So I just discovered c/womensstuff, commented in a thread that took my interest and got a somewhat abusive “eff off” comment from a mod with added sarcasm.

I then saw it’s “women only”. This is the only community I know that bans based on a protected identity of a person, e.g. in the UK, it’s illegal to discriminate based on gender, sexuality, religion etc.

How does everyone feel about this for Lemmy communities?

  • Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    If they served the best pizza in town, I would join your flight. But all they have to offer is women who want to talk with other women. If you are not a woman, I don’t see what you think you would contribute.

    • idiomaddict@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      This is so obvious now that you’ve written it, but it never occurred to me. What a great way to phrase this.

  • Otter@lemmy.ca
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    1 month ago

    I think it’s reasonable that some communities will want to cater to a specific topic / group of people. If you want to discuss a similar topic, there’s nothing stopping you from posting about it in another community or making your own community/instance.

    If someone doesn’t want to engage with you, it’s silly to try and force them to engage with you.

    • catty@lemmy.worldBannedBanned from communityOP
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      1 month ago

      If you want to discuss a similar topic, there’s nothing stopping you from posting about it in another community or making your own community/instance.

      But that’s stupid.

      • nomad@infosec.pub
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        1 month ago

        Its a tradeoff, it’s discussing things with people that understand you and being protected from outside interference while doing so.

        Then again this creates a bubble which leads usually to radicalization. Which leads to a lack of respect for otherl peoples experience and point of view.

        I wish communities like this would introduce labels to invite outside views or maybe a “male input Monday” or something. Just to stave off the effects of isolation to a specific mindset.

        • Takapapatapaka@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          Y’all seem to think that those people only exist in one random Lemmy community and never use anything else.

          Women getting too much and too bad male input is literally what leads to women only spaces, not the other way around. And yet they still get male input everywhere else. It’s like thinking going to a Warhammer shop will radicalize you because they don’t play poker there, it’s not even stupid, it’s absurd.

        • catty@lemmy.worldBannedBanned from communityOP
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          1 month ago

          This is the intelligent answer, not the facebook answer.

      • 11111one11111@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        You do see the mirror right? Not sure what you expect for a response when your whole stance consists of “that’s stupid.”

        If its worth anything you seem so dense that you got me to block you so I dont have to see content from a pissy cunt bitching about a community for women being a community for women. Your social worker can prolly point you in the direction of communities for retards… I think they call them group homes.

        • catty@lemmy.worldBannedBanned from communityOP
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          1 month ago

          You’re going to make an amazing, beautiful mother.

          Your vitriol makes you sound really bitter and hateful towards men. Groups like what I’m talking about strengthen your existing sexist opinions and make them more extreme, and in your mind, this hatred becomes normalised that you post things like the above.

          You have just proven why exclusive groups like this are bad for communities.

          (Though the entire response reads very gen-AI-ish)

  • missingno@fedia.io
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    1 month ago

    OP, you’ve done a fantastic job demonstrating exactly why some people might want spaces where they don’t have to deal with the likes of you.

  • MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.works
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    1 month ago

    I subscribe to c/womensstuff and I’ve seen the messages to men who post there accidentally. They go like this: “thanks for your comment, but unfortunately this community has a rule that only women are permitted to comment - hope you understand 🧡”

    How is this “somewhat abusive”?

  • Emily (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 month ago

    If people want a respectful space to discuss among themselves I don’t see any good reason to force myself into the conversation. Not every space on the internet (or real life) needs to be a stage for the free marketplace of ideas, especially when you’re talking about already marginalised communities who are easily disenfranchised by many of the kinds of people attracted to that style of space.

    Personally, looking at the interaction between yourself and the mod, it reads to me like you was the one who was sarcastic and rude.

    • catty@lemmy.worldBannedBanned from communityOP
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      1 month ago

      Are women considered marginalised communities outside the minds of feminists?

      • Nibodhika@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        As someone who opposes lots of what feminist theories claim and what some feminist groups preach and do my answer is: Yes, obviously, you have to be a special kind of stupid to not realize that women are marginalized in our society. Next you’ll tell me that outside of black live matter no one thinks blacks are marginalized.

        • catty@lemmy.worldBannedBanned from communityOP
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          1 month ago

          I would agree with you but I don’t think women are marginalised in my society. They may feel as if they are though because they’re generally told they are. I will accept Muslim women are but most who I know actually accept being told what to do and not do and the abuse they receive. Less of the personal insults, huh?

          • Nibodhika@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            I would agree with you but I don’t think women are marginalised in my society.

            Then you don’t agree with me, and you should look closer at your society, it’s easy to overlook how certain groups are marginalized if you’re not part of them. I recommend you read some posts in some women only communities (instead of trying to tell them how they should feel) to see the sort of thing they have to go through.

