if people were prepared to join when it was called Vipers Women’s Group then they knew what they were getting. Changing it to accommodate someone’s current self identification could easily put off potential new members who want to join a women’s group because they simply want to talk to other women , not to feel they have to tread around someone’s imaginary gender.
This is really not meant to sound flippant, but I always think of the history of Wimbledon in cases like this. If you ask 100 random people: "Which sport was the famous club in Wimbledon (and now known simply by that name) set up over a century ago to facilitate playing?", most of them will look at you witheringly, like you've asked them to tell you what 1+1 is - but you'll struggle to get even one of the 100 to give you the correct answer of 'croquet'.
Of course, it's 'only' sport, but I see the principle as the same. This club was set up for the playing of croquet and then, at some point, somebody introduced tennis as well. Well, we all know which one hugely dominates its whole raison d'etre and identity now.
There would have been a time when the croquet fans were perturbed that the stated focus of the club was being diversified; and then, before long, they likely all left as 'their' club had been taken over and was now no longer 'theirs'.
Some of them probably held out and complained - asking why the tennis fans even wanted to join them instead of simply starting their own tennis club; but I doubt it was very long before the remaining croquet fans were seen as hugely out of step, divisive, unfriendly, unwelcoming and, effectively, THEY became what was wrong with the new, improved 'all happy together' club and were, in all likelihood, asked or at least 'encouraged' to put up and shut up or leave.
Interesting....