Girl Guides are now GIRL ONLY!

[Iamwhoiamwhoareyou]

Following April's supreme court ruling, the Girl Guides have FINALLY made a statement and will remain GIRLS ONLY - Finally closing the door on admitting trans members or allowing BOYS to invade female only spaces/camp (which, would be done without informing parents that their daughter would be sharing a room with a biological male!) - I have a previous post in feminism chat for anyone wanting to read the previous thread on this

EMAIL RECEIVED HOT OFF THE PRESS 5 MIN AGO -

As the parent of a young member in Girlguiding, following April’s Supreme Court decision relating to sex and gender, we wanted to give you an update. Many organisations across the country have been facing complex decisions about what it means for girls and women and for the wider communities affected, including us.

Girlguiding’s governing charity documents set out that the membership and people who benefit from our organisation are girls and women. In April, the Supreme Court ruled that girls and women are defined in the Equality Act 2010 by their biological sex at birth.
Following detailed considerations, expert legal advice and input from senior members, young members and our Council, Girlguiding’s Board of Trustees has made the difficult decision that Girlguiding must change Girlguiding must change, following the Supreme Court’s ruling.

From today, 2 December, it is with a heavy heart that we are announcing trans girls and young women will no longer be able to join Girlguiding. This is a decision we would have preferred not to make, and we know that this may be upsetting for members of our community.

There will be no immediate changes for current young members but more information will be shared next week.

Most adult roles, including unit helpers, district helpers and administrative support, are already open to all, so we are confident that no volunteers will have to leave the organisation.

Girlguiding believes strongly in our value of inclusion, and we will continue to support young people and adults in marginalised groups. Over the next few months, we'll explore opportunities to champion this value and actively support young people who need us.

You can find our full statement and updated policy on our website.

We are proud to be the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated to girls and is focused on creating an equal world for girls and young women. For over 100 years, we have been a welcoming space for all girls to have new experiences, support their communities, build friendships and grow their confidence.

While Girlguiding may feel a little different going forward, these core aims and principles will always be the same. We remain committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect, particularly those from marginalised groups that have felt the biggest impact of this decision.

If you have any immediate questions, we have our special support team in place, to give volunteers, parents and carers the best support we can. We are asking Girlguiding HQ, trading and country/region staff to refer any volunteer or parent who has questions about this announcement. Details below.

Contact [email protected] or 020 7532 3970
All calls/emails will be confidential, and the service will be open 24hrs, 7 days a week.
Find out more, including how this team will handle personal data.

Denise Wilson (Chair of Trustees), Felicity Oswald (CEO) and Tracy Foster (Chief Guide)

Good. But I dislike the tone and wording in their email. However nothing surprises me with GG, it has an image problem but letting trans children in isn't the solution.

I'm all for equality but how can a 10 year old boy know they want to be a girl. Teenage boys who identify as female are not females. I'm not sure a parent would want their daughter going on a pack holiday with a trans person (i know that's not pc).

Thanks for the share token

There are lawsuit in the works against them for allowing only some males in (the ones with special identities) but not others and they are trying to defend it with the same bs that hampstead ladies pool is.
There's a couple of threads about it on the feminism board if you're interested

Our scouts/guides are mixed gender anyways so these types of rulings don't matter. I know this was meant as thought provoking comment and the responses have been, well...mumsnetty. but it does bring an interesting point, when girls football was banned in europe, girls were taken to boys teams pretending to be boys. They are praised for it now. So interesting what the future holds regarding this. Also, i do think there is a point in what can a leader do if a parent challenges the leaders assumption on the child's gender.

That being said, this like any trans discussion (wither it is bathrooms, giving birth, hobbies) will affect such a small number of people that it is fascinating how it remains a discussion topic on both sides of the argument.

no one is suggesting young gender confused boys who want to be girls can’t join a youth organisation. It just needs to be a mixed sex one or one for boys. Girls are not support humans for dysphoric boys.

What do you do now?

So, it WAS because of the law suit!

Well done that mother!

it is with a heavy heart that we are announcing trans girls and young women will no longer be able to join Girlguiding. This is a decision we would have preferred not to make, and we know that this may be upsetting for members of our community.

so basically still throwing women under the bus! How dare girls/women say they don’t want boys/men to join hey!

Brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant

As a leader I think girl only spaces are very important and this is very controversial. But my question is not really answered by this statement and they have not addressed it online either. If I have a male helper coming on camp I have to inform the parents and arrange for separate sleeping and rouletint facilities. If I have an adult trans woman coming away with my (most of whom will still have biologically male sexual organs) I am not allowed to tell parents or arrange separate areas. I find this very difficult as there are several reasons parents would not want their children to stay overnight with people who have a pen*s. Strictly religious families (I have several Muslim girls in my unit), former sexual abuse, personal preference etc. It’s never actually come up as there isn’t anyone in my area who is trans, but I don’t like the uncertainty around it or potentially misleading parents. I’m less bothered about trans children in the younger sections tbh.

I think this is another thing that’s sent me over the edge. All these leaders who are apparently so horrified at giving girls a girls-only space, but they’ve chosen to be leaders in GIRLguiding?

And they keep telling us to “be kind”. As I tell my Brownies - showing kindness doesn’t mean just doing what the other person wants. Our 7 year olds understand the difference between compliance and kindness!!!

So bewildering and disappointing.

Or perhaps it's because people with misogynistic views don't want to be challenged?

'trans' children are like vegan cats. In both cases we all know who is making the choices. No child has any actual concept of gender. It's transhousen by proxy. Parents who have 'gender disappointment' and want to trans their child.

Girls are entitled to girls only spaces. Is there some reason you don't understand that?

"Living in the gender you prefer" means a male adopting a female name and wearing female clothing. It does not automatically include going into female-only spaces and organisations. It might mean that the male tells people he is female, but that doesn’t mean everyone else agrees with him.

but it does bring an interesting point, when girls football was banned in europe, girls were taken to boys teams pretending to be boys. They are praised for it now

Firstly and most obviously, this didn't make them boys. The whole issue was because they were girls.

They didn't have an option to play as girls. Boys who claim to be girls do have options - boys' spaces or mixed sex spaces.

Girls are allowed spaces away from boys. It's quite something to take historic oppression of girls as a reason to take away their rights to spaces away from boys.

you mean biological boys

GC means Gender Critical. It means Critical of Gender stereotypes. Critical of sexist stereotypes.

So you are admitting the majority of people you know support sexist stereotypes?

Are you doubting that the silent majority are not misogynist bigots? Is that what you are saying? Because women and feminists are all GC by default and by definition. Unless you are suggesting they support misogyny?

MALE in female spaces panic.

A poll showed that the overwhelming majority of people agreed with the Supreme Court decision.

You are confusing tolerance of 'trans' identified people, with acceptance of the obliteration of single sex spaces.

They are two entirely different things. Poll after poll after poll shows the overwhelming majority agree with the retention of female only single sex spaces.

Lots? Give some examples.

ETA I may have misinterpreted what you wrote.

@forgotmyusername1 Why did you choose giirlguides to volunteer in?

Was it to support girls in a safe space for them, acknowledging that they are the sex that is at highest risk of physical and sexual harm throughout their lives?

Or was it to gaslight girls into accepting boys and men in their personal space, to force them into putting men's choices and rights before their own.

If it was the latter, then it is best you leave.

Hmm they have turned comments off but it’s still there? Girlguiding , all one word

Are you really this serious? Do you really not understand that obliterating the rights of girls to have girls only spaces opens the door for males to enter? And once males enter, girls are worn down and desensitised to allow males into their spaces thus abuse happens?

Do you genuinely not think girls are entitled to girls only spaces?

It’s really hard to hold discussions when people are so aggressive. Things why I rarely comment on these posts, because with such responses.

Fwiw, I passionately believe in girl only spaces, and unlike most of you, give up hours of my life, unpaid, to offer it. I am the last person you would think of as misogynistic. I am a proud feminist. I am sure someone will be along to tell me what I think again, shortly.

I think there needs to be more tolerance in society more generally for people living their authentic lives, even if that is in a different body to the one they were born in, as long as they are not causing harm.

I do think that we need to prevent sexually abusive men from accessing female only spaces, and we need to find a way to protect women from them. What I don’t believe is that trans woman = abusive man, as the GC movement would have us believe. And excluding trans women just to keep out the abusive men, is too blunt an instrument. Most trans women just want to live a peaceful life in the way that they choose, and they aren’t joining women only organisations in their masses with intent to cause harm.

Fairly recently in my case. My DD is nearly 21, so 10-15 years ago. In my area though most dads get involved in cricket, rugby and soccer, plus scouts. It’s the mums that do GG.