I agree with the points made by Lynne in a couple of posts above.
I prefer to watch men dance morris, but am happy to watch mixed or women's sides too. But Morris-ey, you're so right about Bad Border being the lazy unisex option, it can be toe-curlingly embarrassing to watch, and is a world away from the likes of Wild Hunt.

I don't think it would be wise for anyone to try to change the all-male or all-female policy of certain sides, because it's not just a case of dancing well or badly. Women dance differently, just as they sing differently and talk differently. Some mixed sides can accommodate this quite well, but the best single-sex sides display an inherent maleness or femaleness in their dancing that would be diluted if they were to dance as a mixed side. And I really don't like seeing women in traditional men's Cotswold gear - those breeches and tucked-in shirts look awful on most women. It's almost as bad as putting a man in a Mother-Goose-style dress to dance Garland.

So I have no problem with Ring sides continuing to be all male. I do find it offensive when they refuse to dance at the same stand as women (and Lynne's is not the only instance of this I've come across) but I'm relieved to hear this isn't widespread. I'm all for a bit of diversity in morris and can't see the problem with single-sex and mixed-sex sides coexisting and offering a choice.

Marje