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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Women’s institute announcement

703 replies

Itsthecatsfault · 07/05/2025 15:32

Published earlier today.

Women’s institute announcement
OP posts:
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10
ArabellaScott · 09/05/2025 14:52

TheOtherRaven · 09/05/2025 14:43

And many women initially were open minded, open hearted and willing to embrace this and welcome men with trans identities on exactly these grounds.

However many rapidly found that these men are not just like women, do not behave like women, and it often does not end well for the women or the group. Hence the closing down and destruction of many women's illness support groups (for women only conditions) and lesbian groups disbanding officially and going underground. In one case, well documented, men with trans identities actually pursued the group to the private home of one of the women, a measure taken to escape them and their behaviour at a rape support group, and the men tried to get police to permit them to force entry. Sarah Summers tried a mixed sex rape support group and had to leave due to the inappropriate behaviours of a man present. It's not unusual for the inappropriate behaviours to be political and also to be sexually harassing.

These are evidenced facts. This whole mixed sex women's thing has been thoroughly destruction tested on women over the past decade and has not gone well for women to put it mildly. These are not new idea that no one has tried yet, what on earth do you think made women push these court cases for years to try and re establish their right to meet as a women only group? Either its being poorly informed or intentionally disingenuous.

Yes, although I'd hazard a guess that the biggest impact has been on women self.excluding from services, groups and spaces.

TheOtherRaven · 09/05/2025 14:52

borntobequiet · 09/05/2025 14:46

I don’t have the same view of the law as you do. So we don’t share that. See how it works?

Yes, try that on a magistrate when you're pulled over for doing 50 in a 30mph zone. Good luck with that.

spannasaurus · 09/05/2025 14:57

TheOtherRaven · 09/05/2025 14:49

Oh good grief, it's like all the previous posts never happened.

No, they cannot declare themselves to be women only and still include men. For all the reasons patiently explained over, and over, and over, and over. Would trying this in Latin or French help at all?

Rumour has it if you play a Mr Menno track backwards these days you can hear Akua Reindorf repeatedly screaming FFS.

You may have misread my post.

My question was if the WI decide to become a mixed sex organisation would they need to change their name or could they still call themselves the Womens Institute but make it clear they are open to men and women

Having woman on the door of a toilet is a describing what type of toilet facility is being provided but having women in the name of a group could be seen as just a name and not a description of who it is for

Datun · 09/05/2025 15:32

TheCourseOfTheRiverChanged · 09/05/2025 13:57

Yes, of course. That’s why it hasn’t worked. We don’t feel more comfortable or get used to it, in the way that might happen with any other prejudice.

It's not prejudice, though. Men constitute the predator class. They're responsible for 98% of all sex crimes, 90% of all violent crime.

It's not prejudice, it's reality.

Datun · 09/05/2025 15:35

@WhatNextCatsAsDoctors

Can I just ask what you think the legitimate aim is of a group for trans women and women?

Are you thinking something superficial like make up tips?

Or are you thinking what a lot of TRAs claim, that they both suffer from misogyny?

I don't see that they have any commonality at all. But perhaps I'm missing something

TheOtherRaven · 09/05/2025 15:42

spannasaurus · 09/05/2025 14:57

You may have misread my post.

My question was if the WI decide to become a mixed sex organisation would they need to change their name or could they still call themselves the Womens Institute but make it clear they are open to men and women

Having woman on the door of a toilet is a describing what type of toilet facility is being provided but having women in the name of a group could be seen as just a name and not a description of who it is for

No, I didn't misread it. The point is that if 'women' means 'mixed sex group' at some times but not others, women's protections in law are destroyed. This has been repeatedly explained through the thread.

Why is it so important to you that it remains called women but permits in some men, rather than changes its name to honestly reflect the mixed sex membership?

NoBinturongsHereMate · 09/05/2025 15:47

TheCourseOfTheRiverChanged · 09/05/2025 13:46

I do think there are women who, last century (or roundabout), began with feeling terribly uncomfortable at the thought of being in the company of lesbian women, then at some stage discovered (by accident, or deliberatly stepping outside their comfort zone) it was just like sharing the company of any woman. Then when this other kind of marginalised woman(*) came along they proceed with the assumption that their discomfort is prejudice, and they will discover that the company of trans women is just like that of any woman, in time.

I'm sure that's true of some, but I'm not convinced it is sufficient to account for anything like the number of transmaidens we see in practice.

As I remember it at the end of last century (goodness that makes me feel old): a lot of men were uncomfortable with gay men (a mix of fear and disgust); nearly as many men were uncomfortable with lesbians (but in a different way - rage at being denied); a smaller but not insignificant number of women uncomfortable with gay men (disgust, but not the fear men felt of them); and very few women who had a problem with lesbians (the most common sentiment I remember being expressed was closer to envy than discomfort, from women who were sick of men).

spannasaurus · 09/05/2025 15:51

TheOtherRaven · 09/05/2025 15:42

No, I didn't misread it. The point is that if 'women' means 'mixed sex group' at some times but not others, women's protections in law are destroyed. This has been repeatedly explained through the thread.

