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.

FFS it’s been several months since I last thought about WBH

R0 is also fine, BTW

It's crazy. And yet, half the world seems to have fallen for it. As for the reasons why, I think you wims understand that pretty well.

I've always hoped that bowlofbabelfish came back under another name. I remember she was a scientist on maternity leave. That baby must be about 8 now!

I’m a lurker and you lot have taught me so much. You’ve empowered me to make my own stands against this with reasoned and coherent arguments.

I thank you all.

I’m a lurker, have been for many years. I don’t really “do” posting online, but you have all provided so much support and wisdom over the years that I need to let you know that I am here. Thanks to you I was able to raise my head above the parapet at work and let the EDI team know exactly how I felt (I didn’t lose my job) and to broach the conversation with friends and family. I’ve lost a couple of friends but deepened other friendships as a result. I’ve gardened for multiple court challenges and subscribed to sex matters. There will be many, many others like me who don’t have the time, confidence, or ability to distil the issues into such cogent arguments on a discussion board, but who are here because of you regular posters, and who owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you all.

Thanks to all those mentioned and the quiet lurkers.

I name change often in part because I work in a position in a captured organisation and so have to be careful.

But I have spread many of wonderful arguments, facts and insights posted here to friends and family. Several rang after the verdict knowing how I'd feel.

Being in Scotland and seeing how dangerously close we came to a very different situation with self ID I'd also like to thank the photographer who took that Isla Bryson picture. It was so perfectly timed and spoke in ways that words couldn't.

I felt I'd been banging on about this for so long (thanks to this board) but most people thought it was a fringe issue. That picture was definitely an awakening for many and without that case I think self ID would be here.

We will never be free of the horror Tinsel, ever…

So many wonderful posters (and some not so wonderful ones!) But all the posters make this board what it is!

To the whole nest of vipers, the lurkers, and the peakers, the posters that have been banned, and those that have flounced, and those sadly no longer here to witness yesterday's win at the Supreme Court, and of course every single one of you who let me steal your poems in order to raise money for For Women Scotland, and then all the posters who bought the books to raise the money, the past few years has definitely been a team effort!

❤️

I love the lurkers. There's something rather marvellous about knowing other women are quietly reading along.

(yeah, I know you may not be quiet, you might be yelling and throwing stuff).

AHM NO FUCKIN YELLIN

@Boiledbeetle are the books still available to buy?

They certainly are

volume 1 https://amzn.eu/d/4XK7u52

volume 2 https://amzn.eu/d/dh3Ycaf

Gosh I daren't start naming names because I’ll leave someone out, and there are so many fantastic women here. I’m mostly a lurker who is just in awe of the erudition, critical thinking and persistence I see here. Thank you all 💜🤍💚

Lovely thanks. Early birthday present for me then

So many amazing ladies on here, though many have been named already. Been a great support and also so informative in the 18m I’ve been on here.

Thank you each and every one of you!
👏👏👏👏

Been a lurker and occasional poster here since the days of Kim147 peaking my interest in finding out what all the fuss was about on the ‘scary’ F&WR board. Learned a lot from so many and have been ‘banging on’ IRL about the dangers of gender ideology for almost ten years now. Cheers everyone

Agree with every name mentioned, and many more beside. I’m not going to name names, as I will leave someone out and kick myself, but everyone has been amazing and the solidarity, support, intellect, feistiness and humour on this board has been wonderful.

At a time when it’s felt like the world’s going to hell in a handcart, this board has felt like a refuge, a little oasis of sanity in a crazy and hostile world.

Waving at the lurkers It's like watching people stand up one by one in a dark auditorium.

I'MFINETHERE'SJUSTSOMETHINGINMYEYE.

I also know a FWR lurker IRL. Or goodness knows, she might be a prolific poster - she’s certainly clever and articulate enough to be. Neither of us admitted to being anything more than lurkers here, anyway.

For a long time I thought she might be TWAW because she’s a SJW and moves in left wing circles, but as her Harry Potter obsession had not been relegated to That Which Cannot Be Named, I did wonder. Anyway, she incredibly bravely sidled up to me a few months ago and asked me outright what my views were. I’m what you might call a bleeding heart liberal, so it was a risk.

I’m old, and I don’t much care about being outed as a TERF. I work for the NHS but my bit of it is uncaptured and I’m 95% certain the HoD is one of us. My friend is young, her employment would be untenable if she was outed, and I expect many of her friends would no longer be her friends if they knew.

It’s a bit early for champagne, so ☕️ to the brave women lurking on FWR.

@TinselAngel
Thank you for that info!
(Waves to Lang)

Thank you to all the posters here over the years. I landed in here around 2018 and saw a link to a Tweet from a TRA saying that “transwomen owned the word woman now, you females will have to be something else”. It was so bonkers it didn’t seem real. But I kept reading bits here and there until I realised that this all WAS real and bloody important.

So thank you all for the brilliant posts, the intelligent debate, the humour and the introduction to Tunnock’s Tea Cakes

Up the Terven!

I'm living proof that a Mumsnet ban doesn't mean you can't keep posting. I'm sure if Lang wanted to return she would have done so.

Here's Posie and Magdalen, hungover, after that Bristol event...

I feel I need to mention the posters on the millions of threads which have cropped up over the last few days along the lines of 'you're all horrible, celebrating this' who have been clearly lurking on this board and clearly paying attention.

On every thread, here, on Chat, on AIBU, there are posters whose names I don't recognise from here posting links, making mention of judicial reviews, policies, incidents and more. Very knowledgeable and very clear.