Women’s Rights Network imploding

[NameChangedWren]

WTF is going on? There are letters circulating with members alleging bullying, and anyone who asks a question is suspended and comments deleted. The leader calling everyone to urgent meetings with bizarre messaging: ‘there is no letter, and if there is it’s full of lies, and you can’t see the letter just trust us, and ooh look, something shiny!’ Should I cut my losses, cancel my standing order and just follow Let Women Speak?

I think you will find that women will be less inclined to wonder where money is being spent if their inquiries are answered in a truthful manner.

I was one of the 60+ women expelled last June 2025 from WRN Scotland. I'm not gleeful about revealing this on this thread, it was upsetting at the time and I've now taken a step back from all women's rights stuff, which is sad, although not just because of that, but personal reasons I've already said on this thread previously.

There were strong characters in the national chat of the WRN Scotland chat who were vocally unhappy about the leaders and organisers splitting the chats into regional groups and removing the ability to connect nationally with all the members. I wasn't quite as vocal but I did express in the national chat that I'd rather it was kept alongside the regional chats. This was refused by the leaders and coordinators which caused a lot of disquiet. The more vocal women continued to express their dismay then when the regional groups were created, one of the women added me (and it turns out, many others) to a separate chat to continue as an "unofficial" national chat.

I do remember a lot of anger even after this happened and before the official purge of those of us in that chat, so as I said further up in this thread, I suspect there were other things at play that I wasn't party to.

I just think it's a shame that things weren't handled better and it sounds as if a similar sort of situation is happening in Bucks.

oh love, “glee”? Suspicious motives? Steady on, we’re not cackling over a cauldron here – just a bunch of women who dared to ask where the money’s going and got the side-eye for it. 😂 If that’s “glee,” then guilty as charged, but honestly, it’s more like relief that the fog’s clearing for those of us who were kept in the dark.
And as for “if you’re not happy, leave and set up your own”… well, funnily enough, that’s exactly what some have done! Take Women of Wessex and Sussex groups – they’re thriving, properly grassroots, volunteer-led, and knocking it out of the park with actual women’s rights work on the ground. No “staff costs” shrouded in mystery, no limited company surprises, just women getting stuff done without the drama. From our POV, they’re a shining example of how it can be successful without the egos or the secrecy.
Nobody’s trying to tear down WRN for kicks – but if success means transparency and treating volunteers like equals, then maybe take a leaf out of those groups’ books? Just saying.
AIBU to think asking questions isn’t an ego trip, it’s basic common sense? 🐮

Maybe so, but lots of us haven't given any money directly to WRN, apart from buying the odd T-shirt, and are judging on what is being achieved. If anyone isn't happy with transparency then make donations to a different organisation.

Yes, I read your posts.

More of the same

“If you’re not happy, set up your own”, like you’re not talking to women who have been part of setting up WRN. I’m part of a group which split away from WRN, full of women who volunteered time and effort for WRN, then left because of being treated with disrespect. Heather Binning and her favoured acolytes have benefited from the work of volunteers, then when they expect transparency, you say go and set up something else. Some of us were in the network at the outset, back when it was Shoppers. Why should women have to do it all again, because some self appointed women have decided it’s their property?

Feminism isn’t a religion it’s a collective endeavour. Women have the right to question organisations. It’s not like blasphemy and the church.

In which case you are not a spokesperson for those of us who did make donations and would like to know how they are used. You don’t get to come here and tell posters to shut up or go elsewhere - you’ve got internal WRN forums to do that.

The women of WRN have done fantastic work. For example, they have spent a huge amount of time putting in Freedom of Information Requests, collating responses and producing extremely useful, well-presented reports. They have coordinated actions and individual members have been involved in campaigns to raise public awareness.

The problems being discussed in this thread are about the dictatorial behaviour of, and financial irregularities involving, WRN leadership.

Probably not a comprehensive list of issues raised so far:

• Initial statement about the nature of WRN as a grassroots organisation with autonomous Groups, followed soon afterwards by the covert creation of a Private Ltd. Company (Women's Rights Network Ltd.) that owns the organisation;
• incompatible information in the original and current "bio" of the Director;
• failure to follow WRN policies;
• purges of members;
• lack of transparency about disbursement of donations;
• lack of any information at all about who is being paid, how much, for what, and in what capacity (employees or consultants);
• payment of donations into a Director's personal bank account;
• false information circulated about members who have fallen out of favour;
• in the case of North and South Bucks, removal of members, Coordinators and a Director who were responsible for building WRN from the ground up into the organisation it is today.

If anyone has got this far without reading the thread, read the thread for details of all the above.