Why is it so important to you that it remains called women but permits in some men, rather than changes its name to honestly reflect the mixed sex membership?

It's not important that it keeps that name. I was raising a question about whether it needed to.
I'd rather it stayed a single sex organisation

Merrymouse · 09/05/2025 15:51

TheOtherRaven · 09/05/2025 15:42

No, I didn't misread it. The point is that if 'women' means 'mixed sex group' at some times but not others, women's protections in law are destroyed. This has been repeatedly explained through the thread.

Why is it so important to you that it remains called women but permits in some men, rather than changes its name to honestly reflect the mixed sex membership?

But does the law prevent them from calling themselves the Women’s institute?

The YMCA now provides services for a variety of people, but hasn’t changed its name.

theilltemperedqueenofspacetime · 09/05/2025 15:52

How about calling it the Ladies' Gender Ideology Club, for men who think they are women, and women who think that men who think they are women, are women?

The trouble is that the men who think they are women only want to join the club of the women who don't think that men who think they are women, are women.

It's so sad 😂

NoBinturongsHereMate · 09/05/2025 15:53

I don't think spannasaurus is saying that the WI should become mixed sex and keep the name, but is merely curious about the technicalities.

I suspect that if they did open to all they wouldn't want to lose the name recognition. The best solution in that cicumstance would probably be to make the well known initials the formal name, so it's still the WI but the letters don't actually stand for specific words.

[Edit - crosspost]

spannasaurus · 09/05/2025 16:01

In fact I really don't want the WI to be mixed sex. I was planning to join a few years ago and didn't because they are mixed sex. If they confirm that they will be women only from now on I will be joining.

woollyhatter · 09/05/2025 16:18

NoBinturongsHereMate · 09/05/2025 15:53

I don't think spannasaurus is saying that the WI should become mixed sex and keep the name, but is merely curious about the technicalities.

I suspect that if they did open to all they wouldn't want to lose the name recognition. The best solution in that cicumstance would probably be to make the well known initials the formal name, so it's still the WI but the letters don't actually stand for specific words.

[Edit - crosspost]

Edited

WI- Woowoo Institute. Problem solved

theilltemperedqueenofspacetime · 09/05/2025 16:30

spannasaurus · 09/05/2025 16:01

In fact I really don't want the WI to be mixed sex. I was planning to join a few years ago and didn't because they are mixed sex. If they confirm that they will be women only from now on I will be joining.

The WI doesn't know that though. And, I know the law is on our side, but if there's widespread civil disobedience, will institutions legitimise their lawbreaking by only consulting existing members/making consultations non-anonymous, so gc respondents know they're in for a punishment beating?

Market research would be useful, so we can quantify who wants what.

WandaSiri · 09/05/2025 17:56

spannasaurus · 09/05/2025 13:29

A previous poster linked to guidance which used the Black Jazz Musicians Club as an example where they can discriminate on the basis of national origin but not skin colour. This means that black in the name of the club doesn't mean that you have to be black to join. This makes me wonder whether using woman in the name of your club requires it to be a female only club

That is a special rule for the PC of Race.

ProfessorFellatioHornblower · 09/05/2025 18:04

The WI could keep their name and go mixed sex - but they'd have to change their charity commission registration and everywhere they use the term "women" - and they would have to include all men, just not the ones in frocks and lippy.

nutmeg7 · 09/05/2025 19:20

TheCourseOfTheRiverChanged · 09/05/2025 13:46

I do think there are women who, last century (or roundabout), began with feeling terribly uncomfortable at the thought of being in the company of lesbian women, then at some stage discovered (by accident, or deliberatly stepping outside their comfort zone) it was just like sharing the company of any woman. Then when this other kind of marginalised woman(*) came along they proceed with the assumption that their discomfort is prejudice, and they will discover that the company of trans women is just like that of any woman, in time.

Any evidence for this caricature of older women? Or is it just supposition.

Grumpsy · 09/05/2025 19:44

FatLarrysBanned · 07/05/2025 15:37

Perhaps they should change their name to "The Wo(men)'s Institute" if they want to be remain inclusive?

The SC was very clear the Woman means biological female.

Alas I was thinking the Wokemen’s Institute.

Utterly abhorrent.

TheCourseOfTheRiverChanged · 10/05/2025 01:53

nutmeg7 · 09/05/2025 19:20

Any evidence for this caricature of older women? Or is it just supposition.

