Gender Critical 'Lurkers'

[BadasIwannaB]

I’ve been reading the Gender Critical threads on Mumsnet for a few months now and I’m ‘delurking’ to say THANK YOU! To all the intelligent, articulate gender critical feminists here - you are my absolute heroes, and you’re really giving me hope!

I’ve thought for a long time that many aspects of the supposedly right-on rhetoric about gender is deeply misogynist, and I was unsettled and annoyed at how much pressure there is on women not to challenge it, and how much supposed ‘feminists’ enforce that pressure. But for a long time I felt like I must be the only person who thought this, because I wasn’t seeing anyone speaking out, and on the v few occasions where I mentioned any of this to friends, it didn’t go down well. So it’s been hugely inspiring and reassuring to see that there’s this growing community here standing up for women against the bullshit. I’ve literally been reading the discussions here every day for the last few months, and it cheers me up so much! I’ve become such a fan of so many of you: LangCleg, Datun, Bowlofbabelfish, Ereshkigal, Angry Attack Kittens, I could go on and on…

So I started wondering, how many people like me are there reading these threads and cheering silently from the sidelines? I’m hoping there are lots of us. I think it’s easy to think we’re a tiny minority because of all the fear surrounding joining the discussion, but maybe if we all delurked we’d see that that’s not the case.

So any other lurkers wanna delurk?

I'm a lurker too and another who wants to thank you all so much. I can't seem to talk about it in RL without getting jumped on (apart from my family who've mostly peaked) :) - my FB and Twitter feeds are full of shares of slushy videos about 10 year olds who have transitioned - and it scares me. This space is wonderful - thank you.

HQ must know how many users are looking at the feminist page. I believe that's basic analytics, (I have no real idea how it works, I just asked a friend).

So HQ know the number of women for whom this is important.

And now we know.

And yes, it is incredibly encouraging.

Yay! Yay! Yay!

Sometimes I ask questions that I already know the answer to (or could figure out with some research) because I know there are lurkers out there, nursing babies, wrangling toddlers, scrubbing preschoolers, packing lunches and arguing with teenagers who will be asking the exact same questions in their heads, but not have the time to type it out or extract the information from elsewhere.

The established posters here are more knowledgeable than most media commentators, and much sassier too.

Y’all rule. Keep lurking, or start posting, whatever works for you, but don’t be afraid to ask questions, because it’s not just the asker that benefits!

Women rock ❤️

Oh, now, this thread just warms my cockles.

Me too! I am smiling reading. Just what I needed.

This is a truly amazing thread......and no derailers!

I'm going to take this as a win today.

Love and solidarity to all the lurkers and delurkers.

Women supporting women

Occasionally I post, mostly I lurk

Delurking too. Thanks for starting the thread OP - am very happy that you've prompted me to show my support to the many excellent posters here. Have been reading avidly as I'm concerned for some family members.

Signed the petition a while ago 😇

Twitters also good for a lurk. More and more transsexuals on there ‘stepping out from under the umbrella’. So that’s encouraging and interesting (and also very brave)

So to all the TS lurkers.

Materialist - Things are indeed looking crappy for women on your side of the pond at the mo and that is dismaying. Know that we are standing shouder to shoulder with you. There are posters on the long running Trump threads in AIBU who have booked time off work to get out & protest when Trump visits the UK next month.

I (very occasionally) post but am mostly a lurker as what I want to say has usually already been said by the time I come to a thread.

The trans debate is not much discussed within my social circle and I don't know a single trans person so the true ramifications of the proposals had completely passed me by until I started reading on here.

Thank you so much to the brave, intelligent, articulate women who stand up for us and have educated us to stand up for ourselves!

Yay for the lurkers. I was one myself for ages, until I jumped in with both feet. I know you're all out there, and I know how you feel about these fabulous regulars who are engaging in post to post combat at no small cost to themselves.
Women are, quite simply, bloody brilliant.

I lurk too. These threads have opened my eyes so much and I'm starting to talk about this stuff in RL and share what I am learning. Thank you to everyone who posts.

Long-term lurker Lurkacus here. I've been speaking up in real life with those I know but not online. I just wanted to say thankyou to the amazing women fighting for our rights on here. I think there are probably many of us cheering you on and ready to step up if needed.

Read many times a day. Love you and have massive respect for your bravery in speaking about this. One day soon I may join you - but I'm 100% in silent agreement until then. Keep on trucking. You're inspiring so many people.

Another here who mostly lurks.

That's how I lurks it.

I'm so grateful to all of you who post here and help me to think about things, in the not so distant past I was not gender critical, but read a few things here, peaked, and started having conversations about this stuff in real life. It's not just the trans stuff though, I think I really did buy the story that we didn't need feminism any more, that we are all treated equally and living the dream.

Hi, I lurk here too. Never been brave enough to post, but learning so much from all the amazing posters. Thanks all!

Delurking to say you all rock and give me hope. Struggling IRL as my go-to feminist mates think times need to change and 'this is like the fight for gay rights' ☹
Another good feminist friend has a grown up trans child and has become an avid trans rights supporter. Im due for mandatory equality and diversity training at work and i can't face being forced to agree with offensive anti biology bs. It's all just blowing my mind to be honest.

But you amazing people keep me hoping and fighting in the small ways that I can....

Just want to add, as well as learning so much about feminism, gender, women's rights, I have also been inspired to learn and do so much more from the threads here, from baking a banana loaf to reading a hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and listening to pj Harvey.
This board is truly awe inspiring so thank you x

This is such a lovely thread.

One thing upsets me a little bit though.

Women! Stop saying you are too thick to post! Stop saying other women say it better than you!

1. You aren't.
2. They say it in their own way, not a better way.
3. Your voice is as valuable as any other woman's.
4. You deserve to be heard and we will hear you.

If you want to, speak!

LurkyMcLurkface here. I have been following this for a couple of years now and so thankful I found you. Still not brave enough to post often but I read and digest and donate and sign up where I can. Thanks to all the articulate and incisive posters who keep on plugging away. You are hugely valued.

Also, if articulating yourself is hard at first it'll get easier the more you do it. We've all been socialized not to speak out, but the good news is that if you do so in this space there are hundreds of other women who understand that who want to hear what you have to say.

Another lurker here, I've posted a handful of times lately but I've been reading for ages. I've got a tendency to post, get distracted and then forget to go back and engage in the conversation - must stop doing that!
Hello to all you fellow lurkers

Mainly lurk but posting a bit recently. So grateful to all the regulars and old timers here who opened my eyes to what is happening Re FWR issues.