my university is allowing men to enter women's bathrooms changing rooms etc!

[whyyyyyisitmonddayy]

I'm a student at this uni. I love it here, but it is a left leaning uni (as am I!)
I should add, I'm quite slight and petite and am generally very nervous of men.
Today, I got this email saying that they're letting people choose bathrooms or changing rooms based on "how they feel" and stated that whichever bathroom etc you want to use, you can enter in the name of inclusivity!
I'm very open to gender identity etc. I'm bi, and I have friends of all gender identities. I have trans friends, those who don't conform to binaries, etc, and I respect them greatly. and I am completely okay with sharing the majority of bathrooms at the uni, as that doesn't both me. I personally don't understand how you can feel like something you are scientifically not, but you only live once so you might as well be your true self.
but now I'm left wondering about gym changing rooms at the uni, as I'm not as okay with that. one does not have stalls and neither do the showers, so I'm expected to be be vulnerable in front of those who have genitalia which I don't want to see or be in bare in front of.
this also opens up the chances that a guy could walk into women's changing rooms, watch, and cannot be challenged
it also raises question of faith. it is not excluding women who cannot be naked in front of anyone but women (same goes for men). "just use the stalls, disabled loo etc" doesn't cut it as their isn't enough of those to go round and then those who actually need disabled toilets can't use them.
I also want there to be a couple of women only bathrooms too, because it doesn't seem fair I'm being told men will be entering women's bathrooms and the uni supports this, but religious / personal wishes to be in women only spaces is being walked over.
this is less about trans women entering these spaces, and more about harmful men entering them (although I don't want to see male gentalia in women's changing rooms full stop)
I can't speak out or ask as I will be ostracised and it's not worth my future.

In which country is your university?

UK? They’re breaking the law. Which uni is this? Name them. They’ll get a whole bunch of emails explaining how they are breaking the law.

Have you told them they are acting illegally?

If you are in the UK then your university needs to get legal advice as if they have male and female changing rooms, then they cannot let men into the women's.

Isn’t this illegal in the Uk? I’d report them.

If harmful men wanted to come and peep on you or attack you, they don't have to pretend to be a woman / trans woman and enter changing rooms or showers to do it.

And they won't start either, because that will make them way more visible and likely to get caught. They'll keep doing as they're doing now, lurking in the shadows to get you down a dark alley.

The use of the word "bathroom" makes it sound as though the university is not in the UK.

uk, and I'm sorry but I really cannot name them as I risk unfair treatment. Some of my supervisors are LGBT themselves and would be very very upset if they got told of me reporting it

I have the same political views as you and am very left leaning and would share your anxieties.

my view is that the rules should be there to protect the most vulnerable. This is why I struggle so much with people’s right to self select their sex and use women’s only spaces. I feel utterly disgusted at the idea that a trans woman would be denied entry to a women’s space and forced to share space with men where she may not be comfortable or safe. But! There’s a reason that “women only” spaces have been created and that is for the safety of women it’s important to exclude men. Women (inc trans women) are more vulnerable in general and especially in changing rooms and other protected spaces. I have no idea what the fix is but I totally understood your position and doubts about the safety of yourself and other women in a space which should have a barrier to entry and now does not. X

"bathroom" is what I normally call toilets, and I'm in the UK. this is one of the most prestigious UK unis FYI!

what a lovely sentiment.

If you're not prepared to challenge the university there doesn't appear to be anything you can do to change anything.

I'm selfishly hoping someone else might, or that I might be able to anonymously do it?

Transwomen are men which is why they shouldn't be in female single sex spaces.

I believe they are breaking the law. If you want anything done about it you will need to report it.

OP you could try contacting Sex Matters to see if they can help

So you hope other people will put their heads above the parapet then. 🙄 If you feel strongly, challenge it. Don't expect other people to do it for you.

UCL by any chance?

This.

Can’t you even say whether it is or is not in the UK?

You’re on an anonymous forum, how would they trace whyitsmonday to give you unfair treatment

The university, prestigious or not, is breaking the law.

Female people (women) are fully human and do not have to share single sex spaces with male people of any gender identity.

Thankfully this was clarified earlier this year by the Supreme Court.

Be brave OP.

If it’s the UK, are you genuinely taking about communal bathrooms, or it is toilets and changing rooms?

We could do it, but would need the university name

Surely you mean 'pretend to be a woman'

?

I find it remarkable that a "left-leaning" university is only just doing this, I have to say. I would've expected it to have been an action quite some time ago.

The law was clarified several months ago - so why suddenly decide to break it?

I'm as angrily GC as the next person with any sense, but forgive me for being sceptical about this thread.