At least a dozen Women’s Institute branches are shutting down or preparing to close after the national federation banned transgender women from membership, prompting outrage from members who say the decision has poisoned the organisation’s grassroots spirit. The closures, revealed today, follow the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI) ruling that, from April, only those registered female at birth may join.
The policy was introduced to comply with last year’s Supreme Court judgment clarifying that the Equality Act 2010 defines a woman by biological sex. Branches across Greater Manchester, Sheffield, London and Kent have already announced they will disband. Others are expected to follow, with a private WhatsApp group of around a dozen committees now discussing mass exits.
Emma Hawley, chair of Social Lites WI in Urmston, Greater Manchester, said her 13-year-old group of 140 members is folding after the entire committee stepped down and no replacements came forward.
Ms Hawley 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.”
Seven Hills WI in Sheffield will also close. Vice-President Clementine Dexter reported that the branch received roughly 220 abusive online comments after announcing the decision; only 30 of 250 were supportive.
Ms Dexter added: “The NFWI’s decision has emboldened certain members to speak their minds. It’s going to struggle even more to attract younger members.”
Hackney Wicked Women in East London will shut next month. Chair Nora Salmon described “a carnage of concern and upset” and said the federation offered almost no guidance. When the group informed NFWI it was closing, the reply was simply: “We’re sorry to hear that.”
Ms Salmon explained: “There has been almost no support from above.”
Practical fallout is already hitting branches that plan to stay. Ladies of the Lock WI in Kentish Town has lost its decade-long venue after the landlord, a trans-inclusive space, refused future bookings. Speakers have begun cancelling.
Jules Mortimore of Wells Angels WI in Tunbridge Wells, a 125-member group also closing, pointed out an unintended consequence of the Supreme Court ruling: transgender men could now legally join.
Ms Mortimore noted: “That is likely to be far more confronting and alarming for women than a trans woman.”
Members complain the federation imposed the change without proper consultation, despite the WI’s long tradition of grassroots democracy. Several said they felt “betrayed”.
The NFWI announced the policy in December with “utmost regret and sadness”, insisting it had no legal choice if it wished to remain a women-only charity. It plans to launch “sisterhood groups” open to all, including transgender women, from April.
Approached for comment today, the federation declined to add to its earlier statement.
Despite the bitterness, many departing members insist they will not abandon the friendships that defined their groups. Social Lites, Wells Angels and others intend to re-form as independent community clubs.
Ms Hawley concluded: “We’ve been through so much together. We just want to carry on doing that.”
The upheaval comes as the 110-year-old WI, with roughly 180,000 members nationwide, already struggles to recruit younger women. Critics inside the organisation warn the row has exposed a deeper cultural rift that could accelerate its decline.
Express.co.uk has contacted the NFWI for further comment.
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