            I get where you’re coming from, on paper our society treats women equally, there are no written rules or outlandish inequalities, and some of what feminist complain is not even real, such as the gender pay gap. However that’s not the same as saying there aren’t any inequalities nor that it’s even comparable. Yes, men do have issues in our society; Yes we need to address those; No, we shouldn’t laugh at me for opening up about their issues; Yes, men can have safe spaces where they talk about their issues without having women judge them for it. And all of that is the same for women, there are lots of ways in which our society treats women as inferior and if you can’t recognize that there’s really nothing else to tell you than “pay more attention”, but there’s no worse blind that those who don’t want to see, so I’m sure there’s nothing I can tell you that will make you stop and listen and look around, talk to your mom, sister, or some women you know and trust, listen to their stories about that time their boss slap their ass or their ex-boyfriend forced himself on them, or even the time the creepy guy started following them around.

  • erotador@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 month ago

    its their community, they can run it how they please, if it rubs you the wrong way you can feel free to make a competing space instead of simply complaining about it, but i think most will find its harder to moderate than they think, so i say having a hard stance on moderation to ensure quality for a minority is perfectly acceptable imo.

  • TheAlbatross@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 month ago

    I think it’s nigh impossible to come up with strict rules about these things.

    I also think it’s fine that women have spaces that are just for them.

    • catty@lemmy.worldBannedBanned from communityOP
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      1 month ago

      I also think it’s fine that women have spaces that are just for them.

      Interesting? Why? So it becomes an echo chamber? Why not make the group private in that case? How about fake women profiles by men?

      • KoboldCoterie@pawb.social
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        1 month ago

        Why do you feel that you have the automatic right to insert yourself into a conversation that your opinion isn’t wanted in? There’s no issue with the way they’re presenting or moderating their community; they make the rules plain on the sidebar.

        How about fake women profiles by men?

        Again, why do you assume this is an issue? Most men can simply respect that women would like to have a conversation with other women. Why are you not able to just accept this?

        • catty@lemmy.worldBannedBanned from communityOP
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          1 month ago

          Why do you feel that you have the automatic right to insert yourself into a conversation that your opinion isn’t wanted in?

          Your opinion isn’t wanted.

          Why are you not able to just accept this?

          Tough titties, kid.

            • idiomaddict@lemmy.world
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              1 month ago

              Not only that, but literally directly asked them why immediately beforehand. This is a master class in missing the point.

              I’m an afab something for whom these communities always felt a little iffy (they’re very welcome and it’s lovely to not have to hedge what you say as much, but I always felt they were somewhat unfair), but this comments section has helped me understand why it’s unproblematic to have them.

  • Deestan@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Imagine you have a chess club.

    Every five minutes, someone drops by to sit down at your match, but their drink on the chessboard and starts a friendly and helpful conversation about how you should play lacrosse instead because it is healthier.

    You have some patience to inform them that of course exercise is healthy but you also enjoy chess games and it is hard to play while conversing with a stranger no offense okay? When you tell the 16th person to let you play chess in peace that day you are tiny bit harsh so they complain loudly that you all are extremely rude and excluding.

    At some point you lock the door.

    You are the 7452nd person to come in their door here, okay?

  • Anarki_@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 month ago

    I think it’s fine. I actually enjoy reading it for the insight.

    The internet is very “male” by default. I can accept that women want to, and do, get their own clubs. Why can’t you?

  • flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz
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    1 month ago

    Let me try to phrase my opinion:

    It’s unfortunate that gender-exclusive communities exist, but it’s a consequence of deeper societal issues.

    Forcing the issue on social networks like Lemmy will actually make it worse, because those groups will feel in danger and want to separate even further.

    Being able to access the community in read-only mode is a very good thing, because you’ll be able to gain insight into why they feel the need for a separate space. Read, learn and understand, even if you disagree.

    • catty@lemmy.worldBannedBanned from communityOP
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      1 month ago

      But read, learn, understand what? Do you really think the problem you claim women need the space is because (presumably men, the alleged oppressors) don’t “understand” women and if only they’d take time to read and understand women it would all be ok?

      • flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz
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        1 month ago

        But read, learn, understand what?

        Why they feel the need to be separate. What exactly are they afraid of. You’re focusing too much on being “technically correct”. Human emotions don’t work like that.

        Humans work generally like this:

        • we have a bad experience
        • we try to avoid bad experience repeating

        Sometimes it leads into coping mechanisms like needing a safe space. Trying to break down that barrier by force will not work, it will only make it stronger. You can hope to be invited in, but that requires understanding.