Some weekend flowers, cake and wine for Mumsnet

[pombear]

I'm not sure how this'll go, as I know not everyone will agree (pfft - ie, as in almost every thread on Mumsnet, ever!)

I thought it might be lovely to send some weekend-thanks back to the Mumsnet team, the site owners, the moderators, just the team in general really.

I know there's a lot of frustration about what we can and can't say, particularly within FWR.

But Mumsnet has held its ground, enabled a conversation, a two-way dialogue that just doesn't happen on many other sites right now.

They haven't shut the conversation down, when I'm guessing often it may have felt easier to do so given external pressure being exerted by certain groups and people (and hopefully the number of clicks on FWR as a result have been good for business)

There will be those who say 'oh, but look at the pile-ons' etc, this site is 'transphobic'.

But this site doesn't delete threads that often, so the evidence remains to the contrary. Threads that show intelligent, mostly calm discussion when people disagree with each other.

(I particularly find the terminology of 'pile-ons' interesting - often deployed when a poster finds lots of people on the thread disagree with them. If I recall, that used to be defined as 'hmm, most people seem to disagree with me' - now re-identifying as a 'pile-on' once 'more than two people disagree with me' as if it disagreement = act of hate and aggression! I suspect many visitors who solely come to FWR wouldn't cope with a wedding-thread/parking thread disagreement!)

And I'm pretty sure the Mumsnet team doesn't have a 'hive mind' just like none of us do here, so your office team meetings must be fascinating!

So to the moderators, the leadership team, to the person on reception who probably worries sometimes who's going to walk through the door, given some of the aggressive tactics we've seen from those who wish to silence women's voices:-

I'd like to thank you for keeping this space open to enable everyone to have the conversation.

depending on what floats your boat!

I'm on board. Thank you HQ

I agree, I am really proud to be a Mumsnetter in this regard.

Aye from me, and a large for 'over my dead body' Michael is due this week, I think.

Good post pombear. Adding my .

I agree. Thank you Mumsnet HQ

Cheers!

I, too, am very proud to be a Mumsnetter in this regard. for the team - big up you
And thank you.

Oh yes, definitely a of preference for Michael this week! (Hope you weren't hauled over the coals!)

Thanks for joining me in this thread - thought it might go down like a lead balloon right now, given a lot of us regular posters are getting deletions, etc! But I think we forget sometimes just how powerful it is to have this board still here, even when we want to moan about it!

And it's interesting to see some less familiar names on the FWR board posting on this thread too. Lovely to see you - guessing you're 'reading along' just like lots of us were too?

Whether you ever decide to post more on this section or not, it's really lovely to hear your names and voices too. And know you're here too.

Thanks be to women for these difficult conversations, for the women who write them, fight for women's rights and for MN facilitating that.
Cheers to you all, goods thoughts OP

Yay HMD Mumsnet thanks for being here and letting us speak out

Absolutely. Spot on thread pombear. The Mumsnet team have been amazing at holding their nerve and holding open this space when all the mainstream media and orgs that should have been thinking through the issues and impacts on women and children have failed (and been co-opted)

🥂🍰🍹🍺🍷 and some old school to you all and to the amazing FWR feminist underground 💚 💜💚💜

Nice one pombear I'll toast to that ☕(its decaff cos it's 1am 🙃)

Thank you Mumsnet💐🌸🥂🍰

Yes grateful for this board and to Mumsnet for facilitating - have been 'reading along' for a long time and learned a lot - I have always felt women's rights were hard won and could be easily lost again

I’ve learned so much from this board and it’s posters

Thank you Mumsnet

And more and for MNHQ.
I can only imagine the pressure that you're under behind the scenes. Thank you.

Another voice saying thank you for holding the line to allow debate of an issue that means so much to women and to parents generally. I lose sleep over child transition, and I know many other Mumsnetters feel the same.

So thank you.

Yes, happy mothers day @mumsnethq, we think you are fab for allowing these difficult conversations to happen on here and I'm sure you get it in the neck from some advertisers, and have to turn down cold hard cash for not changing your stance on supporting the women's rights board.

Indeed! And I liked the "over my dead body" too

Another thanks from me.

Thanks @mnhq, for taking the flak and giving us a space that didn't exist anywhere else a year ago.

If women are starting to be heard - and I believe they are - you've been a big part of helping that happen.

Yes thanks from me too MNHQ. I may get cross with you sometimes but if you hadn't hosted the discussion, I'd probably still be going round thinking 'where's the harm?' and this is still one of the few places where I feel I can talk about it openly. I know you must be under tremendous pressure and I hope that one day, you'll be able to tell us your stories.

Yes thanks MN. I know the pressure you've been under because of keeping this Board open so thanks a million.