"None of the other members want to take our places many immediately said they weren't even going to renew their membership, she said. We're all heartbroken. I've put 13 years into running this amazing group but I can't, ethically or morally, be a member of something that excludes transgender women, she said."
"Out of 250 comments, there were just 30 that were supportive, she said. The rest were really abusive and awful. The NFWI's decision has emboldened certain members to speak their minds and I think the federation has a serious issue as a result, she said. It's going to struggle even more than it already does to attract younger members, and the more conservative members are going to be more emboldened to stick to what feels like a toxic culture."
The National Federation of Women's Institutes will restrict membership, from April, to those registered female at birth. At least 12 local WI groups are closing or considering closure because of the policy, and several branches plan to relaunch as independent social groups. One group with nearly 140 members has had its entire committee step down and many members plan not to renew. Another branch closed after board resignations and subsequently received hundreds of abusive online comments, with roughly 30 supportive responses. Members warn the policy will deter younger women, embolden conservative traditionalist culture, and raise policing questions. The WI has thousands of branches and about 180,000 members nationwide.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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