Input on strategy to promote feminism as women’s sex based rights

[stumbledin]

Should we have an agreed strategy for reclaiming our right to discuss feminism within our own terms on Mumsnet?

If so should this be:

Just go on posting on Feminism Chat and ignore the ghetto of the misnamed debate board (and leave MNHQ to move threads around based on their unstated decision making policy)?

Boycott Feminism Chat and just post on our very own (misnamed) segregated section and leave Chat for those who feel more comfortable on an apolitical board?

Ask MNHQ to create an index page that compiles the entries from the two sections into a list of all topics we can then more easily pick threads to join?

Set up a petition thread on the petition board where we can each post saying we agree or disagree with the unexplained and not understood split?

Or just go with the flow and accept we will miss topics and threads we started or are on that will disappear for no rational reason?

Or … ?

I think:

Short term- ignore the feminism board and just post on women's rights. It's easy for the mods to.move posts here but not easy to say a topic has nothing to do with sex or gender.

Long term- keep pestering, at least for a name change. If the name is changed, the other feminism section will go the way of every spin off section in the past.

Why is the thread about sexist poundland merchandise in this section?

See my comment on the Poundland thread (it's directly related to sex and I was confused).

Can we not derail this discussion - its really important. (This ridiculous split in FWR is only serving to waste everyone's time and take energy away from important issues).

I agree, keep posting here and agitating for a name change.

Just go on posting on Feminism Chat and ignore the ghetto of the misnamed debate board (and leave MNHQ to move threads around based on their unstated decision making policy)?

MNHQ chose the names, so I will follow them as written. In the absence of a definitive mod post outlining how they want us to use the two boards, what else can we do?

So if I want to talk about feminism, that will go in Feminism Chat. And if I want to engage in "sex & gender debate", I'll know where to go.

So if I want to talk about feminism, that will go in Feminism Chat. And if I want to engage in "sex & gender debate", I'll know where to go.

What feminist issues aren't related to sex and 'gender' though? There are a lot of threads which could be in either.
If there was an easy way to simply group topics and list them all at once maybe that would be a bit less bad. Part of the problem was already duplication of threads, several at once discussing an issue which is in the news. Splitting the board will have exacerbated this.

That's a good point; we often get multiple threads on something. It will be hard to know where to look or post for some.

we often get multiple threads on something. It will be hard to know where to look or post for some.

This is why it needs to be one board.

As with the previous times similar divisions have occured on other boards- eventually everyone defaults to one.

I think the most urgent goal is that the most trafficked board is the one which is allowed to talk about sex based rights.

I can't keep up; are there actually different rules on the different boards?

Who bloody knows? I only ended up here because I searched for FWR as usual and got redirected here.

Yes there are different rules. Or rather on what is now feminism chat there are no rules, so yesterday I did post come on over to feminism chat there are no rules.

And if in fact they do move a thread then @MNHQ should leave a marker heading saying moved AND WHY?

As it is this name is stupid because none of us are debating the issue. We are just monitoring and commentating on the ongoing onslaught against women's sex based rights.

Which is worse that they think we are so stupid we dont even know what we are talking about - or they dont understand?!

It is all become so mysterious, like some deliberatelly obscure bureauracy. Almost as though they didn't want us here.

It really feels like just another way of silencing the witches.

There is a thread on chat which is about a topic I am passionate about and have both personal and professional interest in. I have joined in but said about 50 % of what I need to say. Because the issue of trans rights is now inextricably bound up in this particular feminist issue. It shouldn't be. Women and children never asked for it to be. It is trans rights activists (who not even always trans people themselves) who have got the issues mixed up, so that appeasing one harms the other.

But I am made to feel as though I must not mention these extremely serious points that relate to gender identity because then the important thread will be whisked over to the badlands where all the kind identified people don't want to be seen and I'm a bad person for not letting them discuss the issue in a watered down way.

So this echoes real life where it is also difficult to talk frankly about pressing issues if you risk offending people who believe in gender ID.

I've spent much more time on twitter today. Great that they've reinstated Helen Staniland.

I'm surprised we're not wanted. I've spent far too much money on two brands I'd never have come across were it not for MN. I reckon GC people post a lot because they actually discuss shit rather than insult, mantra, flounce. That's a lot of time being advertised to. We're pretty conscientious I'd say too, mindful of the guidelines however much we disagree.

I have been on 2 or maybe it was 3 threads on chat where posters (me included) have talked about the basis of women's oppression being their sex. No one has fainted nor scared the horses!

Just illustrates how stupid this all this. And chat has no rules. There are no rules posted at the top saying you cant discuss this or that, nor are there are published rules of what a thread can be about!

Its just farcical.

How many extra monitors are they having to employ to do this?

sees a bit rich asking everyone to sign up to premium because they are struggling to keep going, they secure extra contributions and they basically attempt to kick out many who contributed financially.

More than anything, not just the politics, but the highhanded way they have done this makes them seem totally unprofessional.