Why Would ‘Feminist’ Workshop for Age 6-7 Girls & Non Binary People Wish to Ensure Parents Can’t Hear What is Being Discussed?

[RichardBarrister]

This workshop is part of the WOW event at the South Bank Centre

Parents are not welcome and are told to sit behind a glass wall in sofas to view their children but will be unable to hear what they are being told by the hitherto unnamed workshop leader.

Does anyone else think this sounds ultra dodgy?

Same people who organised the DQ event where sexual jokes about the kids opening their legs were made apparently.

This is their safeguarding policy bynder.southbankcentre.co.uk/m/6a08c121ef55b219/original/Code_of_Conduct_Safeguarding_-2022.pdf

“Don’t tell your parents, this is a secret between us ok?”

Hm which group of people is it that says that again? Begins with a p.

And what about the 6 year old transgirls? Are they excluded? Sounds a transphobic to me. Or perhaps they just fall under that handy catch-all category 'girl'. And what about the transboys? Perhaps they exude too much toxic masculinity to be included in such a safe space.

I really don't understand what non binary even means in this context. Does this implicitly mean non binary females ie anyone without a penis? Or are non binary males also included? If so, what is the justification for admitting non binary penis havers but not transwomen? Sorry a bit off topic but I don't get it.

Is this some sort of joke?!

On what planet do the organisers think parents would be happy with this scenario? Six year old girls? As in year one?

Are these organisers really this obtuse?

I am really curious to know how many parents would actually take their kids to this, and why?

I went to the WOW festival and their listing pisses me off even more:

In this fun interactive workshop, girls and non-binary young people aged 8 to 10-years old will explore equality in the playground and at home, and get tips on how to start their very own campaign.
There are three sessions available - 10.30am is for girls and non-binary young people aged 6-7 years old; the two 5pm sessions are for girls and non-binary children aged 8-10 years old. There is also a session for boys aged 8-10.
These workshops are for young people only. There are comfy sofas outside for parents and guardians, and you are able to see your child at all times through a glass wall.
So there are two sessions for girls and non binary children. And one for boys, no non binary children allowed.

The whole festival is billed as a celebration of women, girls and non binary people. So anyone then?

The whole festival is billed as a celebration of women, girls and non binary people. So anyone then?

There is an offshoot festival, Wow Rotherham, which has recently posted a promotional video on Youtube

The first ever WOW Rotherham took place on 16 and 17 July in Clifton Park, Rotherham and was a riot of colour, conversation and culture. Planning is now underway for this year, and this time the festival will take over Rotherham Town Centre on 10 June 2023.

The introduction states that Wow is a celebration for women, non binary and trans people of Rotherham. Later it shows someone looking through books which presumably are considered essential reading when celebrating women. Included was a copy of Juno Roches book Transitions and The Little Book of Drag!

Just why?

Who knows?

They also have a session for boys and non binary people. So both sessions appear to be open to both sexes as they don’t specify which ‘type’ of non binary people.

I am assuming the organisers are intending that ‘male born non binary people’ attend the boys session and vice versa but maybe can’t specify that as it would highlight the major logic fail of the concept of non binary in this context (or any context where sex matters)

@Clymene - they do mention non binary people allowed further down in the blurb about the boys session

‘Join boys and non-binary people your age to explore what equality means and discover what life is like for young people across the world.‘

What's the point of a festival celebrating women if it includes men? My Twitter feed is full of vacuous American women politicians spending their IWD energy to say TWAW. It's not just including them, it's putting them front and centre.

I can't imagine anything more damaging for little girls to hear and be a part of.

(Quite apart from the whole wtf of sending your kid off on a session alone with no indication of who is running the workshop).

"Give me the child for the first seven years and I'll give you the man."

Grooming, plain and simple. The worst thing is that there will be idiot parents who take their poor children along.

If you are doing something with a child that you would not be fully confident to do openly in front of their parents you are doing something wrong and you are using the child .

I'm sick to death of the whole 'but normal rules don't apply to me', yes they fucking do.

Sounds like a safeguarding fail. Parents should be able to request info as to what is being discussed at a minimum

What's the point of a festival celebrating women if it includes men? My Twitter feed is full of vacuous American women politicians spending their IWD energy to say TWAW. It's not just including them, it's putting them front and centre.

Exactly. Very little point at all. Joe Biden gave a ‘Women of Courage’ to a male born trans person for IWD. 🙄

Nothing dodgy about this set up at all!!

Plus as I'm here

97,590 signatures less than 2500 to go

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/623243

First question I would ask would be ‘who is that group’s feminism for’?

I think this statement on their website says it all though.

"If you identify as a woman or know a woman, WOW is for you"
Jude Kelly

Jude Kelly is the founder of WOW

Would I be happy to leave my child with this group to learn about a very complex topic and not be able to hear what is being said? No.

I wouldn’t be overly confident of getting a straight answer on that one.

I can’t think of any sensible reason to exclude kids from a session with 6/7 yr olds and I hope the parents attending the overall event are not so gullible as to not see the huge red flag being laid out in front of them and hand their children over to these people.

Sadly yes, we know, there are parents stupid enough to hand their kids over for this, usually while sneering at the Cassandras pointing out the risks, and pat themselves on the back at how very progressive and superior they are for doing so.

I bet when she founded it in 2010, it was just for the cunty kind of women.

Creepy as hell.

As always with predators hiding in plain sight, parents should protect their little ones and not partake.

Is it a sad indication of how poorly some parents and organisations understand child safeguarding that exclusion of parents was even suggested?

I wonder if too many parents still blindly trust organisations- schools etc to have their child’s best interests at heart? It is clearly not in the best interests of the child for adults to tell them that they may have been born in the wrong body and that people can change sex - a child’s literal brain will take that at face value.

It is already causing harm to children’s mental health and I can see why. James Dreyfus reported that a young relative of his had been to some gender ideology workshops at school and ended up so confused and distressed that they started self harming.

What does it do to young children to have a trusted adult tell them that the fundamental truth that they know instinctively and have been taught by their parents is wrong? It had a big enough impact on me when people around me started insisting that people can literally change their chromosomes and become the opposite sex. These were intelligent people who have responsible jobs and lots of children but they insisted I was wrong.

If parents assume it is safe or sensible to let their children into a workshop session which obviously is aligned with gender ideology (the mention of non binary in the title) that they are explicitly excluded from, what else will they assume is perfectly fine?

Anyone who says "girls and non binary people" hasn't got a very good grasp of the oppression of women.

Well, I'm definitely saying WOW right now

No idea, in answer to the OP, but I certainly wouldn’t leave my child alone with a random stranger talking non-binary bollocks.