The Women’s Institute has sparked outrage after it unveiled its plan to “enrich” local branches by letting transgender members join the organisation.
A campaign group, known as the Women’s Institute Declaration, slammed the policy and warned it is putting the WI in an “untenable position”.
The group started a petition warning the National Federation of Women Institutes that its traditional objectives are being threatened and that it “cannot legitimately campaign for women-specific issues”.
The petition has so far received over 1,500 signatures.
The Women’s Institute Declaration slammed the policy and warned it is putting the WI in an “untenable position”
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The Women’s Institute Declaration also alleged that individual WI constitutions have been “de facto changed” without the consent of the organisation’s 180,000 members.
The campaign group’s petition is calling for the admission of new trans members to be put on hold.
It has also said current trans members can remain in the WI but added that members should debate the implication of the policy ahead of a vote.
In a letter to WI board members, the Women’s Institute Declaration wrote: “By failing to define what a woman is, by having a wide description for a trans woman and by not allowing respectful debate, or debate of any kind, the NFWI has de facto forced individual Women’s Institutes to accept men.
“This has been achieved by poor drafting of policies, poor advice from advisers and is harmful to women as a whole.”
The Women’s Institute, which was formed in 1915, recently announced its new policy which will allow transgender women to “join the WI and to participate in any WI activities in the same way as any other woman”.
The WI has said its policy on transgender women “builds on our ambitions and enriches our membership to ensure we are a place for all women to celebrate who they are and influence positive change in their communities”.
But the campaign group pointed out: “There is no definition of what a woman is.”
In a letter to trustees, they added: “If you cannot define the group you seek to represent, how can you understand their needs and demands?”
The organisation announced in 2015 it would admit transgender members.
Petra Wenham, who transitioned to a woman aged 68, featured on the cover of its WI Life magazine in 2021.
Former Conservative Party leader Lord William Hague waded in on the debate, arguing the WI should welcome transgender women.
Lord William Hague spoke out against campaigners hoping to block transgender members from joining the WI
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He told The Times: "World athletics has made clear that women in women's sport have got to be, can’t be transgender, otherwise it would be the end of women’s sport.
“And I think that is quite right. I’m not sure that applies to the Women's Institute, though.
“You know, there are transgender people, they have changed their gender. This is part of our society now.
“And I think large national organisations like the WI have to get over that and get used to that, and welcome new people.
“So that would be the side of the argument I’m on. I’ll probably get a lot of angry letters now from WI members, but I would be on that side of the argument.”
GB News has approached the NFWI for comment.
