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.

Ok, I have now received a reply to the email I sent them. I’ll include the text but basically it’s being framed as a requirement to confirm that all members, new and existing, are legally entitled to belong to the WI (aka biological women). There’s no mention of agreement with anything in terms of values etc.

Here it is:

Thank you for your email and your thoughtful questions.

As you are aware, in April 2025 the UK Supreme Court ruled that, under the Equality Act 2010, the legal definition of a woman refers to biological sex. As a women’s organisation referencing women and girls in its charitable objects and constitutions, the NFWI is legally required to adhere to the biological definition of sex when providing access to legal membership.

Therefore, transgender members are no longer legally permitted to join the WI, and a revised EDI Policy to reflect this, has been produced.

When the announcement was made on 3 December 2025, the NFWI emphasized that in light of the organisations long standing trans-inclusive policy, the decision had been taken with regret and sadness and only to comply with the law.

Because the membership criteria have changed, continuing members are legally required to confirm their eligibility to continue as members. We have taken extensive legal advice and everything that we are doing/ asking of members is in keeping with the law. Every member, both new and continuing must sign the new membership form to declare they remain eligible for membership. Any member who does not sign the form is regrettably not able to continue their membership. Members will only ever have to declare their eligibility once, and this will be noted on the MCS for future reference.

I have attached a set of FAQs that have been developed to support the policy change, and a copy of the membership form which I hope you will find useful.

Thank you again for your email and your questions.

———————

I intend to reply to say I don’t feel any ‘regret and sadness’ and they shouldn’t assume all their members are unhappy with the change. But whatever the earlier document implied this email states that in signing members are confirming their legal right to belong, so sign I can.

That said, it’s still a shitshow. If it wasn’t for the fact that our local group has practically no involvement with the national stuff I would probably feel far more conflicted.

"transgender members are no longer legally permitted to join the WI"

That feels wrong; all women who were born women are eligible for the WI, surely?

Yes, they're blurring the lines deliberately, trying to divert attention away from the fact that they're helping men hijack the word woman. 😠

Yes, I was just reading it again aloud to my OH and that jumped out at me too - it’s absolutely not true that transgender members can’t join, and worded to imply a level of exclusion and discrimination that’s pretty inflammatory.

Yes, exactly. It's a lie. It should say "Trans-identifying men are no longer legally permitted to join the WI". That would wake a few people up.

If you're getting back to them about the "regret and sadness" you should mention this error as well. It's infuriating that they just cannot (will not?) be clear.

I absolutely will, like you say it’s just so infuriating.

I've had exactly the same email from the WI.

I was going to rejoin, after leaving in 2021 over this issue when it came to light.

When I saw the new EDI policy, and what I would have to sign up to to rejoin I wrote to NFWI saying I wouldn't be rejoining.
This was their reply

I had been thinking that the re-signing of the membership form was to demonstrate that they were taking steps to comply with women only. Which is ok. But it is also making us sign up to the updated equality policy, which my committee has circulated with the form. I don’t remember that happening when i originally joined (I remember a gdpr form, which included things about photos and did we want a birthday card).

And I’m v unhappy with some of that - summed up so well in the long letter posted a few days ago. Plus any of my money going towards sisterhood groups.

ahhhhhhh, I’m just going round in circles about what to do. Should I stay and fight, but I’m not really wanting to raise this a lot at local level, but also at what point is my line in the sand, that I can’t keep just being pushed back and back on. I know the argument that this is their last fight back but I am so so cross with national and their nasty, sneaky behaviour, and they so clearly don’t want me as a member with my unkind un inclusive thoughts.

“to confirm that all members, new and existing, are legally entitled to belong to the WI (aka biological women)”

What, no genital inspections? Well blow me down with a feather!

We had our group meeting last night. We're another group that don't have much (if anything) to do with National, so most of the members were pretty much unaware of all the goings on.
There was a fair amount of discussion and a certain level of outrage when members were brought up to date.
Our group are not happy with the EDI policy, but since it is already being challenged from various quarters anyway we decided to see what happens there before wading into the fray.
With regards to the sisterhood groups, again very unhappy about the concept. We are going to officially request clarification from our County HQ (who we suspect are rather 'kind') if they intend to set up a sisterhood group and if so, how it will be financed.
We are going to put on record that we do not agree / consent to any of our subscription being used to finance sisterhood groups either locally or nationally.
If funding for sisterhood groups is drawn in whole or in part from WI funds, would it be reasonable to demand to know what proportion of the money we send to County / National HQ will be used for this and withhold that amount?