Boo hoo. All my time and effort is going towards getting men out of women's stuff and safeguarding children. I'm not doing it for HB, or WRN or Women of Wherever. I don't care whether I am being respected or not.

Luckily, I am not a feminist

I get to come on here and say anything the mods will let me say. Just like you

Yes, I know. I have rtft.

Consider my comment to also include “women’s rights activism” which presumably does include you if you are a WRN member.

I have a lot of respect for you @TinselAngel . Tbh I would barely call myself a women's rights activist. I am solely focused on removing the particular threat to women and children that gender ideology poses, especially women in prison and autistic children. I am not denying anyone the right to question anything. I am simply pointing out that, apart from a handful of considered posts, a lot of this thread is delivered with a tone of excitement and relish that I find .....interesting.

The problem seems to be that WRN is incorporated as a company limited by guarantee and is owned by the Directors. Due to the size of the company, the Directors are not obliged to publish full annual accounts showing income and expenditure, only the balance sheet which tells us very little. To improve accountability to donors and members, WRN could either publish full accounts at Company’s House or could also register with the Charity Commission and become an incorporated charitable organisation. An ICO could be a more appropriate form of incorporation for an organisation that says it is not for profit and led by members. The reporting required of an ICO would help WRN be more transparent.

Registering as an ICO or Charity would also highlight another change that I forgot to mention in my recent post.

Copy and paste from my post at 15/02/2026 23:50

WRN used to claim to be a "feminist group with one main focus: to defend the sex-based rights of women."

Who Are We?
We are a feminist group. We are a network of women from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland with one main focus: to defend the sex-based rights of women.
archive.ph/WNg0d

Not any more:

Who Are We?
We are a network of women from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who promote the human rights of women and girls.
www.womensrights.network/about-wrn
Archived: archive.ph/3GTg5

• Do WRN members and donors know that WRN is no longer a feminist organisation and that it is no longer focused on defending the sex-based rights of women?

In fairness tinsel, surely you will admit the WRN do much much more work than you do? Collecting 20 women’s stories and hanging out on Mumsnet is not remotely comparable to the massive level of work of WRN. There are thousands of trans widows out there, your website, while much needed, is a tiny effort

This.

My local group is extremely active, extremely friendly, and gets stuff done. There are local co-ordinators, but they're very light touch, and they also do a heap of work. They reassured me that this thread contains a lot of hearsay.

Wow! What a nerve you have got to write this !

What does WRN do for trans widows?
The co-ordinator for one of the groups is married to “ trans woman” and WRN were told about this situation very early on and dismissed it !!!

Well as this is a feminist forum about women's rights I think you can assume most of us wont bother to read what you have to say.

The whole point of having a feminist forum is to discuss issues relating to women's rights from the perspective of feminism.

It is becoming really noticable that on FWR there has been an increase in posts from those who have no interest in feminism and seem to think it is really a good use of the time to come and make what are all to often inane remarks.

And if FWR posters have one fault (!) it is to be willing to spend time on "educating" those who have no interest in being educated or helped to understand a feminist perspective.

It could be that WRN has established what it means by ‘women and girls’ and so has broadened out the mission to ‘human rights.’ This could just be a way of adopting a wider range of feminist causes and campaigns. But if WRN was a registered charity then it would have to jump through all sorts of hoops to change governing documents. The bureaucratic rules of charities can be frustrating and time consuming but a different form of incorporation would improve transparency and accountability. This keeps Directors safe too because everything is above board and suspicions are allayed.

Sorry you just have totally missed the point.

The problem with the web site is that here is a new report. Go and look at the web site. Where is there any indication that a new report is available.

If you were a shop and had a new product in would you hide it in a back room with not even a notice in the shop that this new product was available.

And also many, many charity sites are maintained by volulunters.

Originally I just thought this is just potty (their web site) no sign posting, bizarre messages about blueyonder. Some tried to explain it away as some sort of super safety measures.

Sorry, this is no difference than if you want people to know you have something on offer you let them know.

However, having been following this thread and some of the alarming stories of how some indiviual women have appropriated the concept of WRN and the work of volunteers it now makes me think that this is deliberate.

ie when a suitable high profile figure, or if as happened recently one of the inner circle was invited to a HoC meeting they can then produce these hiddens treasures as an asset that confirms their legitimacy to be an invited speaker.

I only knew about the report because someone provided the link via a facebook post.

Or is that not the purpose of WRN to publicly campaign.

Is it just about those who are part of WRN just sharing information with each other, but not thinking it is of any importance to share with anyone else.

I challenge anyone to find where the link to that new publication can be found on the web site.

I wondered when the FeministOG would turn up. Exhibit One as to why I don't call myself a 'feminist'.