RSPB women-only photography workshops

[CatrionaCat]

Run by women, for women... and that other sort of women.

So much for safe, women-only options. From RSPB Old Moor.

Years ago there was an AIBU thread that included many examples of this phenomenon. One of them was about a chap who couldn't keep up with the men in the cycling group so decided to join the women's fitness rides (Breeze?) that had always been very sociable and companionable.

He raced ahead of everyone else and harrumphed about being 'kept waiting' for the slow ones at various points. So, the atmosphere changed, it was no longer suitable for the range of women who used to attend and the women ended up leaving.

Couldn't keep up with the men, was allowed to change the culture of the women's group (socialisation?) and women ended up leaving.

ETA: found the thread. I've largely got the details right.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4186758-arseholes-who-ve-ruined-groups-and-hobbies

Oh, right, the RSPB extends welcome to all and no-one will be discriminated against for who they are - except actual women, whose identity as biological females is lumped in with men who think they are women etc. Nice one, RSPB - glad I don't go birdwatching (and for someone who was young in the 70s there are some very interesting puns there!)

I reckon they’ll have upset some NBs by including them in a description of women.

Yes, especially as it includes males who are not recognised as having a protected characteristic (gender reassignment) under the EA.

We need a Forstater equivalent - a bloke who will sue one of these idiot organisations.

As they’re experts on birds, I assume the RSPB have noticed that some birds lay eggs and some don’t. I wonder what they make of that.

We need that legal definition of 'woman' which equates to sex not gender.

Just gotta lurve putting actual women down below other sorts of 'women'.

I think I'd slightly prefer the manly take over, unasked leadership etc to the false teaming, giggly, lady brain that was exhibited by the trans woman who came to a craft class I did some years ago.

It wasn't listed as a woman only group so no problem with there being a man there but my god, every time "maths" was involved (as in measure 6 cm or complete half the stitches rather than anything proper mathsy) he would bang on a out how we all found maths too hard and that 'ladies' weren't good a technical things.

I pointed out that it doesn't take a maths degree to measure something or divide 32 by 2.

This DISCOURAGES women's involvement because I wouldn't attend anything voluntarily that claimed to be for women only but included men. Typical jokers - I despair.

@Runningupthecurtains I can’t help but picture the David Walliams laaaydee character giggling about being too silly for simple maths.

That's pretty much it. The implication that women can't do maths had me seething. Think he thought we would all nod and giggle along, but nope most of said it wasn't exactly difficult.

Well, that's my household cancelling RSPB membership, and telling them why.

He sounds awful. Yuck.

Every stereotype of 'girliness' the giggling, the hair fiddling, the wearing of pink dresses, while the woman were, as is usually the case, in jeans, leggings, minimal makeup etc and not at all simpering.

RSPB - “When we use the word ‘women’, we use it to include absolutely everybody.”

What a total waste of time 🙄

Somebody needs to write to them to ask how you can tell the female and male blackbirds apart. Then, when they come back and say that it's easy: the males are mostly black whereas the females are brown, organise a campaign to shame them for their intolerance, scream at them and call them phobic bigots for their hateful exclusive opinions - in spite of their conflicting assertions that they as an organisation are inclusive.

What about the black birds that 'are' female; and the brown ones that 'are' male? Never mind the trans, non-binary or genderqueer ones. Are they calling them liars and making gross 'normative' assumptions, rather than respecting all identities?

Is what I just asked absurd? Yes, most definitely. But I cannot see how they can possibly believe what they claim to believe about humans but not about birds and other species. Not that they seem to like logic too much in the first place, but it simply defies any and everything that could possibly be deemed in any way logical.

If you choose to climb a ladder and put your affirmed faith in its strength and integrity, you can't simply jump off at a random point and declare all of the rungs above you to be made of brie and denounce everybody who continues climbing to be mad and dangerous. They were your rules, remember...?

It looks like the only people they've explicitly excluded are the male employees and volunteers at their organisation - whom you would assume are there because of their love for and knowledge of birds (the feathered variety, for any Benny Hill fans out there).

However, all other male people are welcomed in warmly, regardless of what their motives may be. Bearing in mind that all of the decent, respectful men will see the phrase 'women-only workshop' and instantly think "well, that one's clearly not for me - let's look at what else is on".

Disgusting hateful behaviour. Can you imagine the outcry if he (if he was white) had 'blacked up' before arriving and then gone on about how "we people of colour are all really quite thick and hopeless in anything that requires simple mental abilities - we have to leave it to the white people to do the thinking for us all"?

At least, in the old days, they went to the trouble of building a massive wooden horse first.

I emailed and complained about this and they absolutely doubled down on their stance. I've just reported them here - Call for input: Incorrect guidance on single-sex spaces and gender self-identification - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Literally what a joke.

What is the point of putting on a women only event for the needs of women if you then say it's actually mixed sex.

I mean that statement just opens up the event to anyone because what on earth is non binary? Not long ago women in Monsoon were called bigots for not accepting a young male into their changing rooms who just described himself as non binary.

RSPB elevating male feelings over women. Just scrap the whole event, it's hypocritical.

Who would have thought the RSPB need schooling on the birds and the bees.

They had moonlight walks at one of their reserves in Dorset, Arne I think, for women only. The only people excluded were men without the gender feels. I posted about it on the General Conversations thread. Tbf, they had a 'male' event somewhere that only excluded women who weren't some flavour of queer (though they didn't word it like that). So they're equal opportunity fuckwits.

I've been a member <fnarr!> for many years. My membership is currently lapsed and I'm in no rush to renew it.

It will be interesting to see if there's any significant drop in interest in non-female 'women' wanting to take part, once all of the actual women wanting a single-sex event have left and they are the only ones who remain.

Coincidentally I noticed this article in the Times the other day

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rspb-woman-is-ready-to-come-out-swinging-tt7pr33wt

https://archive.ph/bLWeS fly over the paywall

RSPB woman is a political force! From the article

She’s not a natural fit with the Greens, <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/o/bLWeS/www.thetimes.co.uk/article/green-party-councillors-face-allegations-of-antisemitism-h7zzjsxwz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">who are shifting left and losing focus. She has no interest in Gaza and no sympathy for the trans-rights lobby. Despite her mild enthusiasm for redistribution she’s not going to vote Labour: Sir Keir Starmer has identified his party as “the builders not the blockers”, and she prefers blockers.

It's desperately sad considering the RSPB was founded by women, the OFCK.

Oh shucks, they were doing so well with this idea………… until they weren’t.

I'd hoped it was just one or two...or three reserve managers gone rogue but

https://events.rspb.org.uk/browse?filter[tags][0]=636&filter[include_past_events]=0&filter[group_scheduled_events]=0&filter[hide_unavailable_events]=0&filter[liked_events]=0&view_as=list

If you Google 'RSPB events' you can filter by 'women only' and they're all like that so it's obviously an organisation wide dictat.