To think it is not at all sad that the Women's Institute is now only for actual women?

[SingleSexSpacesInSchools]

“Incredibly sadly, we will have to restrict our membership on the basis of biological sex from April next year,” Green said. “But the message we really want to get across is that it remains our firm belief that transgender women are women, and that doesn’t change.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/03/womens-institute-no-longer-accept-trans-women-members-april

Tellingly - they still think women can have a penis.

The article does say existing male members will have to leave, does not say how. Weird to delay until April as well, assume some males will join prior to that date now maybe.

I thought the whole reason for the FWR gender section on here was so that topics like this wouldn't take over the general forums.

Oh no, can't have reality seeping into 'general forums'. Eek, quick report it!

Common sense is beginning to return

Well you were wrong.

It's great news OP, ridiculous that they're so sad they can no long prioritise men

This is fantastic and I like to see it in general chat because it is actually happening in the world not just in the feminist forum.

Yet here you are...

Anyone who finds it boring doesn't have to jump on this thread as I don't go on threads that I find boring just to say wow, this thread's really boring

Ignore if boring, as with any other thread.

@SingleSexSpacesInSchoolsyou are most definitely not being unreasonable.

yes, you're right - women's rights are so tedious and of no interest to women....

I note there's no apology to all the women who were let down by the WI (or the many other single sex organisations) who willfully ignored the law until its meaning was spelled out to them by the Supreme Court.

The best bit is that Mumsnet feminist forum had a lot of influence over why this is now happening in the real world and we should celebrate that I think

Theres a thread I’m looking for regarding an amazing woman who, with her husband, is involved in a court case with the WI. If anyone is able to provide a link to it, I’d be really grateful.

I assume that's when subscription is due .

I think you will find that Mumsnet is directly responsible for WI rolling...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5377946-dh-v-the-wi-thread-2

(maybe, I have no idea if it was this couple, but they did get to legal)

I think its good to post this here. Its an interesting topic and more people will see it here, as not everyone goes on to the FWR board.

I feel sorry for the 80 year old mentioned in the article who has been a member for years.

I think it’s fair enough to restrict membership in the future, but there ought to be an exemption for those transwomen who have been going for years without any issues. These are not activists - they are people just trying to live their own lives.

I think that’s great news! I’m guessing the WI put the bit about TW being women to hopefully stop them being sued.

"Without issues" - apart from, perhaps, women who were too uncomfortable with a trans-identifying man attending and so did not attend themselves?

You are hypothesising

but they are sill male. And this, is a female only organisation. You cannot allow some. it's either none, or all.

I should think it's actually because the board are totally captured.

There’s no way I’d join a women’s organisation that “feels sad” about excluding men, probably the reason they don’t have more complaints is that women who don’t believe the nonsense choose not to join organisations that pedal it.

I have no intention of joining the WI and I've never had anything to do with Girl Guides, but there are plenty of women who do want to belong to an organisation for women, just as there are plenty of girls and young women who want an organisation just for them. This is allowed in law and it's extraordinary that over the last few years these organisations have admitted males who utter the magic words 'I identify as a woman/girl', but no other males. This was never legal, no matter what Stonewall and others said, and the Supreme Court clarified this earlier this year. It's embarrassing that the leadership of these organisations has taken nine months to respond to the very clear judgement and even then they seem to regard it as much more upsetting to have to turf out the very small number of males who've joined than to have excluded a great many women and girls who could have benefited from membership but didn't want to be in a mixed sex group.