University gym "womxn only sessions"

Questioning what you are saying is not 'closing down another woman's opinion', that's a ridiculous get out for taking responsibility for what you said.

You cannot have it both ways.

Either you didn't understand that by saying you are behind there being no single sex facilities you are excluding women, particularly vulnerable and minority women without the privilege you have of not minding, or you do understand what you are saying but don't have the courage to admit you do agree with exclusion for those women.

Which is it?

Sussex Uni - famous for being misogynistic and captured.

Kent Uni - (three years late to every trend) 'hold my beer'

Honestly, no point in complaining. The uni and especially the students' union are in thrall to Stonewall and have been stupidly slow to realise the tide is turning. They'll get it eventually but it needs a change in leadership and a return to critical thinking first.

And again closing down of another woman's opinion. I repeatedly used the word I. And yes I don't like segregation in any form you can like or dislike what you wish ...

The thing about "womxn" is that organisations trying to pander to trans rights activists have been burned using it before, and told that it's "terf speak"

https://twitter.com/andreiaoo_nobre/status/1366815029610352642?s=46&t=SPorwN-mokktL467rcZ57g

What kind of ‚opportunities‘ are we talking about in regard to single sex spaces?

🤦‍♀️

Absolutely. Hence the poster who remarked that she'd feel more comfortable in a genuine 'Mixed' session (open to men and women) than a 'womxn-only' session.

Future changing room scenario---

"Look mum, that's man's got his willy out!"

"Oh dear, let me see....oh he's wearing a wig, that's fine"

"He's wearing a wig? But I don't want to see that!"

"Yes, dear, men can't get their willies out in front of women and children, but if they're wearing a wig, then they're allowed. We are okay to see those willies. Remember, willy at the bottom, wig at the top, yes yes. Willy at the bottom, bald on top...no no no, bad willy."

When I was pregnant I attended the women's swimming sessions. I was the only white woman there, of course. The women were so welcoming when they saw my bump. I just can't imagine them feeling comfortable in a womxn session!

Just hurriedly sent this email to the director of sport.

Have screen shotted it in editing mode, as it has my name in it.

Hope it helps

There was a thread about this a while ago
Started with latinx which apparently is said latinex
So I guess womxn is womexn or womexen

Totally agree, Zodfa. Most people respect boundaries. If they don't, it's a red flag for me.

Is there a special support group for women of colour who keep getting mistaken for people with penises? I want to donate!

I have a theory that the sort of males likely to turn up to "women/womxn-only" events if they're allowed to are especially likely to be weird pervs. It's not just inviting men (which is bad enough anyway), it's inviting a particularly unpleasant sort of man.

That’s the root of this inclusion bollocks, it does exclude.

all this kind women and men Who want everyone to pee in peace, don’t realise how intrusive it is to women that for whatever reason (religion, trauma, dignity, privacy, safety, disability etc) need single sex spaces to remain biological single sex. With no men allowed whatever their disguise.

I've seen this. My friend works at the uni. He said he can lose his job if he talks about it. They've got security on the door to 'check'.

I'm angry at the segregation towards people of colour, like my mixed race daughter and labelling her as a sub category of human. She won't be a womxn, she will be a woman. FFS.

I wanted to write to them and say "I thought we weren't supposed to get our ideas off the internet at uni", but I haven't had the time.

Single sex spaces are there to permit the inclusion and participation of women, by enabling the preservation of dignity and privacy of sex.

...and massive cynicism too, the dishonest fuckers.

Presumably there are other classes which are (advertised as) mixed?
Womxn only essentially is the same as mixed.....so a woman wanting a single sex class doesn't have a choice.

It has been a very conscious stategy to conflate gender isues with issues of race - but as is clear - this betrays not only deeply misogynistic impulses, but also deeply racist impulses too. That black women ( like any other woman) are somehow just a sub category of their own sex.

Oh for pete's sake.

Do you like women who cannot use mixed sex provisions to have the same opportunities as women who don't?

Or did you only mean 'people like me' when you said 'everyone'?

@sashh apologies - agree with the general point. In this instance I don't think it's a good thing

That wouldn't bother me in the slightest. Im not really a fan of single sex classes really. I like everyone to have the same opportunities.

I haven’t seen the term ‚womxn‘ in ages and thought it wasn’t in use anymore.
It never made sense to me, precisely because of its ‚inclusivity‘.
The word ‚dog‘ would loose its meaning if it also included cats, jellyfish and whoever else might want to identify as a dog.
What’s the point of gym sessions for ‚womxn‘ only if anyone can identify into ‚womxnhood‘?

I would incidentally be absolutely fine with society using the words 'women' and 'womxn' as labels for resources. One meaning exclusively biologically female and the other would mean mixed sex.

And yes, totally, to the 'exclusion is necessary' point. Absolutely right. I have recently seen transactivists trying the line about 'sometimes you have to exclude to include' by which they mean deprive some women of all resources and access to provide biologically male people with freedom of choice and validation of identity. If it's ok to exclude women sometimes then it's ok to exclude males sometimes: however equality law is a shield to prevent powerful groups ending up with everything and leaving some in society with nothing.