WRN Derby report on IWD 2026

[IwantToRetire]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐘
(NB mnhq wouldn't let me use this as the title of a thread even though it is the actual title of those who wrote the article. !!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Yesterday we went to watch the #InternationalWomensDay2026 parade in Derby.

Watch? you ask. Why are you not taking part?

Because we've been told that some women are not welcome.

By whom do you ask? Surely a public event on IWD is open to all women - & therein lies a tale ...


𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐍

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 - It all began 4 years ago when Derby women of WRN applied for a stall at the 2023 IWD Derby festival. Our application was declined on a technicallity. Despite being rejected, we just wrapped up warm and set up a cheerful table in the cold outside the event.

^ (Read the contemporaneous story here https://x.com/WRNDerbyshire/status/1634523693064790016)^

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 - Forward to 2025, we responded to a call from Derby Women's Day organisers for women to march and bring their own banners through the streets of Derby. So at last we hoped to be included on #IWD. But no, we were subjected to abuse by organisers who whipped up the crowd.

^ (Read the contemporaneous story here https://x.com/WRNDerbyshire/status/1898508056180269536)^

We learned subsequently the organisers boasted they had excluded The Mayor "and his sidekick” due to his “collusion” with the Derby women of WRN (though we were not named!).


𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 - Now here we are on IWD 2026 & organisers continue hositilites. They introduce exclusionary & unfair contract terms for stall applications, with a clause so they can cancel anyone they deem inappropriate and keep the application fee - as 100% volunteers we don't have money to throw away

Organisers ramped up the divisive rhetoric with public announcements in advance calling for security volunteers, branding “inappropriate” women as “transphobic” and “haters”

Sadly, the day evidenced the steep decline of International Women's Day Derby. The group was a fraction of previous years. It was clear we were not welcome or included. WRN neither participated in the event, nor booked a stall due to their legally dubious booking terms.

One WRN member entered this "public" event in the hope of building bridges with the organiser. She was told the event was a "private hire" for supporters only and was threatened with "trespass enforcement." Our group was accused of heckling survivors at #IWD2025

Accusing us of heckling is galling, particularly when in 2025 they instigated the verbal abuse and we were reacting to them. Many of our members are domestic abuse survivors, hearing them use victimhood as a weapon against other survivors is deeply hurtful and coercive.

𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄

Yesterday's events, alongside the litany of incidents over several years paints a picture of how Women’s Day Derby's extreme views manifest as prolonged and active opposition to women who don’t comply.

Women's Day Derby's model of "inclusion" is exclusionary to women who believe in sex-based rights. If they were more honest and upfront about the type of organisations they do and don't want at their event it would be easier for everyone. The sentence "must be appropriate for our inclusive event" doesnt mean anything! And we do support the International Women's Day event, we even agree with the published constitutional aims of Women's Day Derby, which only mentions "women and girls".

Derbyshire Times Derbyshire Live What's Going On in Derbyshire?

From WRN Derby facebook page https://www.facebook.com/WRNDerbyshireAndStaffordshire/posts/pfbid0jvxWAParj5LBJqriES1Qy3f5U6LgJFuCEyDXydDi3GMGgXAfYfvENr82RNdbVWVHl

I am starting to think we need Sex Matters/WRN/FiLiA et al to organise a separate event for next year that all us terrible women can go to, and get harassed by none women and their handmaidens

Wouldn't that be nice to have our own day back, minus the harassment though. Of course we have squared the circle now in Australia with the transwomen for transwomen International Women's Day event. Sal Grover had her ticket refunded for that and was not welcome !

These clauses like if you are not a supporter or if you are not inclusive are quite sinister.

It really is inclusion to exclude. This was the first IWD after the Sumpreme Court Judgment and nothing has changed!

I think it is great women from LWS and WRN are showing these events up for what they are.

As mentioned above we need an alternative event, one that is by women for women and no faux women allowed. 😤

If women in other countries can do it, why cant we.

