Here's to the Mumsnet Terven - Roll of Honour

[TheHereticalOne]

I've only just made it to Mumsnet after the decision this morning and wanted to congratulate to the marvellous Mumsnet Terven.

This has been years in the making and every one of you has resisted, in her own small or large way, the relentless gaslighting, bullying and Kafkaesque bureaucracy that tried to bully you out of saying or believing what you knew to be true and just.

I've seen Magdelen Berns rightly name-checked on X but I wanted as well to take a moment to acknowledge and thank the wonderful, clear-sighted, stiff-spined women on here who have tirelessly and patiently contributed to these boards over many years. Some are on the tip of my tongue (below) but I wonder if people would share the usernames that have stuck with them over the years. It seems like a good moment to reflect.

I'll begin with two stand-outs for me: Datun, RandomMess, LangCleg:

You have been a light for me (and I'm sure many others) in dark times when I would otherwise have felt shipwrecked alone on an island of sanity. Your logic and clarity have been a bulwark against a sea of insanity that I sometimes thought would lead me into madness.

And thanks to Mumsnet who steered a tricky course, especially in the early days of this when we had to behave like the bloody French resistance to avoid being sued to oblivion. Moderation was frustrating and we didn't always agree about the parameters but you doggedly kept the lines of communication open between us all here and I am so grateful.

Thank you.

Giant gins all round.

This has reminded me of the Spartacus thread. That was wonderful.

I came to these boards just after Maria Maclachlan was assaulted by trans activists (later chastised by a judge for failing to refer to her male attacker with female pronouns).

This board helped me immensely to understand the issues. So many, many women (and some men) have contributed but stand out for me:

Datun
Langcleg
Barracker
ROwantrees
The break it down thread
MNHQ

And although I don’t think she ever came to these boards, the mighty mighty Magdalen Burns

So much damage has been done, I’m celebrating but also still angry that this was needed and for all the women who have been attacked, bullied, abused, lost their livelihood, their jobs, their reputation, been vilified, silenced and intimidated by the police and institutions.

No more erasure. To all the men and women who contributed to this, enjoy being on the wrong side of history.

On a personal note, a young female relative who said she was male and was talking about starting testosterone a few years back, visited recently. I always feared that if ever she knew I was a TERF she’d never speak to me again. I could sense a change and we had a talk and she’s a massive TERF and thinks the whole trans thing is bollocks.

I joined Mumsnet in 2018 and remember wondering why there was so much fuss about travelling across the Pennines😂. I left it till last to read and then went down a chilling rabbit hole of attacks on women's rights of which I had previously been blissfully unaware.
I very rarely post on FWR as frankly I can't keep up, but I'd like to thank all the posters on here, from whom I've learnt so much, and especially those regular posters who've worked so hard to make today possible.

Raising a glass to the wonderful women of Mumsnet.

You have helped me more that you can ever know, you have guided and strengthen my arguments and help me create a space of sanity in an area that was fully captured.

And to MN, who held a beacon in troubled times.

All the above, and everyone who lurks around on MN FWR, you have taught me so much. Special mention to RedToothBrush though, who's sage posts I have liked more than once.

I have greatly enjoyed sharing today's win with my 18yo DD. She is surrounded on many sides by the gender confused, but by gentle inoculation with the wise words I've followed here, she has remained alert to the vagaries of the ideology. So I owe immense thanks to my FWR education ❤️

All those wonderful women listed, and of course, many more besides. Who have informed, elucidated, and clarified, for us all. And have often made us laugh at the same time! And as this thread so well shows, shone a light for so many other posters as well. Thank you all. 👏

I’ve been on MN for 18 years & have been a long time lurker on these boards. I was hooked in by the trans widows threads (will never forget the one woman who recounted how her husband got all snippy when she looked nicer than him) and stayed for the education.

I’ve never been eloquent enough to join in but I’ve read everything & can’t thank you all enough for posting on here. Lots of friends & family don’t get it - ‘it doesn’t really affect me’ etc. but you’ve emboldened me enough to push back more than I might have done without MN

I shed a few tears today. It’s just bloody great & a huge relief.

I’ve mostly lurked too but learnt all I needed here, from the wonderful posters mentioned above. This knowledge gave me confidence to talk about the issues at work, and argue eloquently with my family about the issues! I’ve also donated where I could, as I was so bloody incensed and enraged!!!

But I could see the tide turning about a year ago, thanks to the brave women in FWS, Sex Matters and others. Labour’s statement today though, gaslighting bastards, don’t you think we remember what you all did and said?!

Well done Mumsnet for this place. Today is a good day!

All the ones mentioned. And TinselAngel.

LangCleg and TinselAngel - today is for you. I hope you're enjoying ir somewhere.

YES! Goodness me, this is why I started this thread. TinselAngel. Thanks for the reminder.

Helleofabore

Dittany

Thebewilderness

How could I have forgotten?

MarieDeGournay
RedToothBrush

!! Sorry!

Dittany deserves her place in the history of FWR consciousness raising. She was a one women titan on that score. Planting seeds all over the place!

langcleg
bewilderness
tinselangel - amazing consciousness raising for women ‘at the coal face’
beachcomber
AnyFucker

theres loads whose names escape me & who deserve credit too.

Fromorbit

And datun. Bloody hell. Imagine me not giving datun a shout out.

Datun 🙌

Actually. I’m going to throw this out there.

Given the momentous result today, with the early seeds planted here playing a significant part of the ‘journey’, I’d like to suggest any names mentioned here, who women acknowledge as playing a massive part in the collective consciousness raising that happened here (in the face of huge opposition), how about rescinding the bans meted out to women who were booted off here at the behest of ‘the watchers’ who reported them?

Id like to see Langcleg back.

Here! Here! to this thread.

I’m mainly a lurker too. I cried today. Thank you:
Redtoothbrush
Helleofabore
Datun
ArabellaScott
Boiledbeetle

and all the women who put their heads above the parapet. Thank you.

big special mention to TinselAngel. Thank you

I was massively shocked when I first read what I saw as an anti trans post about 10 years ago. I made some comment and was gently educated by someone to see the light.
I have no idea who it was but a huge thank you to that poster for being both sentitive to trans people and yet so clear in the many issues. I saw the light!
What a brilliant day that was and this is.

I'm actually squealing a bit, with glee.

I know! But there's no other way to describe it.

And what's made me really beam, all day, it's just how profound this issue has been for so many women. The determination, attention, energy and time that's been expended is absolutely phenomenal.

And this all consuming power has been fairly sizzling off my screen all day. It's practically audible.

I honestly thought that if I went into my back garden and yelled out YES this morning, I would hear echoes from across the county.

One of the papers said that this issue has been responsible for the biggest feminist uprising in recent history.

And it bloody has.

And it's because of you wonderful, marvellous, fucking hilarious women.

i'm not going to name names, there are too many, and I'm petrified of leaving someone out.

But I will say I wish I had met Dittany.

What a day ! 🥂

I wish Dittany's post still existed because she was freakishly accurate about what was happening and what was going to happen.

I think thanks too to MN overall.
The place where reality is more important than 'be kind'

Datun
Empress
BowlofBabelfish
TheUterati
Clymene
SwearyGodmother
Lang
AngryAttackKittens
Tinsel
Arabella
Helle
TalkingInTheDark
Beachcomber

and so many more 💚 🤍💜