News / Transgender
WI branches to close over transgender ban
Two Women’s Institute (WI) branches have voted to close over the exclusion of transgender members.
Longwell Green and Westbury-on-Trym WIs took the decision after the National Federation announced it could no longer offer membership to women who were born male.
It follows the Supreme Court ruling that women are legally defined as cisgender females.
Frances Riley, who was on the committee at Westbury-on-Trym, said members were asked to sign a form confirming they were form female, and told they would have to resign if they didn’t.
“The whole committee of eight decided this was a decision we weren’t prepared to go along with,” she said.
That sparked a vote where over three quarters of the branch voted to suspend it, with full closure to follow after three years’ inactivity.
“It was done out of conscience and conviction but was not something a few months ago we thought we would ever have to do – or even want to do,” Riley said.
“The National Federation was very sad to do this because there had been transgender members of the WI for 40 years. But it wasn’t a democratic decision. It was suddenly foisted upon us.”
“We don’t hate the WI. It’s more in sadness than in anger this has happened but it’s something that’s important to its members,” she added.
The National Federation said: “As an organisation that has proudly welcomed transgender women into our membership, this was not something we would do unless we felt that we had no other choice.
“We remain determined to continue to find ways to keep welcoming trans women to our organisation. That’s why we are supporting our WIs and federations who are setting up a new network of Sisterhood groups in their communities, open to all, that will continue to offer friendship and support to transgender women as the WI has done for so many years.”
Riley, who has been involved with the organisation for 14 years, said of the decision to close: “There’s been a fair bit of animosity about it unfortunately. Some members have been called traitors and communists.”
But the loss of the branch won’t mean the loss of the community.
“It’s a lovely group and very social,” Riley said. “So we have set up a Westbury-on-Trym Woman’s Association which will start in May.”
Main Photo: Frances Riley
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