Female only hostel in London…except it isn’t.

providing single-sex services is lawful if it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim,

That’s one condition that must be satisfied, but it’s not the only condition. On its own that is not enough.

See EA2010 Schedule 3 section 27:

(1)A person does not contravene section 29, so far as relating to sex discrimination, by providing a service only to persons of one sex if—
(a)any of the conditions in sub-paragraphs (2) to (7) is satisfied, and
(b)the limited provision is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim

As an exercise, have a look through and see which conditions in sub-paras (2) to (7) you think they meet.

We’re not talking about services provided to both men and women separately. An analogue of this would be toilets provided for women, but not for men. There’s a reason toilets are provided equally for both sexes. To provide toilets only for women would probably not be lawful.

such as privacy, decency, or safety.

Those words don’t appear in the act. They might provide a reason to separate men from women and provide separate hostels; I don’t think they justify not providing separate facilities for men at all.

That's nonsense. Under the Equality Act 2010, providing single-sex services is lawful if it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim, such as privacy, decency, or safety. There is no requirement to provide the same service to the opposite sex as well. Providing a woman only hostel is perfectly legal. Allowing men in dresses in while excluding other men is not legal. The hostel could also be sued for allowing men in women's dormitories while claiming to be single sex.

If you’re going to provide a hostel service you’re going to have to offer the service to both sexes,

Then Hostile Hostelle will have to let in all men, not just the ones who say they are women.

Can they establish that a women-only hostel meets the requirement that it is “not reasonably practicable to provide separate services” I.e. a hostel for men as well?

The law does not permit anyone to provide women-only services “just because”. If you’re going to provide a hostel service you’re going to have to offer the service to both sexes, separately if that’s the only practical way, but if offering to women only you have to meet at least one of a number of specific conditions.

Much as we might like them not to be, women-only stuff is generally illegal.

But isn't that just saying
'Our name and publicity says we are a woman-only space but there's small print which says we're the opposite'?
That doesn't sound legal, honest, decent or truthful.
Hopefully they'll be pulled up on it, whether under the Equality Act or the Trade Description Act or Advertising Standards.

Agreed. Hostelle's illegal inclusivity policy enables and encourages voyeurism by men, including cross-dressing men, and trans identifying men. And it will make it very difficult to prosecute these men for voyeurism.

Any cross-dressing man can book and stay there, and be assigned a bunk bed in a room for 4 to 16 'women'.

It's very cheap, clean and central. Perfect for young women on a budget. Except it isn't at all, as it's very dangerous.

These bunk beds have 'handy' individual curtains so he can peer out and watch the women and girls. He can photo and video them, but no one else can see what he's doing.

Men staying in the bunks, aren't breaking any of the Hotel's policies. He could just be very early in his 'transition process' and hasn't told people yet.

How would the CPS prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was there and watching the female guests undress? There is CCTV in common areas, but not of course in the bedrooms or shower & toilet rooms.

What could possibly go wrong?

(Photo from Hostelle's own website showing what the rooms look like.)

Suspect they might be popular with AGPs looking for a turn on and some girlish pillow fights 🤮

But that’s really weird. They’re making a point of telling women so no one can complain they didn’t know. Which means they obviously realise how off-putting this policy is.

Given that they’ve much reduced their potential client base by excluding normal men, you’d think they would make it as appealing as possible to women. I’d far rather share a hostel (not a room) with ordinary men than with men living out their sex fetish. So a mixed hostel with single-sex rooms would be more appealing, and statistically safer, than Hostelle.

So what, if anything, can be done?

Absolutely worth a repeat!

No.

We know it's not.

Exactly. They can't exclude some men but not others.

Pretty sure it's not. A public service cannot say it's women only and also include men. If they want to include Transwomen, then they should advertise as mixed sex - meaning any man can use it.

They misspelled hostile.

Is that even legal?

I wonder when the first sexual assault will occur 🤷‍♀️

Here is their vomit inducing not compliant with the law "inclusivity" policy

www.hostelle.co.uk/inclusivity-policy-2/

That's ridiculous. They should at least offer same sex rooms as an option. Otherwise what's the point of having a so-called "women's hostel" in the first place.

They have completely undermined their own USP. How shortsighted of them.