New councillor wants to stop 'free mixing' between men and women

[SeaSwim5]

Independent candidate Maheen Kamran has been elected in Burnley.

As well as support for Gaza, her manifesto included a pledge to encourage public spaces to end free mixing of men and women.

"Muslim women aren't really comfortable being involved with Muslim men. I'm sure we can have segregated areas, segregated gyms."

Is this a sensible approach and important for inclusivity? It's notable that many anti-Trans activists advocate the importance of single-sex spaces.

However, some have raised concerns about the growing sectarian nature of UK politics.

Should we be looking to reduce 'free mixing' between men and women and create more single sex spaces?

Of course you don't, Mike sprains eyeball rolling eyes

I'm not sure how what I said constitutes xenophobia. I simply don't believe it's correct to hold countries up as glowing examples of inclusivity and tolerance, when those countries do not have many immigrants to demonstrate this to begin with.

Is there an argument that areas with high religious populations should be offering non free mixing options to be more inclusive?

Should council leisure centres have alternating days for each gender? Private businesses like cafes could also offer designated slots for men and women.

Is there an argument that areas with high religious populations should be offering non free mixing options to be more inclusive?

I'm not sure how doing this could be described as "more inclusive", OP, when by its very definition 50% of the population would be excluded

Obviously there can be good reasons for doing it - jails, changing rooms and so on have been mentioned, though they're not really relevant here - but I can't quite see how appeasing a tiny minority who seem to want Afghanistan-lite would help anyone?

Typo

@SeaSwim5

Private businesses can do what they like if there is demand.

Would your world of alternating days for men and women extend to staff as well?

Maheen has got this cause & effect & solutions completely backward.

Muslim women not healthy because not going to the gym because don’t like mixing with “Muslim men”

The “Muslim men” need to be adjusted to fit society …. The gyms don’t need changing,

I think it should be ok to have single sex places but that this shouldn’t ever be imposed anywhere other than changing rooms/toilets etc. a manifesto based on this is a few steps too far!

I live not a million miles from this newly elected councillor and my town has a large Pakistani Muslim community. Our main pool runs mixed sessions and then some male only and female only sessions. The women's is Lane Swimming and I can tell you as a white British born women in her 40s that it's preferable to the mixed one because you've not got splashy but slow men hogging the fast lane. Women only sessions seem to have more courteous swimmers who are aware of which lane speed is best for them AND the follow the swimming direction.
There is also a women only gym as well as a much larger mixed gym on the main site but the rest are all mixed with no single sex sessions .
I often use the sauna and steam rooms and definitely prefer to use them during the women only sessions. The steam room in particular is quite dark and you can't see well due to the steam which makes it very disconcerting to walk in if you're the only woman and there's several men already in there.
.

The facilities are not directly council run but as a community trust set up. It works well as the pool is always busy when I go whether it's family sessions or the women only sessions. Presumably the men only session is popular too as if it wasn't they'd cancel it. So long as sex segregation isn't the only option then I don't see why it shouldn't happen in pools and exercise facilities.

Haha this exactly

"The English" were the upper class and nobility not the peasants who were press ganged to fight.

Nothing has changed this much Tories arr still the old ruling class lining their pockets with money from public funds.

Reform promising an end to immigration and jumping on these isses to garner public support, but other than that are just more extreme versions of the tories sidling up to trump.

Labour some intention to improve things for working people - unless you happen to be

1. Boomers esoecially those who diid well financially post war.and who are "wrll off"
2. Women

3 those living in the south, especially more rural, deprived areas, whitr working class.

Lib Dems - wannabee tories just not quite in thr upper echelons, sneering about the values of white working class.

Greens/SNP seemed ok at the outset, but increasungly extreme and dont appear to represent views of their constituents/rrhection of british/english values.

Hebce i spoil my ballot

Many gender critical activists argue that single sex spaces are necessary due to an alleged threat from men, and specifically trans women.

Wouldn't reducing free mixing between men and women help ameliorate this?

No thank you

theres quite a difference between women only gyms operating for commercial reasons and local councils telling in to prevent men and women mixing for religious or political reasons

Absolutely bloody not and stuff like this is why people get concerned about regressive religions. But of course that's Islamophobia 😳

No. I think that would be a very bad idea. We've already seen what happens when people try to seperate things by 'gender' rather than sex. The SC had to step in and explain it to us.

No
We are not!

Not Muslim men. Men. Strict Muslims keep men and women apart. I agree the first step to a solution is sorting out the behaviour of men though.

You are still failing to understand. Originally I thought it might be through ignorance/lack of thought but I and other posters have explained it now so I’m left believing you are being deliberately obtuse.
GC women want single sex spaces for women when they are vulnerable - undressed, in hospital, in prison etc or for fairness reasons eg in sport. They don’t think they are necessary elsewhere despite the (very real, not ‘alleged’) threat from (some) men.

That's the danger of losing national identity, our values or multiculturalism. People like that get elected and then they have the power.
Everything we fought against and much much worse we never heard of and don't need in this country.
Rotherham happened because the abusers had family who were councillors and who supported the jihad against little girls.

@cardibach

Surely if there is such a threat from men, reducing free mixing and offering more single sex spaces is a good protective measure?

I see you're ramping up the goady fuckery.

Ar you being deliberately obtuse?
I would have thought some women of whatever religion, or none at all, would rather not be seen in revealing exercise clothing in front of men.

It’s a backwards step. Back to the 19th century when respectable women did not feel they could move safely around public spaces due to the threat from men, so they were “protected” by their friends and family and extremely limited in their movements.

Women need to own public spaces just as much as men, not be marginalised into single-sex areas. We do this by taking up space, populating the area with women. And by teaching men not to assault or disrespect women. We don’t do it by hiding away.

I should have put “respectable” in quotes as well.

Yawn. Bore off love! It’s not anti trans. It’s pro women.

If Muslim women want a women only gym, then they should be allowed to have one.