I was actually attempting to understand what might be going on for TWAW “inclusive” women, alongside the existence of women who’ve been socialised to defer to male needs.
I was involved with an Australian women’s organisation, set up for survivor’s of sexual and domestic violence. They had three separate anonymous votes in the noughts as to whether membership should be based on sex or gender identity. “Sex” was the resounding reply every time. Then in the early teens the board and executive changed the organisation’s policy documents to allow male people to apply for membership if they claimed to be women. It was all done very quietly. I’ve only just registered that this would have been at the time that Australia’s sex discrimination act changed, which makes me feel less betrayed by the women who did this, I think their hands were tied if the organisation was going to continue to exist other than as a private, informal network. I didn’t have lots and lots of conversations about it with women members who saw this as justice being done, so I can’t claim to have great insight into their thinking, but I have spent lots of time thinking about it and trying to figure it out. Also, it was young, wide eyed women from the nice suburbs who tended to see inclusion of transwomen as progress. All the older women in the organisation were properly old school second wave feminists – if I’m honest they’re much more hard core than me!

GreenFriedTomato · 10/05/2025 03:20

I'm many hours late replying to this but I think it was the 'we are a sharing a pizza NIGHT' that made me think, this person is an absolute moron, or a dedicated, persistent troll.
So, I went into the sea and stuck my head underwater for a few hours. Did me the world of good and shut out the noise for a while.
I met a few clownfishies on the way. Feisty little things they are. They always square up to you like. 'oi! Get out of our space/anemone'!
I always indicate that I didn't mean to invade or upset them by swimming away.
They are clearly just bobbing around, actually changing sex and have no idea of the celebrity status they share in the make-believe human sex-changing transworld.

I'm on holiday at the moment. I just did a mini survey with random guests and passers by.

Questions were.

Do you have transgender males in your country? Men who say they are women?

Do you think that they are women?

Slovakia- yes, some men have feelings that they are of the opposite gender but they are not real women. It isn't a problem in Slovakia.

Russia- no this is bullshit. Not in Russia

Indonesia- yes some men dress like lady and have lipstick. but everyone know they are men and sometimes they go in lady places but all the lady kick them out.

Australia-: well it's delicate. I believe in women's rights. But people come in many forms. And there are studies about women who are stressed during pregnancy, and as a result their babies are born transgender because of the stress, the hormones are damaged and they are born as boy and girl so it's not their fault and they should have a life just like us. And i've been on nudist beaches and seen people with natural breasts and a penis so I know some people are born both ways , and if I were to go to prison which is never going to happen anyway, I'd rather be in a cell with a man because I've been attacked by women but never by a man.

England: I'm sick of everyone talking about this shit. I don't care.

I know that a poll of 4 people is no kind of poll, but the Australian woman made me want to stick my head underwater again.

GreenFriedTomato · 10/05/2025 03:50

And that was quite a long post, but I wanted to add that my favourite response has been from indonesians.

Many men dress like ladies and that's ok, but they're not real ladies, that's just silly

An acceptance of men not conforming with gender norms and wearing typical women's clothing and make up, but there's no suggestion or forced belief they are women.

Just like it should be in sane normal societies

NoBinturongsHereMate · 10/05/2025 05:10

The Australian is lying or nuts. Or has got very confused by overweight men with moobs.

The Russian response is .... very Russian.

@TheCourseOfTheRiverChanged I don't see anything in there about their attitude to lesbians. And if they were young women, doesn't that suggest it's less likely to be a matter of compensating for their earlier attitudes (if they are young, they will have had less time to change their minds about things)?

TheCourseOfTheRiverChanged · 10/05/2025 06:35

Yes, that’s true.
It’s people my age, who I can remember in 90’s, who absolutely feel uncomfortable with transwomen in women’s spaces but thinks that’s a sign of their own bigotry. And I know they weren’t “interrogating their own discomfort” in the 90s. Maybe I’ve gotten it wrong with homophobia because with my closest TWAW (but actually feels unsafe) friend it was actually racist comments I remember (now I’ve been pushed to explain myself!). Does the experience of discovering that you’ve been (illegitimately) prejudiced in the past make someone distrust their own gut reactions today? But you’re right, younger women haven’t lived through that same change in mores, and still articulate the sentiment that, if you feel uncomfortable with a male person in women’s changing room (for example) you should interrogate why. Rather than trusting your own reactions. And the unconscious, automatic tendency to centre and prioritise male people’s needs would explain overriding one’s own inner knowing. And better explains why some women are digging their heels in.

TheCourseOfTheRiverChanged · 10/05/2025 07:12

@GreenFriedTomato I know it's just a random sample but I think the Australian's repsonse speaks to the culture of female self-effacement here.

GreenFriedTomato · 10/05/2025 07:56

I imagine you've all seen this before , but I came across it again on my YouTube travels yesterday.
The sheer gaslighting was astonishing.
I'm not a consumer of rubbish day time TV but I'd like to think that the majority of those who were watching were thinking 'shut up you fools and stop talking rubbish.