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!

Sounds about as much fun as sand in your undies.

No, don’t join.

Surely yoga is cultural appropriation? They shouldn't be doing that. And certainly not while wearing lycra and shedding microplastics. Or with the lights on and destroying the climate. And I'm willing to bet (if it's Britain, which it may not be with the ICE mention) that they don't start sessions with a land acknowledgement to the pre-Beaker residents of the region.

If I had nothing better to do I might be tempted to go along for a session and ubervirtue them round in circles. But I will always have something better to do.

Joyless bores who dislike anyone who doesn't agree with them?

No thanks. I like real people who have their own opinions not just the ones they think they are supposed to have.

I’m not so sure about this. I don’t see a valid reason for these conditions unless it is actually a socialist group with a bit of extra activities added. @purplestripdo you have a link to this group? Or can you post promotional material with the contact details blanked out?

It would be a definite no from me. It is highly likely that even if they all believe the same things, they will still be monitoring each other for wrong think.

Yes, totally offputting. It’s none of a club’s business what its members’ politics or beliefs are.

And the TWAW belief? They can bugger off.

Even if I supported all those causes, I would not want to be part of their gang of morally self-righteous net curtain twitchers. I like to be in diverse groups where people hold a variety of opinions and interesting discussions can be had. I don't want to be part of a circle jerk.

Out of interest is it Glasgow?

What's socialist about it?

Not with a gun to my head, the people there will be awful, blue haired loons every one, unbearable

Sounds more like a Maoist re-education camp than a "social" group. What on earth would they do with a normal sane woman who knows men can't be women and who cares about Britain rather than far away countries fighting each other. Take her out and shoot her i guess

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

To answer the OP's question, the whole point of this exercise is to keep out 'undesirables'.

Typically people usually make friends they are hoping to maintain long term with people they have something in common with particularly since you can't choose your family, relatives & work colleagues so this makes sense.

And given that politics is often downstream from personality it points to character traits that may or may come back to bite in your relationship. It's one thing to disagree about how things politically get done but quite another not to believe in equality. In other words if your 'friends' don't believe all people deserve equality or dignity there's a good chance they aren't going to be all that humane to you….& who wants that?

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!

The flaw here is assuming women are a monolith & as such think alike. A good many woman particularly the younger generation consider trans women to be women hence the inclusion.

My guess is the "Girls" is an offshoot of former WI members now they the Women's Institute can't admit men anymore.

Sounds like a bog standard membership form to.join The Greens or Your Party, lol.

Probably yes, all of the above