If no one else cares that not going to do it.

It will only happen if those who care enough want to do it.

As shown on the other thread about IWD marches, Spain had 2 marches. One including TW and one women only.

Isn't the question why the UK cant manage this.

I think women have been boycotting IWD the last few years or more but I've seen a few posts from women's groups like local WRN Derby and I saw WRN East Sussex did a stall as they were banned and if course LWS Midlands who has KJK with her and then other little protests by Terfy women. I think we've all just had enough now. This is the first IWD since the SCJ and we expected it back!

There's XX Day: the tenth day of the tenth month, 10th October, aka 'Adult Human Female Day', leaving 8th March to whoever...

I forgot about it last October, TBH, and there mustn't have been much about it on here because, unlike the year before.

I've made a resolution to remember it this year

I think if we go on relying on a small group of women to do all the organising nothing is going to change.

And quite honestly it doesn't have to aspire to some grandeous march is banners etc., or local council funded orchestrated meeting.

As in other years local women have managed to meet together and pay tribute, have a social event or whatever because they think it worth doing.

Events like FiLia and indeed MWR are more about consuming an event.

Rather than something that is based on creating a shared statement.

Yes XX day is a USA thing but I got involved in Social Media. I do worry about using just chromosomes but it is catchy. WRN a
started Global Women's Day which is in early July. I believe last year they used this to remember Afghan women and girls in London.

We should just make our own days up! That's what the transactivists gave done and now they have the calendar from February to November!

One day for IWD isn't enough. We need the whole month, if only to spread out events and be able to attend more things.

Another way of thinking about this is to wonder what the actual value of International Women's Day is.

Other than a Twitter hashtag, a branding/promo opportunity for a host of organisations, and viral huffing for like-hungry people and content-hungry platforms, what is it ever likely to achieve?

It is partly because the idea of having a "day" is so absolutely vacuous that its dead space has become infested with the busywork of being performatively nice to trans people.

Even before it became fashionable to make it about men with a trans identity, it was already the subject of endless facile comments about 'why don't we have an international men's day'; I don't think it ever really functioned as something that actually did anything useful.

BTW, @IwantToRetire , can you clarify how MNHQ refused the thread title you wanted?

Its in the different threads about how MNHQ have introduced a new AI generated tool for those who have trouble thinking of a title for their thread!?!

Which maybe good be a good idea, but the way the implement it, meant that the default was the AI generated one.

Please look at the listing of threads, order by recently created and you will see them also go to site stuff.

I am trying to avoid the topic as last night it caught me out and I went to bed in a rage, woke up in a rage, shouted at my doctor because I am still in a rage.

Thanks, @IwantToRetire . Is it possible that you made the same mistake that I did when you created the title? I had thought you needed to click on to the AI suggestion and then delete or edit it. But in fact you can just pretend it isn't there and compose your own title in the blank box above.

Well yes that's what I thought, but when I did that yesterday it did the opposite of what I thought the message meant.

I now labouriously put in my title, then it adds it stupid suggestion.

And in fact get it to go away by going back to the OP hit the enter key a couple of times and the AI suggestion disappears, and then quickly hit the post button.

I think part of it, is that it is a bit glitchy.

As well as being effing stupid!

Great idea. Hope someone remembers to flag this closer to the time.We can then leave IWD to the crossdressers and woke bro's.

I still have hope we dill get IWD back there are women locally all over pushing back. Won't happen over night though! Maybe the Derby WRN group should do something big next year!

"Women's Day Derby's model of "inclusion" is exclusionary to women who believe in sex-based rights."

This is the nub of the problem - particularly when public money is used to fund events that then unlawfully exclude a certain demographic.

Well done WRN Derby for calling it out. We can't take every local council to court though, which is why the WRN Councils reports so good. They need to know that we are watching and will let people know that their policies remain unlawful.

Read the WRN report here:
www.womensrights.network/_files/ugd/a86851_f6ac84e65c9747fbb18b96d79839d3a3.pdf