The new WI equality, diversity and inclusion policy - it’s worse and includes the thought police

[Marmaladelover]

This is the new EDI policy all WIs have to sign and agree .

The last one was bad enough , the new one discriminates against anyone who doesn’t think Transwomen are women. Please note the sentence
We expect all those who engage in the WI movement to uphold the same values.

I am furious! So what to do about it ?

Main bits I disagree with copied below

Our inclusion of transgender women in activities outside of membership is based on our belief that being a woman is about biology and lived experience

One of the objectives

• Highlight and celebrate the diverse membership of the WI, and ensure that our wider movement offers support and fellowship to all women, including transgender women and others.

Aside from WI membership, we offer other ways to engage with the WI movement, locally, regionally and nationally, including being a WI Supporter and belonging to one
of our Sisterhood groups. We expect all those who engage in the WI movement to uphold the same values.

11. Transgender inclusion
The WI is an inclusive, supportive, and progressive organisation that offers different ways to engage in our movement for members and non-members. The WI provides
educational opportunities and the platform to campaign on important issues, whilst celebrating the WI’s long history of trans inclusion, and embracing the sisterhood and
solidarity of our movement.
Transgender women are welcomed to a range of local and national activities that are open to non-members, as well as our national Supporter scheme. Based on the WI’s
history of trans inclusion, we believe that including transgender women in these activities enriches our organisation to ensure we are a place for both biological women and transgender women to celebrate who they are and influence positive change in their communities.

Can you articulate, with actual reasoning and reference to specific parts of this policy, what you don't agree with?

So forced performance of a set political belief basically?

Compare this with the activist core of Girl Guides who are releasing similar and have casually set targets about making politically branded materials and training little girls to be 'allies' to special boys and men.

These people are barking. Major Tom long gone beyond any remaining link with ground control.

Came here to ask this very question.

OP, which parts of the quoted statement - specifically - are you opposed to, and why?

• Highlight and celebrate the diverse membership of the WI, and ensure that our wider movement offers support and fellowship to all women, including transgender women

well I'd expect this as a starter for 10 as transgender women are men

I mean ffs what is wrong with them? Who on the WI board has got the TW relatives?

the WI is for women of all kinds including trans men

it is not for bloody men however they identify

Well, exactly.

Transwomen are not women “lived experience” is bollocks - you are either female or male.

Transwomen do not enrich the WI. The WI is for women to run their own thing, not a mechanisim for men’s fetishes, nor a support for male mental health.

I do not believe that the concept of “sisterhood” includes men.

I do not uphold these values

WI needs a name change. Perhaps the People's Institute instead? Bet it wouldn't be half so popular with TIMs
WI- for women; including transmen

Is it this policy, dated April 2026?

www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/719730/NFWI-Equality-Diversity-and-Inclusion-Policy-April-2026.pdf

Well the WI possibly will cease to exist in a whole bunch of areas then.

That's obviously great for the WI and women themselves.

Yes . Curious tht it is dated April and wears still in February.

I was sent a questionnaire recently from the WI about my views on sisterhood groups etc. How come they’ve preempted members’ responses with this nonsense?

Could you upload the questionnaire? I haven’t seen it. . When did you get it ?

Oh I can’t remember sorry. I think it was from my local federation. Maybe only some areas are asking their members?

It was about a month ago I think.

My objection, apart from the guff about Our inclusion of transgender women in activities outside of membership is based on our belief that being a woman is about biology and lived experience, is that the introduction makes it clear that the whole policy puts people with special gender identities front and centre of the WI EDI policy.

No mention of any of the other protected characteristics in that intro, is there (other than shoehorning biology in with womanly feelz)?

support and fellowship to all women, including transgender women

Well this bit for a start, as transwomen are no part of womanhood, being male.

That transwomen in no way enrich the WI by taking the focus away from women and instead focusing on men with identity issues.

our belief that being a woman is about biology and lived experience

This would be true if it meant biology AND lived experience combined - like actual women experience through our lives because of the sex we are - rather than either biology OR 'lived experience (by males) which is what the rest of the statements are saying.

There are (rightly) many groups and charities that focus on trans identifying people. There ones focusing of WOMEN do not and just not include men, however those men identify.

I think it probably applies from April as ISTR that is when all the men cease to be WI members. This is a sop to the trans activists in the movement both male and female, I imagine. It’s ridiculous though. @Marmaladelover gave the best description.

The WI membership year runs April to April, so this document comes into effect from the new and renewing memberships in April and is not in force for the remainder of the current membership year.

@Bobbymoore123 and @MissScarletInTheBedroom , what particularly about an organisation existing for over 100 years to promote the rights, interests and opportunities of women makes you think they should do mental gymnastics to accommodate men of any type?

Feel free to provide "actual reasoning" and "specifics."

The People’s Institute for Women and Other’ PIFWAO for short, which sounds a lot like what I’d like to do to that policy.

So basically, open events are open to all?

I don’t think they are open to men who don’t think they are women. So discriminatory.

They've had emails objecting to their new policy (of excluding TW). A lot of members don't seem to realise that the WI has been compelled to do this by law and to avoid future legal challenge. They seem to think the WI has chosen to do this of their own accord.

WI is trying to get everything in order by April and, in doing so, is pleasing nobody.

Some members are leaving because they object to the new policy. Some members are leaving because they object to the way the board has handled it and are clearly still pandering to men.

There’s a great BBC podcast about the first WI in England.

Set up by women for women.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0hydg0l

We expect all those who engage in the WI movement to uphold the same values.

This sounds exactly like an extract from a workplace policy. But in a workplace, at least you're paid to be there.

They are really overstepping with this statement, I think.