Could Mumsnet clarify the purpose of the sex and gender forum?

[Lexibletheflexible]

Can we get some clarification on the actual "purpose" of the sex and gender forum, please?

Many members on there seem to allude to it being for GC people rather than to discuss issues related to gender and sex. They make posts like this one:

"and the overall purpose of the sub forum."

What is this "overall purpose" that some members seem to be privy to and isn't outlined in the group title?

I can show various other posts by regular members who seem sure of the same thing. I think it would help all of us if we understood what the site/staff intended its purpose to be.

TRA is used in FWR in a pejorative sense, and as a catch-all for anyone and everyone expressing a different view.

Have you seen some of the names women are called on Reddit and bluesky? At least TRA is accurate.

Not by me. I use it as an abbreviation for trans rights advocate.

I'll stop abbreviating from now on since it inflames some people's imaginations so much.

I use 'genderists' when referring to those people who have adopted that belief, but individual advocates are individual advocates.

I don't see TRA as pejorative, though I also don't think it should be used as a catch-all for anyone expressing a different view.

I agree the forum in question - or some individuals within it - can be a bit too quick to
label even slightly dissenting voices as "TRAs" (and/or as men!) - and therefore as not worth listening to - when I don't believe this is always the case.

For me, anyone who is willing to constructively discuss, listen and not be abusive should be welcome, even if their argument differs from the prevailing one. Unfortunately, there are some who don't actually want to discuss or listen and who do want to be abusive.

As it was myself that dared recently call one person who is advocating for me and basically all women and girls to have to stand down and let the men do whatever they want whenever they want to, a TRA I can confirm that I meant 'Trans Rights Activist', and yes, when their posts are 'expressing a different view' over and over that always centres men who say they are women over women then i fail to see what other rights they are activating for if not for men who say they are women because these men say they are 'trans'.

I agree than many of them are more men's rights advocates than trans rights advocates. The extent to which the existence of, and experience, of transmen gets left out of any consideration by some genderists is telling.

FWR is a great space for women who were in secondary school in the late 60s to early 80s and experienced a lot of the unequal pay and rights situations at first hand, not as something theoretical or historical.

What we learned then built in an ability to recognise institutional misogyny in action.

Bearing in mind one 'person who is here to tell us we are unreasonable for wanting women and girls to have their current legal rights' was more upset about an actual paedophile being misgendered than a nurse being racially abused there might be other choice acronymns but we would never be allowed to use it, if one were available.

Sorry, no, I don’t use either of those forums and I’m not sure why any names used there should affect what names you use here.

I think it's more for context.

If one were not aware, one might form the opinion that FWR or MN are extremist sites with aggressive or offensive phrasing as the norm, when the reality is the debate about Genderism vs Feminism on FWR and MN is incredibly careful and respectful compared to many other mainstream online spaces.