Dads using female communal changing room

[Strawberrryfields]

Not sure how I feel about this so looking for opinions and whether I should do anything.

A couple of times recently I’ve been changing my child after swimming and a dad has come in to change his child in the communal female changing room. It’s after lessons so only children changing. There are communal female, communal male and a number of individual cubicles. It gets very busy at peak times so at times you may need to wait for an individual cubicle.

It feels weird to me a grown man being in there and my instinct is that he should use the private cubicles, though he is clearly there with his child helping them get ready. I also understand him not wanting to take his child into the men’s communal changing rooms with random men in there but to me, he is a random man.

Should I say something? Would you? Chances are it’s just a normal dad changing his kid but I don’t feel entirely comfortable with it but not sure if IABU?

You have just become a man arguing about what safeguarding is and isn't on a thread about men in women's changing rooms in the presence of children.

Congratulations.

Well no, but in theory yes. A young girl will be safe in the men's changing room because she's being accompanied by her father, a 9yo girl getting changed unaccompanied in the female changing rooms is unsafe if random men are allowed in there.

But it’s ok @RedToothBrush never mind the law if the man was a nice man and didn’t mean it.

That makes absolutely no sense in relation to the comment you're replying to.

This is exactly the argument I had to make when there were people questioning the rules at my DDs swim school.

Their rule is we go in the changing room of the sex of the adult obviously. But people were still disagreeing, even when I said if my DH takes DD9 and she wants to go in the ladies on her own then there should not be the risk of a male adult in there! This is a basic right surely. I couldn't believe people didn't get this

You still haven't been able to point to the law that you claimed exists.

I don't have to.

I've illustrated my point.

Thank you.

You claimed superior legal knowledge, claimed it was illegal for a man simply to be present in a single sex space - but are unable to cite the relevant law?

If you don’t want to speak to him directly I would speak to a worker and get them to chat with him!

Equality act 2010.

the onus is on the provider but the law as clarified by FWS 2025 makes it clear that men are not allowed in women’s single sex spaces.

I don’t how else to explain it to you.

the SC judges didn’t say “he’s allowed if he’s a nice man”. “He’s allowed in if he didn’t know”. “It’s ok if he’s changing his daughter”

they said. Sex means sex.

single sex spaces must be single sex.

which means. No men in the women’s and no women in the men’s. Where those spaces are exempt spaces, as changing rooms are.

Technically its legal for me to give my 5yo child a gin and tonic.

Doesn't mean its sensible for me to do it... and I'm pretty sure would trigger a safeguarding referral if my 5yo told someone I did it. (Please note... I don't have a 5yo and I have never given one alcohol)

It may not be Technically illegal for a man to enter, but it doesn't mean they can't get o trouble for doing so. (Such as being banned from the venue).

Mate. I have proven all I need to prove to a sufficient standard.

I kind of see the point of the pp you have quoted - as the creep behaviour in this case is simply being present in the female changing room. I probably wouldn’t be worried about dads changing their young boys in the male changing room and would let a boy over 8 go in themselves happily. I would not however be happy to send my 9 year old girl alone in to a female changing knowing an adult man was there. The behaviour isn’t acting strangely in any way it’s simply being there

Maybe his daughter doesn’t want to get changed wiry the boys but with the girls ?
he could take her into cubicle in the mend though

Our local swimming pool owned by council has mixed changing facilities where female, male, children babies etc all change together. I never feel comfortable, but after reading this thread I'm really wondering if this is acceptable? How is it allowed??

We have pools like this but cubicles are provided for everyone. They are open to the poolside too so visible by staff and swimmers. No one’s changing out in the open as in a communal change room of male/female variety so ok to be mixed sex

The equality act does not refer to individuals, it refers to whoever operates the pool. I'm not sure what the supreme court ruling has to do with this - it's completely irrelevant because it simply defines what sex is, which is not really the question here.

If the man ignores rules set by the operator - which we don't know whether he has as we simply don't know all the rules - he might be in breach of their T&Cs.

If you walk into a male toilet, you are not doing anything illegal per se, it depends on what you do.

I can’t explain it to you in any other way. I literally said “the onus is on the provider”.

you don’t agree with my interpretation of the law, fine. So what. As you say, we are just posters on the internet.

either way, there’s no excuses in the law that say “he’s allowed in if” so he should not be in there in the first place because it’s a single sex space and as such men are not permitted.

You’ve stated that only children are changing so what’s the difference whether it’s a mum or a dad. I don’t understand people screaming for him to be reported. No women are changing. I’ll bet you’re the same people who fight to have trans in sport.

Children up to the age of 11

of course it makes a difference especially to the 10/11 year olds who may be developing breasts and pubic hair. Imagine if that was your daughter and there was a strange man in with her

Er, because my 10 year old daughter shouldn't be undressing in front of some random strange man and neither should anyone elses daughter. Completely boggled that you need that spelled out to you.

You do know there are female predators not just men? Just let him deal with his daughter. If he does something suspicious then so be it. But it sounds pretty natural and innocent to me.

Just think of it the other way around. His daughter needs her daddy. I understand what you are saying but I find it sad we have to think this way.

And I need there to be no men in the women’s.

or can I bring MrTaz in with me to keep me happy?