Well done to your group, the more pushback from actual WI groups the better, they can't just blow it off as nasty bigoty women's if the front lines say no as well.👏

Ok, I've sent my reply to their latest email pointing out that not everyone is feeling 'regret and sadness' about their decision to comply with the law 🙄

I also pointed out that their statement 'transgender members are no longer legally permitted to join the WI' is factually incorrect, and queried why they would make such a basic mistake about such an important distinction.

I won't hold my breath for a reply........

Well I have to take back that last sentence, they replied last night:

Thank you for your reply and I accept the error you have highlighted. I should have in fact said transgender women are no longer permitted to join the WI. What I was meaning to convey was that current transgender members (transgender women) are no longer eligible for membership, from 1 April.

Of course it’s still wrong because transgender women ARE eligible to join, transgender men are not, but this is clearly their way of presenting trans identifying men as some kind of woman, and therefore emphasising the unfairness of the SC judgement.

Thank you for your reply and I accept the error you have highlighted. I should have in fact said transgender women are no longer permitted to join the WI. What I was meaning to convey was that current transgender members (transgender women) are no longer eligible for membership, from 1 April.

Many thanks for your response. Transgender women are indeed women, it is trans women that are male and not able to join. The reason they are not permitted is because they are men. Would it be worth actually running an anonymous survey to determine whether your paying members actually want men involved and if so, maybe change the name and the charitable objectives to suit what the membership actually want? It might be your easiest solution and clarity about the stance would give people the option to leave if they don't agree with it.

I sent this email a couple of days ago to the email address listed for enquiries to find out if I'm lying if I sign the form or not..... I'm wondering if they've deliberately distinguished between belief and value - although rereading it now, my email may be as confused as their policy!

Hi

I would like to rejoin but I need some clarity before I sign the membership form please - as I'm not sure what I'm agreeing to follow when I "acknowledge and agree to follow all NFWI policies" in relation to the EDI Policy.

In the first paragraph of the introduction, the policy states: "our belief that being a woman is about biology and lived experience."

You then say in section 4 that "We expect all those who engage in the WI movement to uphold the same values" and on the membership form, if I sign it, I will have to "agree to follow all NFWI policies".

Are you deliberately distinguishing between "belief" and "values"? So, can I uphold WI values at the same time as not agreeing with the policy writer that "being a woman is about biology and lived experience"? Or if I disagree with that statement, am I not upholding WI values? Can I follow all NFWI policies if I disagree with that statement? Is that belief not a value or something that needs to be followed, but simply a statement the policy writer has put in the policy? (Incidentally, I presume this "and" in the part I've quoted, should be read as an "and/or" our you're excluding transwomen.)

From a respect, truth, kindness, tolerance perspective, I will absolutely follow the bullets points in section 4.

Please can you tell me if I am able to sign the statement if I agree with most of the policy but not that you can define a woman by "lived experience". I'd appreciate a prompt response please so I don't cause my membership secretary extra work.

Many thanks!

Janet. Legend. So glad you are here.

I'm a former WI member . I left my ( v rural Herefordshire ) group because of this issue.

I recently applied to rejoin,but have decided not to, because of this new clause.

I have email exchanges?

Is that of help?

There seems to be so much confusion about what the signature is understood to confirm. The reply to my email said it was to confirm eligibility to join and that was the basis on which I signed. I also made it clear that I hold sex realist views and welcome the change in membership criteria.

It’s a mess, and they’ve handled it terribly.

We’ve had clarification from National (via County) that ‘sisterhood groups’ will be self-funding and no WI membership fees will be used to fund them. We’re still awaiting clarification on how these groups will sit alongside our current structure.
I’ve got a feeling they’ve not thought this through… surely if they sit outside the WI membership structure, are completely separate financially and don’t fit within the charitable purposes then they would be a completely separate organisation and nothing at all to do with WI. In which case, crack on (in reality I don’t think they’ll actually happen).

Or if they do happen tge membership will be so few in numbers and scattered it will be difficult or impossible to sustain.

completely separate organisation and nothing at all to do with WI. In which case, crack on

Quite.

In those circumstances I'd wish them a lovely time.

Completely agree. It's a desperate attempt to ride on the coat tails of the WI.

The only people going will be trans identified men. Which completely undermines the whole purpose of setting it up in the first place.

Unless they can get enough women from the WI to support them by pretending it's a woman only splinter organisation, there's absolutely no point to it.

Well, good luck with that.

I guess they know the truth, which is that none of the men eligible will want to attend ‘sisterhood’ groups. They are not affirming right.