Who‘s coming to FiLIA?

I'd heard about this, Tinsel, and was concerned. They've also no-platformed Sheila Jeffreys. I don't know what their thinking is but I'm reminded of this thread from 2022:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4662757-womens-place-uk-filia-event-the-elephant-ignored-yet-again?page=11

I'll be going because I've already paid for my ticket and accommodation, but if I hadn't I think I would have given it a miss.

I’ve been several times, and enjoyed it.

I can only conclude I’ve been excluded either because I’ve spoken openly about being given different reasons each time for them turning me down in the past, or because I’ve criticised left wing feminists for platforming men like our exes.

Sorry to hear that, Tinsel. You've been talking about transwidows for years, long before most people were aware of the impact that transitioning has on the wives and children of the men who decide to do it.

No doubt they'll platform someone they can manipulate - they'll need to control the narrative, of course. Wouldn't want to offend the men in dresses, would they?

I was going to attend a few years back, until they no-platformed another woman for wrongthink. Sod them.

They don't always get everything right but I've been to the last four FiLiA Conferences and have been absolutely blown away. Women from all over the world talking about human rights, surrogacy, family courts, prostitution, women in war, the patriarchy, porn, VAWG, trans ideology, trade unions, women's history, literature, music, theatre & art, prisons, women's health, women and the law, political activism, migrant women, refugees ... plus the all-women disco and the myriad of informal conversations and connections. And essentially organised by volunteers. It's really something.

And for those coming alone, once signed up there will be the opportunity to talk to other attendees and arrange to travel together to the venue etc, ad to sort out the MN meet-up.

It's truly unmissable.

Yes Emma, Vaishnavi and Abigail will be great. I hope the panel is a success even though I’m devastated that FILIA have excluded me from it.

Emma is brilliant & well worth listening to. They’ve really missed a trick by not including Tinsel though.

The Children of Transitioners founder, Emma, is speaking, so hope some of you will go along to support her..Some of the Cots Group are meeting soon to contribute ! Really sad @Tinsel won't be there.

1900 tickets sold!

its going to be massive.

there is a free crèche for attendees but spaces are limited. If you are wanting to use the crèche do book your ticket & crèche spot asap.

Me!!! With a fellow TERFY friend. Now she’ll know my username here 😜 We’re very excited about attending for the first time!

Brighton is a genius location: the city that’s so open minded its brain has fallen out, rolled to the end of the pier and plopped into the sea (deliberate choice of verb there).

Wow @RobinEllacotStrike it's going to be amazing.

This filia is going to be 3000+ attendees

I’ve been to the last 7 Filias and I dont recognise this at all.

Of course there are always womens toilets and depending on the venue they might claim some of the gents too.

filia has never been a woman only event. A few men come. Not many. Some of the sessions might be women only and the Saturday night party is women only.

no men are involved in organising filia & all the volunteers are women.

I think it’s an exciting time for women to be standing together in Brighton. It a huge middle finger up to the gender Borg & the timing is fantastic.

see you all there.

I'm going on my own but travelling in by train each day rather than staying.

I don't know anyone who's going so I'd love to meet up during the day, and happy to travel from the train station to the venue with anyone who'd find that helpful (though equally happy to go alone).

I'm mainly a lurker but have been lurking on the feminism board for many years.

I think saying you won't go because you don't agree 100% with the organisers is a shame. There are loads of speakers with lots of viewpoints and as a pp said there is something about being in a space with 1000s of other women which is incredible.

It's a great event for seeing interesting people and hearing interesting ideas and feeling inspired.

Yes, @fabricstash I agree. There's an amazing energy in the conference - thousands of women there to discuss, celebrate, and yes - disagree.

It lifts my heart when I'm in the trenches of the gender wars (I offer you my recent experience of 2 hours of listening to colleagues talk about terfs as objects of academic research - 2 hours of hate speech basically) to remember the solidarity and sisterhood of FiLIA. Those terms don't come easily to me - they're a bit cheerleaderish, but at FiLIA (and at a WDI conference I spoke at) I really understand the meaning of solidarity & sisterhood.

I really recommend any woman interested in women's lib, feminism, women's history, activism, WASPI matters and so on, to just go! There is a "Solidarity" scheme that offers subsidised tickets for those otherwise unable to afford to attend. And there's a creche.

I have only been to the Cardiff one for a day previously. I know there are all sorts of issues and politics but I found it such a positive experience I really wanted to go away

I know everyone asking for the PMs is likely to be doing it in good faith but at the same time, you never know if a TRA is going to join in the requests & then some kind person might message them.

I’ve got a one day ticket. My plan was to get the train there. I’m not going with anyone and the nearer it gets to the date the more concerned I get.

would anyone mind PM me where it’s likely to be? I think I can guess but it would be nice to feel a bit more certain .

I agree,

which is why I think it’s a stroke of genius to hold FiLIA in Brighton. Reclaiming the city. It’s got a venerable history of feminist activism, waaaay before the gender extremists think they invented feminism.

In Brighton. That loving giving accepting place full of rainbows and candy floss.

That be who you want to be place.

No judgements there place.

Unless you’re a woman or man who understands biology, place.

Mind numbing.

Totally maddening.

Isn’t it shocking. Unable to state a location for fear of violence / animosity / cancellations? In the UK in 2025 - and ONLY BECAUSE WOMEN. Makes me explode. Fcking patriarchy.

I've pm'd you where I think it is.

Actually I think it's great it'll be in Brighton. Why should a whole city be off-limits just because of some people with a mental imbalance and/or a hatred of women? (One might argue misogyny is a mental illness ...)

I remember going to an event in Bristol (either WPUK, or FPFW) about 8 years ago when we weren't told until that day, and there was a visible police presence outside the building and indeed, in the street approaching the building. It was an evening event, so it was good to feel safe. Some TRA group (Resister Sisters??) had been sounding off on Twitter about how they were going to stop us meeting, but I saw no-one there in the end (but it was a cold night - maybe the TRAs were a bit too fragile for the weather).

The experience of the UCL Women's Lib conference a couple of years ago, where there was a vocal (including that awful man who publicly incites TRAs to punch women in the throat) protest & a whole counter-conference - shows we are stronger than these MRAs.