Turns out Hampstead swimming ponds are single SEX after all ...

[PencilsInSpace]

... at least the men's pond is

Well done to the fabulous #ManFriday gents for exposing this rank hypocricy! Splendid work, chaps

you could use google drive upstart

I'll give that a go. I owe you a pint and other such manly greetings.

If you want to share a doc on googledrive with people you dont know you might have to share your email address. Or you could create the doc in google drive, export it as a pdf or even a pic file and post it easily without identifying yourself via a personal email address. Check if the email address has to be public too. stay safe.

This thread is moving so quickly but just wanted to lately pop by to punch Amy and Sweary on the shoulder and give them a big man hug. You are truly inspirational. Modern day Suffragettes indeed.

I'm a knitter, desperately looking for decent small knitting projects at the moment, and love the idea of knitted beards for women to wear on Fridays!

There are so many lovely yarns and textures and colours that could be used!

Am free on Thursday, so shall look into knitted beards a bit more, and experiment with odds and ends in my yarn stash!

Gotta love Mumsnet.

@Lightofasilverymoon could you look at ones I can stroke in a musing, manly and intellectual manner

Light - I may order one for me and DH. Me, so I can express my inner manliness and him so I don't have to keep finding his fecking beard pubes all over the bathroom even though he swears he's cleaned them all up.

Harking back to a point made earlier, everyone’s contribution is valuable. I was really sad reading a few days ago that @hear_roar was told that their contribution to another cause was worthless. It’s just not true. I can’t make up brilliant hashtags. I’m crap at telling witty anecdotes. I’m not wealthy enough to throw funding at causes. I’m time-poor. But I’m good at putting people at ease. I couldn’t give a toss about wearing ridiculous outfits in public. And I hate injustice and will just not ever go away until it’s sorted. If everyone was like me, the whole thing would be crap, but I’m good at my bits. Sweary and roar are fab at big groups and stories. Other members are good at talking to people, or handing out leaflets, or running the Twitter account, or the website, or coming up with ideas, or giving expert legal advice, or drawing, or or rallying the troops, or handling the media, or proof-reading, or telling a hard truth, or making us laugh and reading and supporting. No one is more or less valuable and I love and appreciate them all. I’m very lucky to be surrounded by such inspiring, incredible women.

@BettyBaggins Certainly! Are you thinking smooth and sleek (think eyelash yarn for a long and glossy version; or eyelash yarn clipped and sculpted with nail scissors for a more hipster vibe?); or alternatively, a wild and woolly "hide a ferret" job?

YesItsADebate : serious thanks to all of the ManFriday crew for what you have done and are doing. You have pitched it perfectly! Thanks for being so inspiring!

Exactly right. They are inspiring. Thank you

@LightOfASilveryMoon I would love a knitted beard 😂

@YesItsADebate : please tell me your knitted beard specifications/visions, and I shall do my very best. Seriously.

You have done so much to move the debate forward into men's spaces - and in such practical ways. It is inspiring!

Respect!

(And please post the specs for your knitted beard, I shall do my utmost!)

Increasingly I'm finding myself with one particular song stuck in my head. I've not seen Mary Poppins for years but #ManFriday does so often make me feel like singing in grateful chorus "Well done, sister suffragettes!"

for everyone involved!

I'm so inspired by you. What a brilliant idea this was.

It's brilliant. Well done. As for the infertility/menopause/surgery invoking whatabouts, I've taken to shouting "HYSTERECTOMY KLAXON"! at them. In all serious though, the only response is to question back - "wait do you think a woman who has had a hysterectomy isn't a woman? Why do you think that?"

Well done for your activism - so effective taking it to men - it's showing up this flawed policy and legislation for what it is

Just listened to PM. Amy you came across so well - I loved the "hardly" you said over Fae's claim there are no examples.

Slightly confused about the 'self-publicist thing what exactly does Fae think you are trying to do yesitisadebate? Not everyone is a media desperado like Fae.

BTW I'd love a knitted beard - if it were possible for it to have arran knit style plaits it would be amazing.

The whole "woman without a womb isn't a woman thing", is so foolish. It's such an essentialist, mechanical way of thinking about humans. Female biology, in fact all biology, is complex and holistic, removing an organ might disrupt a system but it doesnt reduce the body to nothing.

The entire "front hole" way of thinking is distasteful; it is an attempt to characterise female biology as flesh for penetration. The urethra, the vagina and the anus, are part of intricate systems, not simply tunnels into the body.

Talking about female bodies this way seems to me to express tremendous disdain.

I have always found that it is used to guilt women into being quiet. No one wants to feel they are implying a woman who has had a hysterectomy is not a woman. That is how trans have always shut down debates.

Thank you.

I thought you came across so well. Fae's opening gambit of "amy is a bully" and other personal attacks was met with you ignoring fae and just saying what you wanted to say. Made fae look a bit silly for going straight for the hyperbole instead of facts.

Good blog post from Lily: lilymaynard.wordpress.com/2018/05/30/yes-but-today-is-monday-swimming-in-the-mens-pond-on-hampstead-heath/

Now can we say, 'Lily M is a man'?!

'It's isn't necessarily wrong' said Sergeant Macefield, tactfully. 'It's about the clarification, in regards to whatever. It's obviously getting convoluted.'

Such a funny well written piece.