women at Girton College Cambridge aren’t allowed 1 hour out of 83 hours to swim in a female only environment

I don't understand why you would be against enabling women to be active, who wouldn't if there were only mixed sessions?

Do you recognise that many women are harassed by men, whether severely or at a low level, and would welcome a brief period of time where that definitely isn't going to happen?

And maybe after a while swimming in a single sex environment they may be happy to try a mixed session?

My last post was addressed to lucydo.

You just said it's unreasonable to be uncomfortable swimming with men.

And you listed your chosen exemptions.

Do you think maybe it's for women to decide for themselves?

Some women may choose to swim only with other women. It's entirely reasonable, whatever their reasons.

Lucydo, many of the girls may feel fine, but they may be concerned for Muslim, orthodox Jewish, or overweight/struggling with body image friends.

Last year the girls on DDs University course organised a girls only night out, so that their Muslim coursemates, several of whom were living at home, could join them and feel able to take their hijabs off. I have heard reports that in some Universities, Muslim students are inclined to self-isolate. Small things, like an hours swim session a week, or a considerate girls' night out, will help prevent this.

And this at University. A loss of single sex spaces in a wider society could have a real adverse impact on community cohesion.

I actually thought the "vandal" might be protesting against non binary being included and pointing out that this means everyone can come. Not protesting about men not being allowed.

Its not about 'pandering to conservative cultures'. Its about enabling the women who live in them to participate in ordinary activities.. To learn to speak English, to mingle with other people outside of the house.
Change is a slow process. It doesn't happen at all if you don't enable it.

rememberatime you sound quite confident about this, and it makes sense to me (although if true it should have been rather more explicitly stated) may I ask if you know this to be true or if it's a guess?

fine. but, apart from what I would just to be a fairly small number of women in coercive relationships, and abuse survivors affected by this (I don't think that we should pander to conservative cultures) I don't think it is a reasonable feeling to not be comfortable swimming with men in the pool.
It feels like we're regressing to Victorian times, frankly.

lucydo this isn't about how you feel. It is an important battle if other women are unable to use a mixed sex session.
They include women in coercive relationships, abuse survivors, and women from conservative cultures.

One hour a week just for women. Why is that not permitted?

Oh come on. It's not about being "precious", that's dismissive of how many women totally reasonably feel. And it's one hour out of the weekly schedule. It's hardly a big ask, for those who wouldn't swim otherwise.

I am concerned about the erosian of women's rights but don't think that this is an issue. When I swim, it never crosses my mind about the sex of other swimmers. I'm too busy swimming. Have we really got so precious that we can't swim in the same pool at the same time as men? Why not save our gunpowder for the important battles.

The University appear to have totally missed the point of the "defacement" of the poster. The person who wrote "everyone" in place of non-binary was clearly making the point that we are all non-binary and that using this term means everyone can attend this woman only session.

But the response from the college seems to suggest that this was men getting upset at no being allowed in. In fact, it is completely the opposite. They just don't realise that their "special gym session" is already open to everyone because they don't understand what non-binary means...

Yes, men are moaning about losing one hour a week - but they are not the ones who defaced the poster. That was clearly a Gender critical woman.

You said masculine and feminine, not male and female. No one is 100% masculine or feminine unless they are a walking cartoon stereotype. You're mixing up sex with gender roles/stereotypes which is the root of most of these issues!

@AssassinatedBeauty I think most men and most women identify as binary i.e. male or female. I don't consider myself to be non-binary.

I'm really pissed off my health suite have stopped male/ female only sessions. I don't feel comfortable being in such close proximity to nearly naked men (far closer than swimming) and the fact almost no women use that facility any more says it all.

I'm sure loads of women feel the same, I remember there was huge backlash when a pool in a predominantly muslim area introduced women and child only sessions.

And I agree non binary people with male bodies don't count as women.

Girton are embarrassing themselves. Non-binary people = anyone and everyone. Why are they pandering to this nonsense? They should be much bolder in having a women-only session for the comfort and safety of their female students/staff

Unfortunately, OP, they asked for an hour for adult human females and also adult human males who identify as non-binary.

Kinda defeating the object entirely.

Women are a minority?

Women, transmen and non binary identified females.

Women and people of any gender identity who were born female.

Females of any and no gender identity.

I don't know why it is so hard for organisations to be inclusive to the young people whilst also maintaining the adult position that sex matters and segregation by sex is occasionally necessary and lawful.

I don't think it's right to pander to minorities to fit their (in my opinion) old fashioned cultural norms. Drip, drip, slippery slope and all that.

exclusively masculine or exclusively feminine... no idea how the "or" turned into "to"...

@Jaxhog no one is exclusively masculine to exclusively feminine though? So non-binary applies to everyone who isn't an absolute example of gender stereotypes at all times.

Does anyone know if the 'everyone' was added by MRA or by a GC person trying to point out that everyone is 'non-binary'?

At all events, seems like the upshot in real life is women wanting a time when men stay out.

In response to the usual idiotic MRA comments on the DM piece, in the interests of equality by all means have a men only session too (or rather, men and non binary, of course). That would also help point up the idiocy of 'non binary' in this context.

Female session and Male session would be clearer and better.

Why on earth dont they have 1 hour for just women, i hour for just men and 1 hour for just non-binaries? Then maybe 1 hour for transwomen and 1 hour for transmen - just for completeness. That's 1 hour each weekday - not too hard.

Btw, non-binary is a catch-all category for gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine‍. ie. NOT everyone.