Freemasons feel discriminated against

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www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42986319

Yet they don’t admit women and nobody knows who they are

www.ugle.org.uk/freemasons-hall/

There you go, you secret info found after just 10 seconds on Google

Freemasons mostly just raise money for charity. Yes I do know that for a fact. Why do people just have to try so hard to be offended/outraged/conspired against.

Considering that everyone acuses them of secrecy they seem to (think) that they know a lot about Freemasonary

tapango...,..and?

In America women can not become Freemasons.
If everyone who was a Freemason had to declare it to their employer, particularly if they were in a position of power, then we would quickly see whether they were using their influence corruptly as is alleged. They refuse to, which makes me suspect that at least some of the allegations are true.
Hitler outlawed and persecuted any group that were seen as a rival power structure to the Nazi party. That includes lots of religions such as Jehovas Witnesses. In a liberal democracy people simply talk about how the Freemasons likely use their power corruptly. In a totalitarian state the Dictator will simply eliminate that power.

I remember reading a thread on here once about various women who had been to the Ladies nights. Half the women said it was like an old fashioned dinner dance. The other half talked about the horrendous sexism and racism they heard.

The Church of England has reiterated “significant concerns” about Christians becoming Freemasons amid renewed controversy about the presence of the secretive organisation at the heart of the British establishment

That's interesting, personally I feel that the Church is a more secretive & untrustworthy organisation than the Freemasons.

I'm kinda confused by the article, it says it wants to help end discrimination against its members but doesn't seem to list anything other vague "gross misunderstandings". I don't think misunderstanding is the same as discriminating against someone.

Still segregated though isn’t it Jonty, and the male order is much more powerful and connected

Well, come on. In one breath, people are saying we WANT segregation, we want the chance to have our own spaces away from any men."
Then in the next "but it's still segregrated, isn't it?!"
So it's OK for women to have women only places but not ok for men to have men only places, is that it? How is that fair? If it's OK for women to have female only spaces it should be OK for men to have male only spaces too.
You can't have it both ways.
(No, I'm not a man before anyone starts.) Just believe in actual equality and not when it just suits.

I often read on MN people strenuously defending women only groups, places, spaces because they are necessary. And I agree.
But when men have a men only space, well how dare they? They are discriminatory and sexist.

Exactly.

I was in the police in the 90s and Freemasonry was being attempted to be rooted out because of the corrupting influence it had been shown to have. Didn’t seem to get far enough though. The police federation leader who stepped down last year said it was still a factor (>25 years later) in the lack of opportunity for women and BME.

there is nothing secretive about the Masons, Freemasons Hall is there slap bang in the middle of London , complete with regalia shops opposite. You can even go in!

It is in Great Queen St., at the end of Long Acre, right opposite the Pillars of Hercules and the Newton Arms.(public houses)

I love stuff like that.

Boombooms thanks for clarifying that it was indeed a problem in some forces. Unfortunately one of my relatives was a victim of police and cps corruption (long and quite boring if you weren’t involved story). It so happens that the men involved were masons, so that’s coloured my view I’m afraid. I’ve been called a conspiracy therorist and ‘crazy’ on other threads.