Women only swimming stopped

[Nickynackynoodle]

Because of a complaint. Article and petition link here

"Pools need to earn money and if women only sessions are financially viable then the pools should be allowed to run them." - oh no, capitalism is only good as long as the right outcome achieved. And women only sessions can't be the right outcome, can they? How silly.

But on a serious note, the same men that argue stuff like "why would a company hire more women if men work better/longer/faster/don't get pregnant / what have you, they should have a right to do what's best for business" are the same that say pools can't have women's only sessions.

In this particular case holding a mens only class in addition would not solve the issue as the complainant is Trans.

The local facebook page for the town has many very angry women on there saying that they should let the complainant into the womens only sessions if it means that the sessions can continue.

Fwiw the town has extremely small muslim and jewish communities, but quite a sizeable JW one.

Please sign the petition!

Our pool does women only and men only, both well attended and surely the best option? They also do over 50s, disabled friendly and lots of open sessions?

There are lots of reasons why men and women may wish to swim with the same sex!
I like them because they're often quieter as they half the number of people even able to go.

Surely the answer is to provide a more varied timetable not
Less!!

the complainant is trans. Oh what a surprise. Not.

If you are busy getting on with your swim, how would you even notice if a bloke was looking at you? If your head is under the water and you are ploughing up and down, how would you be aware of it? You are not going to get comments because you are in the water and too busy counting your breathing (or is that just me who does that?). I am really confused by the need for single sex swimming. They can't even see you - again - because you are in/under water.

Signed.

undercover do you teleport yourself into the pool then?
People have explained why on this thread. I'm happy to use mixed sex swimming sessions, but I'm aware why other people aren't, and I'm not confused at all. People just feel differently about these things.

undercover and men in the pool are more aggressive and more intimidating. I've been groped in a pool FFS!

What is your precise problem with women having this one thing?

banana come on dude. really? Aside from the fact reasons have been provided, you really can't see why some women might prefer an environment without men?

Noeffingidea - teleportation is my life goal! :-) :-) - unfortunately I have to dive in the deep end like everyone else! Are you suggesting that men are sitting there and watching women in the two yards between the lockers and the pool? I have never noticed such a thing. I am only ever aware of people ploughing up and down and doing a quick calculation of which lane I should be in and how to fit in the flow.

Nicky - never been intimidated or felt aggression from a man in a swimming pool. What exactly does this mean? Surely they are just swimming up and down too? Groping???? I hope you sent him home with his balls wrapped round his goggles. There's always a bit of contact when the pool is busy and badly timed over-taking is going on, but I've never had a full-on grope. Any contact is always acknowledged by a "palm-raise apology" or full-on chlorine-spat "sorry!". The most "aggressive" (if you mean fast, strong, tumble-turning etc) swimmer at my local pool is, without doubt, a woman. She is a MACHINE. I love her.

undercover well, lets just think of the Muslim and orthodox Jewish ladies, shall we? There doesn't have to be men sitting and watching them, just any men present at all makes it unacceptable for them. In fact some women feel unable to swim if there are male life guards and pool attendants present.
Logically we know that male lifeguards aren't going to ogle female swimmers, but it's not just about that. It's about being uncovered in the presence of unrelated males.
I don't agree with any of the above, but I understand that these women will be the ones who lose out. They're going to lose an opportunity to exercise and socialise.
I just used the example of religious women because the reasons are clearcut and easy to understand. Non religious women have reasons that are just as valid, though more individual.

In this particular case holding a mens only class in addition would not solve the issue as the complainant is Trans.

That explains it. I did wonder why a random man would want to close it down. But I see it has been renamed adult only, as opposed to women only.

Interesting that they have decided to rename the session, rather than specifically validating this person as a woman. Although I suspect that is more to do with a mechanism by which the women have no room to complain.

I would bet a large sum of money that this person is going to be absolutely certain that they force the women to acknowledge them as much as possible.

Men who are not AGP have little interest in this sort of deliberate boundary violation.

In which case, the women will be unwitting and unconsenting participants in this man's fetish.

Avoiding men like him will be the very reason why most of them will want a woman only swim session.

It's so cruel, it's difficult to believe. Women only want segregation because of the minority of men who are either dangerous or like to make them feel uncomfortable.

Welcome to a progressive world where it is only those men who are allowed access to them.

