have to happen to force them to see common sense.

Crossing legs when sitting? This man has his legs crossed this minute while in a sedentary position. And this thread is making me smile too. I may have tom practise softer hand movements, once I've worked out what they are; or maybe not.

I’ve always thought that the way this will all end is when all men start ‘identifying as women’ paying their £5 for a GRC and making a mockery of the whole thing.

please don't do this. it will put some poor local volunteer in a horrible position.

way to miss the point.

there's a reason i joined an organisation for women. it wasn't for the cake baking - i can do that at home

If you're a woman it just means 'living'.
If you're a trans woman it means lying to people (including yourself) about which sex you are (and probably wearing high heels, make-up, skirts etc to try and cover up the lie).

I fear if the WI thinks theres going to be a kind of gentleman's agreement that no one pries too closely into what 'living like a woman' actually means, they're going to be disappointed.

It will neccessarily have to eventually be clarified as 'do you as a man maintain a sincere inner belief that you are internally a woman'.

Which begs the obvious question: what for the purposes of access is the difference between a man who says yes, and a man who says no about what may or may not be happening in their heads?

Just go mixed sex WI ffs. Brian and Ted can probably do good jam and will bring Jerusalum down a whole octave.

CIO = Charitable Incorporated Organisation

you are corresponding with the federation secretary. so she's one step up from 'local'. she's part of the (probably) county level committee running your nearest federation of WIs.

without knowing what email address you originally contacted it's hard to know if any buck passing has gone on here

So his next step is to turn up and join, because his way of ‘living as a woman’ is joining the WI, he should go along and make them ask him to leave, if he can get it in writing that he’s not welcome then even better.

Dear W.I.,

I am a woman, but I do not live as a woman. Can I join the W.I.?

Yours sincerely,

inkymoose

The Moose Hut,
The Woods,
Up the Hill,
Near the Edge,
Always

Shit! I'm womaning wrong again. I never cross my legs when sitting. I'm not too good at the smiling bit, I tend to have a permanent WTF look about me, and as for softer hand movements, if that was the case I wouldn't send so much stuff flying across the room so often.

There are plenty of mixed sex groups; sometimes we just want to hang out with our own sex.

Well, in Scotland, it seems that nonbinaries can join, if they are actually female.

'A person who was assigned female at birth but who identifies as non-binary is able to join the SWI. This is because they fall within our women only exemption as they were assigned female at birth. As mentioned above, The SWI does not ask members to prove their sex when they join.'

'Protected characteristic 9: Sex (except that we are a trans inclusive, woman-only organisation)
We believe we best meet the needs of women by being a women-only charity, led by women. This is part of our constitution. '

I didn't know 'yeah but no but' was a legally protected characteristic.

And of course, men with ladyfeels can join:

'including transgender women furthers our objectives and enriches our membership toensure we are a place for all women to celebrate who they are and influence positive change in their communities'

From the EDI policy:
www.theswi.org.uk/about-us/

Hm, let me think about that for a moment. Possibly because the group is set up for women and the women may not want men there.

He's got to respond to that waffle from them.

Perhaps it would be far simpler that anyone who wishes to do the activities offered by these orgs can join, this should include “male” orgs allowing women. If you want to watch talks and make cakes why does it matter if you are male. Mothers Union allows men to join, the local MU to me has male members, no issues at all

Can you write back and ask them to define what "living as a woman" is like? If how your DH lives is similar to a way that any given woman might reasonably live then surely he is living as a woman

DH and I have similar haircuts, similar clothes, both have the title Dr and have similar jobs, we share housework equally mostly, though he does a lot more laundry than me. There is no fundamental difference between what we "live as" in terms of any observable facts about us except our basic biology obviously - unfortunately he isn't GC (Don't go there. I have to pick my battles) so wouldn't be up for this, but there must be similar couples out there ready to challenge WI to define exactly what the difference is between a male person who is allowed to join WI and one who isn't.

Tell him to pop some nail varnish on and practise tilting his head. That should do it.

Thank you for your response. I am sure I qualify because apart from my sex I live every day like my wife.

We both get up at similar times and eat the same food. We both wear jeans and tee shirts by choice and neither of us wear make up.

I make a cracking Victoria sponge but she can’t bake for toffee, though she is great at DIY.