Why has MNHQ moved a thread I started on Sex and Gender to Chat. They did not ask and went behind my back.

[IwantToRetire]

If I post a thread on mumsnet FWR it is because I chose to post it there.

If I wanted it somewhere else I would have posted it there.

Who are they to decide where it should be.

I have been suspecting for some time that they are aiming to "depoliticise" FWR and just make it a fringe element that exists outside of the rest of women's lives.

What was it about?

Goes to have a look 👀 ——->

Can you link to your thread please?

Report it and ask them to move it back. Sometimes those who wish to control women's speech report threads to try and make the other board look busy.

I've said since the stupid split was proposed that no topic related to feminism is NOT about sex and gender.

They've done it to me before. Tumble weed when I asked them to move it back.

I definitely get the feeling that they are trying to pad out "Chat" and I have asked them to move it back or delete it.

I was a consumer of FWR at the time they made the split, and it made not sense to me. Feminism is about what is important to women.

But it did also feel, and moving this thread just re-inforces this feeling, that "sex and gender" is just seen at those whose only interest is a "single issue" and that this single issue isn't a political one, so a respectable grown up space has to created for those who want to "chat" about feminism. (That alone is insulting).

The thread was about Southall Black Sisters but then became about Sistah Space.

I am just bewildered that they would do that.

And not check if I was okay with that.

I feel quite upset about this, almost personal, that someone you trusted has just shown you they have no respect for you at all. :'(

I am assuming it's this one, OP:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/feminism/4692725-why-southall-black-sisters-made-the-difficult-decision-not-to-attend-the-palaces-domestic-violence-event?

I agree it is very much a political issue; not sure that it would fall in 'sex and gender' but happy to be corrected.

Who are they to decide where it should be.

They're the ones who own and run the site and can decide where a thread should be.

But I'm sure they'll be happy to move it back if you feel they made a mistake.

I didn't see the thread you're referring to until now but still they didnt 'go behind your back' and they do have the right to move posts. Perhaps someone reported it because MNHQ wouldn't normally do so without a report. There are loads of threads that aren't where they should be so someone may have sneakily reported yours to be moved.

I agree it is very much a political issue; not sure that it would fall in 'sex and gender' but happy to be corrected.

Because the basis of feminism is about the discrimination women face because of their sex.

I dont understand how anyone would not think the "sex and gender" the banal euphamism for Feminism and Women's Right, is about political issues that impact women, including racism.

Chat isn't a political forum. It is chat. It insults the issue to put it there.

You shouldn't allow other people to tell you what your politics are.

As far as I know only about 5 posters wanted a "chat" section so it isn't clear why MNHQ went and created separate threads.

I do suspect they want to present FWR as the lunatic fringe so remove what they thing are other politics to Chat, because they are more easily able to say, we let the outriders rant in their own little section but nice feminism has its own thread.

And it appears from the comment that they have and are suceeding.

Makes a change, normally they move stuff here from AIBU as people object to it being seen by the wider MN audience. I thought FWR was the ‘sin bin’.

Missing the point perhaps but did you really compare the Sistah Space palace incident with the brutal attack on Salman Rushdie?

No messages on the thread have been deleted or complained about, although when the topic moved onto Sistah Space I was taken aback by some of the comments.

If there had been anything like that they would either have deleted the thread or the comment.

This is about MNHQ trying to bolster up their failed experiment of splitting feminism into nice acceptable feminism, ie "chat" and the dark side, ie those women who will persist on going on about women's sex based rights.

And as I say they didn't even ask.

Its the difference between meeting up for a coffee somewhere and maybe mentioning a few irritating things that have happened because of sexism, and going to a meeting to specifically discuss women's issues.

It not only the high hand attitude of assuming they can devalue what I have posted by plonking it (a bit like the Guardian which has women's issues under "lifestyle) in some fluffy girl talk section, but presuming to think they know enough about the issue itself and my analysis of it. Because if this is an example then clearly whatever training moderators have has failed.

But unfortunately I do think this is an example of how they are trying to make FWR appear some tiny outpost of women's issues by moving other topics onto chat. Not realising that they expose their failure to understand that women's rights are based on sex discrimination.

And I am really sorry that some on here aren't disturbed by them doing that.

Nobody voted for this to happen.

And I suspect the few who whined for probably aren't even posting on mumsnet any more.

Its quite clear from googling that this issue has been discussed on many forums and that they all say that the posts are the copyright of the contributor.

After that it is down to terms and conditions.

These are the links I found, and guess what there is more about policing language on this forum than any other aspect!

www.mumsnet.com/i/terms-of-use

www.mumsnet.com/i/netiquette

www.mumsnet.com/i/trans-rights-moderation-policy

(Note the reference to trans rights, not to women's rights)

Slightly off topic but related, was everyone aware that there is an option at the bottom of each post that allows you to share it to other social media platforms, such as facebook.

I was surprised when I first came across. Not saying that I would, but this would makeit super easy for AGCL (who do monitor this and were jubilant that the thread about drag queens reading to children was deleted) for instance to start posting comments from here on their facebook page.

Surely the "share" button essentially just copies the URL of a thread? Anyone can paste that anywhere they like already.