I have never considered the issue of women only sessions until this post. However now considering this, I think there should be men only sessions as well, interestingly at many pools the women sessions are in the middle of the day or during conventional work hours which means that they are accessed by non working/shift workers or those with less conventional working times.

Swimming pools have parent and baby/pre school sessions, all timetabled duRing the daytime. I did query this with my local pool and was told that was when they timetabled them, with no other comment. Quite irritating as those working full time conventional hours could not access them.

Are you suggesting that men are sitting there and watching women in the two yards between the lockers and the pool? I have never noticed such a thing

The poolside attendant (male) at my Dad's local pool made a lewd and totally inapprpriate comment about the "cold" and my breasts/erect nipples as I was collecting my locker key post-swim. I was 17 ffs!

Those women will gradually wise up to this cuckoo in the nest. They will stop using the session.

Who could have predicted it?

I've never had a full-on grope.

Oh well that's alright then. The rest of us who have suffered sexual harassment can trot on because some women have never been groped. Gosh that logic gives me such a warm, fuzzy feeling

Are we moving to an era where women (XX ones) will have to organise into peer & friendship/kin collectives to book public and private sector pools for a hour's private swim to be ensured privacy and single-sex sessions?

I just used the example of religious women because the reasons are clearcut and easy to understand

No they are not.

Non religious women have reasons that are just as valid, though more individual

There are valid non religious reasons for single sex sessions for women and men.

I wonder if the women commenting on the Facebook, that they should let him in, are aware that he will now be demanding the right to use the female changing rooms? And the spineless fuckers that have taken away, yet another, female only space will use their comments as a green light to let him.

I feel so sorry for the Muslim and Jewish women that will have to give up, because of this ruling. Women being thrown under the bus for a man and rather than fighting this rule, these women, are throwing Muslim and Jewish women under the bus.

Religious reasons regarding swimming should in my view have no priority over non religious reasons. This could cause suggestions of specific religious group swimming sessions, transgender only sessions etc etc, which would logically mean that the minoritiy sessions reduced the majority time per person, no great for pools trying to be profitable.

I have signed the petition as has DP. It is shocking how many people think that sex segregated spaces and sessions are unnecessary, great for you if you have never experienced sexual harassment or rape, I have, as have many of my friends. Why should one person complaining overturn the rights of vulnerable women?

DP and I were discussing the issues of gender identity and women's spaces with a male friend, he was totally unable to comprehend why women wanted these spaces kept as sex segregated, even after we gave many many examples of why. He brushed off the conversation saying it really didn't matter

Twelly, I agree that religious reasons shouldn't be given priority - a woman's comfort and happiness is just as important as her (patriarchal) religion!
But I don't see how that could lead to "minority sessions". Most religious women will be quite happy to go to women only swimming with women of other religions.

And I think allocating one hour to trans swimming would be a small price to pay for keeping women only sessions - only that male trans would never accept that and whine and complain. It is not like those who aim to invade women's spaces want to be away from other males, they just want to invade.

DP and I were discussing the issues of gender identity and women's spaces with a male friend, he was totally unable to comprehend why women wanted these spaces kept as sex segregated, even after we gave many many examples of why. He brushed off the conversation saying it really didn't matter

Well, good to know that he isn't really a friend of yours. The whole trans nonsense is useful insofar as it provides a crisis situation in which you can see who your real friends are.

DP and I were discussing the issues of gender identity and women's spaces with a male friend, he was totally unable to comprehend why women wanted these spaces kept as sex segregated, even after we gave many many examples of why. He brushed off the conversation saying it really didn't matter

This is what infuriates me more than anything. Of course they don't see it, it doesn't happen to them.

There is a cruelly exquisite irony in men being the reason women want segregation, and at the same time asserting women don't need it.

Men who have zero empathy and wanting access to women, are the very men who provide the reason for segregation in the first place.

Women's boundaries are violated on a daily basis. From minor manspreading, conversational dominance, to major harassment and assault.

I would love to see a study where men were put in a similar environment. With bigger, faster, stronger, predatory beings doing the same to them for a week. Where a look never just a look. Where it is always underpinned by the knowledge of a power dynamic where they are permanently disadvantaged.

I would love to see a study where men were put in a similar environment. With bigger, faster, stronger, predatory beings doing the same to them for a week. Where a look never just a look. Where it is always underpinned by the knowledge of a power dynamic where they are permanently disadvantaged.

I imagine there are plenty of prisons around the world that develop power dynamics like this tbh