The "it's OK because pools have private unisex spaces" argument is simply wrong. It depends entirely on the set-up.
I'm one of several Team Managers at a large syncro swimming club club. We have around 70 girls aged 7 to 18. We use various pools around the area. The ones which belong to schools do NOT have cubicles. All these pools run lessons and sessions for the general public.
If the the TRA's get their way, any bloke can just identify as a woman walk in, and watch women and children change. We could not complain to security or the police, (and it would not be recorded as a complaint). He would have the legal right to be there. In reality, myself and the other parents would remove any such man, and no doubt be accused by Lily/Liam Madigan of an outrageous hate crime.
I have had a look at the link provided by Swim England. It's a Stonewall leaflet, and it barely addresses the current issues thrown up by the proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act. People will read this, and think, "that's people who have changed and are living entirely and passing as the opposite sex". They won't expect to encounter Dave the hetro-sexual perv, who is a man, lives and usually presents as a man, but has "lady feelings" .
UNDER THE EQUALITY ACT 2010
Sexual orientation refers to a person’s emotional, romantic and/or sexual attraction to another person.
Gender reassignment refers to anyone who is proposing to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of reassigning their sex by changing physiological or other attributes of sex. The law protects players, officials and coaches from discrimination and clubs should support anyone taking steps to ‘reassign their sex’ (or transition), whether those steps are ‘social’ (e.g. changing their name and pronoun, the way they look or dress) or ‘medical’ (e.g. hormone treatment, surgery).
The other characteristics protected under the Equality Act 2010 are age, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, and sex.
It is an out-of date, disingenuous smoke screen. It focuses on ways to integrate gay/lesbian swimmers and post-surgery transexuals, not blokes like Marie Dean or Danielle Muscato getting their jollies by forcing their way into women's spaces.
I will be contacting Swim England, and asking them why they aren't focusing on the self-identifying issues in the proposed changes to the Act, and the dangers they pose. Please encourage all your families and friends to do the same;
www.swimming.org/swimengland/swim-england-contacts/
I'm constantly struck by how many people (women and men) are totally ignorant of the far-reaching implications of the proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act. I think lots of people are turned of politics generally, and for them this issue is just;
weird people = I don't understand = niche social media issue = not my concern
I'm making it my business to tell everyone I know, and most get it, and can see the threats to our safety, free speech and political rights.
On a different tack, I will be using my half-term to email EVERY SINGLE MP, and asking them for their thoughts on the GRA, the attached screen-shot, puberty-blockers, Labour's "TERF" hit-lists, and if they are happy with the road the TRA's are dragging us and our children down. Any MP can be contacted here;
www.theyworkforyou.com/