To alert you to the fact that Topshop just changed its policy to let men into the women's changing rooms

[YouStoleTheBowlFromTheRoom]

Been made aware of this today: a 'gender fluid' man having a pop at Topshop because he wasn't allowed to use the women's changing rooms at their Manchester store:

twitter.com/travisalabanza/status/927198660089339904

Topshop have now been quoted as apologising to him, and saying they've changed their policy to get rid of sex-segregated changing rooms altogether.

Another shop to strike off the list. Am I the only one worried this is past the point of no return?

Really bloodynoris? Can't you take a female friend if you want to try clothes on? Or use the disabled changing facilities (our topshop and next have these)

despite being fully biologically F in his genetic makeup at the time

Is he expecting his genetic make up to change with time?

The Equality Act 2010 has a specific exception of this very case. The whole bit below for reference, but in relevant parts in bold

Single Sex services, para 27:
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....

From the explanatory notes to para. 27:
738.These exceptions would allow:

a cervical cancer screening service to be provided to women only, as only women need the service;

a fathers’ support group to be set up by a private nursery as there is insufficient attendance by men at the parents’ group;

a domestic violence support unit to be set up by a local authority for women only but there is no men-only unit because of insufficient demand;

separate male and female wards to be provided in a hospital;

separate male and female changing rooms to be provided in a department store;

a massage service to be provided to women only by a female massage therapist with her own business operating in her clients’ homes because she would feel uncomfortable massaging men in that environment.

More here: www.aroomofourown.org/a-uk-guide-for-non-lawyers-about-protecting-women-only-spaces-june-2016/

NO WAY! Why? Won't be doing that then!

Women and girls will already come last. Misogyny will never be the hate crime it deserves to be.

The comfort and safety of 0.6% of the population comes above that of 50% of the population.
And they will always be far more vocal than us - because men and their handmaidens are outraged men don't get which ever privilege they want by the very virtue of existing.

Fucking hell this is outrageous. Why are the needs of the majority dismissed so easily?

No fucking WAY would men roll over if their rights were threatened.

the relevant part in bold* or words to that effect

I could understand if it was a women's changing room.

The article describes it in the title as an 'all-gender changing room' because that's apparently TS's policy now.

At the time, in the Mcr store, he was told he couldn't go into the changing room because it was the women's. He doesn't contradict that himself - he was angry that he couldn't "use the changing room I decide".

But you change in individual cubicles, alone, what difference does it make
We all know cubicles are not very private, curtains don't fit etc. I wouldn't feel comfortable with it. The a;ready do it in H& M and I don't use them.

I love the fact he says he is 'unsafe' in the men's changing room. He is allowed to assume all men are unsafe, but women and girls are not allowed to feel unsafe if biological men/transwomen are in their space.

Yup. As always.

Is he expecting his genetic make up to change with time? confused

No I worded that badly, at the time he had a vagina but you wouldn’t know he was female. He now has a penis, facial hair, testosterone etc.

My 12 year old shops and changes in Topshop. Most of their customers are under 16. So how are going to guarantee the safety of their customers.

I am actually furious, how is that some gender fluid person has right's above the safety and privacy of the children using their shops? Surely if he/she was that uncomfortable they would order on line and try things on at home?

I have no issues with gender and changing gender, but safety should come first. They should offer one gender neutral changing room that is not part of either the female or male options if they are so concerned about this influx of fluid people. They should not be putting girls at risk.

@2018babyonboar Sorry your friend got abused, not nice.
I think one of the issues is that men don't generally feel threatened by females in their spaces - really the main reason M-F is more complicated. Females don't usually win at men's sports either. It also sounds like your friend looks like a man? Where as unfortunately for them, not very many M-F actually do look female (not meant as an insult. I know, some do, but it is not as common) I have seen a lot of F-M trans people that do look male though, and that must help.

I do not know the solution, it really is quite complicated, but what I do know is it really isn't as simple as putting trans rights above women's right. Rights that they worked hard to get.

