AIBU to ask Mumsnet to reconsider a decision

[Mummyoflittledragon]

… to relegate certain threads from the AIBU board.

I imagine AIBU is probably the most active board on Mumsnet and therefore reaches the highest audience. Now when someone creates a thread about children’s boundaries being crossed by certain people and women being scared into silence and being attacked by certain groups, the thread quickly disappears out of AIBU and onto another board.

Once off AIBU, the thread receives far less exposure thus radically reduces the possibility to offer information to the widest possible audience. Information, which could be used to help people and particularly women make safety and / or safeguarding decisions about themselves and their children.

Mumsnet to me is like the BBC (in its hey day) of parenting sites. And as Mumsnet is renowned for being such an esteemed hub for information, AIBU to ask Mumsnet to not give in to outside pressure from certain groups and to stop relegating important informational threads without looking at the wider implications.

One thing I do notice with MN is that some boards barely get any traffic any more, e.g. general health, so to get anyone to engage with a health thread you have to put it in AIBU. I don't know about other topics particularly.

I'm not sure what the answer is but it's annoying. I want to find another forum where people actually look at and reply to health threads. Before AIBU came along other threads and topics had more replies I'm sure.

Just so people know, the gender critical discussion has been given it’s own board now, called Sex and Gender Debate.

The board now called Feminism Chat has been liberated for discussion of the rest of feminism.

Naturally, the gender critical posters are mostly very cross about this, and keep posting the usual stuff into the new board, but mnhq is doing a good job so far of holding the space for inclusive feminism.

Sorry, is feminism chat now for "inclusive feminism"?
So if I post about workplace maternity discrimination, should I choose where to post based on whether I am an "inclusive" feminist or not?
Beggars belief.

@CliftonGreenYork

I'm relatively knew to Mumsnet, but its really noticeable how incredibly anti-trans it appears. Perhaps they relegate those type of posts so as not to damage their reputation.

It's a curious thing when a thread pertaining to child safeguarding needs to be relegated on a parenting site.

The MoJ has repeatedly stressed that risk assessment processes are in place to keep women in prison safe.
However, the risk ax tool that is used for adult men who have been convicted of sexual offences, the OASys Sexual reoffending Predictor Score (OSP), is not used for male prisoners with a GRC because these prisoners are treated as female, and this risk ax tool is used with women.

threadreaderapp.com/thread/1410929146503614464.html

It's a curious thing when a thread pertaining to child safeguarding needs to be relegated on a parenting site.

Did everyone on the thread agree that it was a safeguarding issue?

Oh I didn't realise this was about trans. I've requested MN move some threads mainly due to the poster displaying MH issues and AIBU tending to be a place where people pile on.

@WorraLiberty

It's a curious thing when a thread pertaining to child safeguarding needs to be relegated on a parenting site.

Did everyone on the thread agree that it was a safeguarding issue?

Well if they didn't then IMO we have a bigger problem than what section the threads appear in.

No thanks, I find it pretty condescending to assume that those who frequent the AIBU boards (probably for some light relief or to seek advice) have no clue about what's going on. Perhaps they just choose to use MN for a purpose other than talking about one subject. I am engaged in other ways on this topic but have no interest in the AIBU being taken over by it. It has a board.

This entire site would be trans threads if they weren’t kept to the sex / gender forum. If you’re interested in them you can go to that board, but the whole site doesn’t need to be about transgenderism.

And strangely, up until a couple of weeks ago, those topics could be posted here without being moved. You are clearly relying a great deal on hyperboles because when the threads weren't being moved, the 'entire site' wasn't actually 'trans' threads.

And this thread was about a hugely relevant safeguarding issue of a male exposing themselves to a small girl. While you might consider it a 'trans' thread, others considered it something else.

Sorry, is feminism chat now for "inclusive feminism"?
So if I post about workplace maternity discrimination, should I choose where to post based on whether I am an "inclusive" feminist or not?
Beggars belief.

I think you've misunderstood - it doesn't mean you can't post if you're not an "inclusive" feminist or not!
It just means that there's now two boards - one for all the trans threads and issues, and another one called Feminist Chat for other feminism topics which used to get drowned out before - this way it's easier to find other topics.
I'd have thought your example of workplace maternity discrimination would go under the new board feminist chat.

Did everyone on the thread agree that it was a safeguarding issue?

Did everyone need to agree that it was a safeguarding issue for it to be a safeguarding issue?

Sigh, bold mess up a bit there!

Thank goodness for the coronavirus doom mongering board. Fed up with it on aibu! Bore off

It is sad to see how many people are automatically assuming that an intact naked man in the women and children's part of a Spa is trans and anyone objecting his presence is only doing so out of an extreme hatred or fear of transpeople. Personally as a mother I think I need what my child might be exposed to in a supposedly single-sex public space

Well if they didn't then IMO we have a bigger problem than what section the threads appear in.

Ok I don't know because I haven't read the thread, but opinions on what does/doesn't constitute a safeguarding issue, tend to vary on MN a lot anyway.

@Helleofabore

Did everyone on the thread agree that it was a safeguarding issue?

Did everyone need to agree that it was a safeguarding issue for it to be a safeguarding issue?

Of course not.

But equally, did just some people need to agree that it was a safeguarding issue for it to actually be a safeguarding issue?

This is what I mean by opinions varying.

@Coyoacan

It is sad to see how many people are automatically assuming that an intact naked man in the women and children's part of a Spa is trans and anyone objecting his presence is only doing so out of an extreme hatred or fear of transpeople. Personally as a mother I think I need what my child might be exposed to in a supposedly single-sex public space

Is the spa or the US government going to read through threads on AIBU then?

No. but it doesnt mean we have to follow their example.

@WorraLiberty

Well if they didn't then IMO we have a bigger problem than what section the threads appear in.

Ok I don't know because I haven't read the thread, but opinions on what does/doesn't constitute a safeguarding issue, tend to vary on MN a lot anyway.

So why do you think the thread shouldn't have been in AIBU if you haven't read it and don't know what the content was?

Yes why are discussing this person as trans rather than what he is, a sexually abusive male of the type that would identify as female to legitimize a sexual assault on women and children as that is what exposing your genitals is.

I am confused. Is a naked man in front of a little girl something that should go in the feminist section?

I am very respectful of everyone but I wouldn’t want my 8 year old to be close to a naked stranger with a penis.

Should this only be a feminist discussion? Or is it only a feminist discussion if the person says that they are trans?

But equally, did just some people need to agree that it was a safeguarding issue for it to actually be a safeguarding issue?

I would think that there are some pretty clear cut guidance on situations like this if it occurred in the UK. I am not sure about the US.

But luckily, in the UK, I think that someone with some safeguarding experience would be able to advise if there was an issue or not from a professional point of view.

@LittleMyTopKnot

I am confused. Is a naked man in front of a little girl something that should go in the feminist section?

I am very respectful of everyone but I wouldn’t want my 8 year old to be close to a naked stranger with a penis.

Should this only be a feminist discussion? Or is it only a feminist discussion if the person says that they are trans?

What would the AIBU be? Do you think many people will say nah its fine, no issue with that. What you mean is all these silly women on AIBU have no idea about this, and it requires something like this to educate them.

They're trying to stop a group with a particular agenda taking over the whole site. Which I think is wise since it's already very prevelant and only one point of view is actually tolerated.
Can't see a problem with it at all. Most topics have their own board and posts routinely get put in the correct one.