The WI were at Brighton Pride today with a big sign saying "the WI is for all women"....

[itsjustlikeyousaiditwouldbe]

....girl guiding also had a stall.

Not seen either of them there before.

Not sure what to make of that.

Oh my 🤦‍♀️. They're getting more entrenched while the rest of the world rediscovers sanity.

The WI have been "inclusive" for a while. All women (even those with penises) are welcome.

The Costa stall was there this year but I didn't see the mastectomy scar artwork. Wondered if it had been replaced due to public opinion.

Eyeroll.

They're not for trans widows then. Or women who have been sexually abused by a trans identifying male person in another context. Or women who simply want a male-free environment.

As I have just been saying on another thread today, people need to ditch these polite fictions that announcing that "all" are welcome means that you're including everyone. You can't actually do that.

Making a particular set of people welcome often means centring their wishes or needs, which in turns often makes it a less accommodating environment for an entirely different group.

Let's take the example of subtitles. I like to watch films with subtitles. Does that mean it's genuinely inclusive for cinemas to always have subs on at all screenings? Absolutely not, because for other people they're immensely visually distracting and it ruins the film to have text across the screen during the emotional moments.

To be honest, they're visually distracting for me, but it's better than not being able to understand what's going on because the actors keep mumbling. So I go to screenings that have subs, and cinemas continue to run acreenings that are sub-free.

How bizarre that two institutions set up exclusively for women (at a time where women had limited places available to gather) should take such a stance. Actively advertising the fact that men are welcome. Wtf?

Why did @Sparagmos have her post deleted for saying she'd never seen them go to any special effort to make lesbians or bisexual women welcome?

Can't talk about un women.

Girlguiding have been going to Pride for years. Basically went from “we can’t possibly say anything about homosexuality because we might have to ban lesbian volunteers” (no, I don’t know either, but was actual statement by then Leadership) to “It’s utter bigotry to say just because Akela’s male he - I mean she - can’t ID as Brown Owl” in space of about 15 years.

Why fix institutional ableism; racism; & sectarianism when you can do… whatever the hell it is they’ve done. Alongside the gross financial mismanagement, I mean. I’d call the people in charge a shower, but a shower is actual useful.

'people with XY chromosomes' is the definition of women!? Is that a typo?

a woman is not a feeling. it is a truth.

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

anyhoo

I keep trying to ignore the nonsense. I think it's quite unlikely that we'll get man joining my institute, so I can ignore it in a 'first they came for the communists' kind of way

I hold a key committee role that I suspect my institute might struggle to fill if I stropped off, and keeping the institute running seems like a better service to women than making a pointless stand.

it does feel like National are trying to see me off sometimes though

They’re there for all people with XY chromosome
Errrmmm…

Girlguiding have been going to Pride for years.

Have they? Why? And did this coincide with a certain Stonewall Trans Advisory Group member whose father is still inside?

There's nothing wrong with the Feminine Gender Institute, if they call it that. They can do what they like.

That's well off.

Are lesbians and bisexual women less important than transwomen, then? Not allowed to speak about their experiences?

They’re there for all people with XY chromosomes, and uteruses, and vaginas

Are you Kirsty Blackman?

Don’t worry. They’re all taking it too far and digging their own grave. It’ll all be over soon, and seen for what it is.

This is very true.

The WI have been inclusive of men for a while. I remember my mother’s horror at seeing the fragrant ‘Petra’ on the cover, who’d ‘egg cracked’ shortly after retirement and probably the discovery of online sssyprn and his poor wife had to go along with it and include him in their local group. I believe he’s flown up the ranks and is now some sort of WI officer.
Ditto Girlguiding and that dodgy fetishwear-loving, gun toting area commissioner bloke called ‘Monica’.

Apparently so @ArabeIIaScott

Can’t talk about the fact that lesbians exist, it might hurt the feelings of men who want to sleep with them 🤔

Christ, I hope you're right.

To be fair both the WI and girlguiding were tucked aware at stalls right at the back where nobody could really see them and nobody really gave a shit about them.

I don't think the love is two-way.

I have long been puzzled by this because I worked with the CEO of WI in a previous role. She was absolutely sound, sensible and brilliant. But she moved there in 2019, so perhaps the organisation was already captured?

The WI is for all Women

And some lady larpistes, it would seem. I've been talking to my step mam today and hers hasn't been affected, so far. They have members ranging in age from early 20s to 96.

She's not impressed with the idea, but not unsympathetic to trans people as people.