Same, MsHarry. Last time I was in a changing room with curtains, it was for a bra-fitting. A husband had been allowed in, and was standing outside the curtain - his wife was in the next cubicle. He gave me a good stare when I went in with some maternity bras, then started up with banter about how much he liked it when his wife was pregnant because her cup size increased.

I don't want men in my changing rooms.

I have heart for people who are gender dysphoric.

I do fear society as a whole is becoming more sexist. People thinking liking pink and playing stereotypical girls games or having long hair meaning a boy should identify as a girl. As a mother I want my three girls to know they can be anything (tough, scientific, football loving) and still be a girl.

Then the cubicles had better be secure and fully private because there are plenty of men around (as anyone who has been on reddit more than five minutes knows) who will be heading to TopShop with their tiny hidden cameras, and phones on selfies sticks to be lifted over the top of cubicles. You can buy a device that looks like an adhesive coat hook which has a tiny camera inside it. A man could pop in to the cubicle in the morning, stick the hook to the wall, then pop back before 5pm to pick it up - unchallenged, because he's Brenda today.

I appreciate what people mean when they say it's lockable cubical so it doesn't matter.

However, when shopping with friends, especially as young girls, part of the experience is trying stuff on then coming out of the cubical to show your friends. Girls will no longer be able/feel comfortable doing that. It's sad that a big part of girl bonding will be lost because what, 1% of the population don't like sharing a changing room with their own sex.

I also don't see how it solves the problem. This minority don't like sharing with men, so they have made the changing room mix sex. So they will still have to change with men but there will be some really uncomfortable women in there too.

Bunnychopz

I raise my girls to be what the hell they want to be, long hair short hair, boys clothes, girls clothes. Completely their choice, but I do object to have men getting changed next door to my 12 year old child. It is completely unacceptable.

What are we going to do about it???

We can't just say oh well lets shop elsewhere. What if all shops go the same way? We will never get that privacy back. What the hell happened to our voice?

Lottie bird you seem to be offended by my comment?

And then people wonder why MN is seen as transphobic. Snidey comments such as this don't exactly look like reasoned discourse, and come across as an attempt to silence all those who are OK with this.

Of course, that might not have been the intent, but it's the effect.

My comment wasn't transphobic at all. I dislike other women saying they're fine with communal changing facilities and toilets because it always seem to be an attempt to tell women who aren't comfortable with it that they are unreasonable in some way.

I’m in Australia and most stores have gender neautral changing rooms. They are all individual cubicles with door/curtain. As far as I know it’s only the big department stores like Myer/David Jones that offer separately located changing areas. As far as I know aussies don’t have a problem with this? I’ve often had a man in the cubicle next to me but I don’t see the issue? I mean he can’t see me changing or anything and there is a big mirror in the cubicle too, so I don’t even have to leave it if I didn’t want to. Most individual clothing stores are no where near big enough to offer 2 separate changing areas!

Just cause I'm in a wheel chair means that I can't try something on while I'm out but it's ok for others???
I would have NO issue with a man coming in with his wife into a cubicle to help her due to her needs.

I have every issue with someone who is "gender fluid" deciding it isn't safe for him to be in the male changing room yet to force his masculinity into a female space.

If it's all-gender, what was the problem?

Because it is the erosion of yet another female only space.

My comment about society be oneibgbmore sexist

Ive been in plenty of changing rooms that are all-gender. In fact every single swimming pool around here is a communal changing village with cubicles and lockable doors. Never once have I felt threatened.

The only time I have ever been uncomfortable was in an all-female swimming changing room, as there were no changing cubicles.

Getting changed behind a locked door or curtain is no different to me being at the local swimming.

I've also been in unisex toilets, which had one row of sinks and then only lockable cubicles.

I genuinely don't get the big issue. No one is being forced to change in front of anyone else, no one is forcing men and women to share one cubicle, no one is going to be left 100% alone with a predator and the main facilities are monitored and staffed (possibly even more so given the outrage).