Would this women's social group put you off joining?

[purplestrip]

In my local town there is a group called the town's name girls collective. Its supposedly a social group for women to come along and take part in various activities like running, yoga or crafts as to make new friends. Sounds good right but on their socials they make it very clear that anyone who doesn't think transwomen are women are not welcome and presumably men themselves who imagine they are women are welcome. They also have a whole list of prerequisites of any potential joiner's political views such as being pro-Palestinian, opposed to ICE, pro asylum seeker, pro-refugee to be welcome yourself and that if you ignore the suffering of people in Ukraine, Palestine, Sudan, Iran and Myanmar then the community is not for you. If you think women's spaces should exclude males transwomen then this is not the community for you and so on.

Now for what it's worth I agree with most of their politics but I am gender critical but I also think that not every interaction has to be founded on complete political alignment and that they are actually being quite exclusionary.

Personally I'd be put off attending myself and I wonder how many other women they are driving away with such a confrontational set of requirements. I don't know if they have any males who go to their group but I do think its somewhat ironic that a group set up for women prioritises male inclusion over those of women they don't happen to agree with on everything!

Yeah that is annoying too as girls are children and the women in attendance are all adults, I wonder if the use of girls is to deter older women from signing up as perhaps the organisers might think older women are more likely to have a mind of their own.

I’d be happy to be given the heads up that it’s a group where only group think is welcome and I’d swerve it on that basis, however much I might agree or disagree with their stance on some things.

I have always had a real aversion to in-crowds, tight knit groups and people who want to control group dynamics and opinions. It started at school, continued in university, at work and as a parent. And a bit of me wants to throw a bomb into the middle of these groups by deliberately trying to be their version of controversial. So yes, it would put me off (and clearly they wouldn’t want me!).

they sound like a bunch of insufferable twats! Avoid!

I wouldn’t go, I quite like the premise of a group of women trying a variety of different activities but couldn’t be dealing with over expression of political views. We all have opinions, sometimes they are irrelevant to the activity or even inappropriate and we should keep them to ourselves. They also shouldn't be advertising as a “women’s” group if they include ANY males.

The only asylum seeker I know well enough socially to ask about these topics is extremely GC and would fit on this forum very well. Also pedants' corner.

Diverse world, innit?

I was thinking it would be a trendy version of the guides.

Absolutely ridiculous, wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole, even though I might agree with some of their political positions.

Groups like this make me quite sad. They are well meaning and members often think they are making the world a better place but are actually making it more divisive.
The smartphone, social media and YouTube has a lot to answer for in killing the capacity for critical thought and the acceptance of difference in favour of authoritarianism and groupthink.

Just rock up with your Harry Potter book under your arm while wearing your IDF t-shirt.....

That would be a big fuck off from me. I don't like being told what to think.

Yeah - I’d set up another one, call it similar but insert the word ‘relaxed’ or ‘fun’.

If only men who who say they're women were members would it still be a women's group?

No, I'd give that a wide berth. Plenty of alternatives.

Same

I like my yoga like I like my crafting - free of politics.

@Alucard55 Well judging by their own standards yes it would! I wonder how they would feel if lots of men started turning up and dominating and it was putting real women off joining or coming back? I would if they would for a moment question themselves or if they would just pat themselves on the back for weeding out the bigots and carry on facilitating and prioritising men? I have had that experience before at a women in film industry group a few years ago in the end the facilitator ended up folding the group because actual women stopped attending and they couldn't directly exclude the men with special feelings for fear of being sued.

An inclusive gated community where the floors are carpeted with eggshells.

I didn't see Afghanistan on that list of essential causes btw. Was it in the original? Because if it wasn't...

I would rather gnaw off my own feet than join a group like that. Firstly because I'm going to disagree on a lot of things which isn't going to be acceptable, and clearly "avoiding awkward topics" or "agreeing to disagree" isn't going to be acceptable either.

Secondly, I like to be around people who have different views from mine but are able to differ respectfully, rather than be in a carefully policed echo chamber where you know that one wrong move and you'll be out on your ear.

And thirdly because they sound like virtue-signalling fuckwits with the critical thinking skills of a baked bean.

I always wonder where these fruit loops are when I see videos of them protesting...I guess in your town group!

I wouldn't want anything to do with them, I can almost smell them from here... 🤢

Well it's very good of them to warn you @purplestrip that they are tedious and preachy, now you can find better things to do.

Fuck's sake, they sound like they knit their own mung beans. Steer clear!

Can you imagine it

"Sorry, you are wearing Sweaty Betty leggings that is problematic. True allyship required ethically sourced, keffiyeh-inspired, trans-affirmative yoga attire hand-crafted by a non-hierarchical collective. It's not a dress code, its a community expectation. You can only attend classes if you attend next week's workshop: Deconstructing Internalised Legging Privilege"

@Heggettypeg Funnily enough no mention of Afghanistan I should leave a message on their instagram saying that I wouldn't want to be part of a group that is happy to see women and girls in Afghanistan suffer however I feel that it would be wrong to use other peoples real suffering to make a personal point or as a way to signal my identity credentials!

How tiresome it sounds.

On a side note, I'm so glad I'm not a young woman today. Imagine trying to fit in at university when The Crowd is like that. Ugh.

@purplestrip it's all very bizarre. I'm really curious at what point they would look around and go "there's no proper women here".