Lucy Bannerman Youth Hostels Association allow trans guests to use female dormitories

[stealthsquirrelnutkin]

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/youth-hostels-association-allow-trans-guests-to-use-female-dormitories-7qsltrjjd?shareToken=285193af5ee9dbf8e4de412e63f6f5f3

"the words “single sex” have been replaced by “single gender” on the online booking system. Women are not told that they could be sharing with a man who identifies as female."

The YHA said that the policy had been “in use since 2016 without any concerns or complaints”. One member in her 60s, said that when she complained she was told that there had been no “significant incidents”. She said: “What do they consider significant? The YHA has always been a supportive place and a choice for single women travellers. That safe space is no longer there.”

“2.1 Accommodation & facilities
YHA hostels typically offer a mixture of private bedrooms and shared single gender dormitories. Some hostels offer bedrooms with en-suite toilet and shower facilities. Other hostels have shared toilets and showers. Transgender guests are welcome to use the accommodation and facilities which match their gender identity.”

From the YHA website.

I wonder how many schools that use Youth Hostels for school trips have woken up to this? As a PP on a different thread pointed out, a School may book single sex dormitories for exclusive use of their pupils, but the wash facilities will remain communal (but segregated by gender), with flimsy shower curtains etc.

DD's were lucky enough to go to a school on the edge of Dartmoor with a strong outdoor pursuits tradition. Annual trips to the Lake District or Brecon Beacon, staying in youth hostels. Also an annual trip camping on the moor, they would camp in a field belonging to the outdoor pursuits teacher, adjoining his house. One year they redid the risk assessment and took exception to the fact that this teacher had an annexe to his house which was let to holiday makers - they could not be DBS checked. So a new location for camping had to be found. Personally I felt his holiday cottage guests were unlikely to represent a risk but there it was. Meanwhile in the youth hostels...

This really is foolish.

Very very foolish

This is just crap. I travelled all over the world in my younger days, staying in hostels with single sex dorms. I felt really safe doing that. I feel that safety has been removed for my daughter and she wouldn't be able to have the freedom to do the same thing safely. Shame on you YHA for removing safety from women and in turn limiting the things they can do.

As usual the comments are having none of it. At what point will the political class realize that a small number of shouty people on Twitter are the only ones who support this?

They have had complaints

From Man Friday. A man Friday woman booked in as a man and told the desk person she identified as a man, and was put in a room with a man. Who was, of course pretty uncomfortable about the whole thing

Good article. Have read it now!

Apparently YHA have been 'advised' that they have to do this otherwise they'd be discriminating against transgender people according to the Equality Act. In other words, Stonewall or similar has lied to them about the meaning of the Equality Act, same as Girl Guides.

yup

stonewall

Who ruled on it, do you know?

How did they have no choice? Perhaps they took bad advice, but I don’t think bad exonerates them, unless they fix it now. EA allows for single sex exemptions, even in cases where someone has a GRA. There needs to be a good reason, and I think we can see what that reason might be in the case of overnight accommodation.

It may be booked out completely for schools but not for other youth groups. My son was on a mixed scout holiday in the summer where the girls were woken up twice by a male guest getting to get in through their window.

The scouts leader justifiably went nuts and the guy was asked to leave, now he can just say he’s a woman and walk in the door presumably

Terror would your Scout leader speak up on that? Complain to the YHA?

Single sex sleeping dorms & washing facilities should be just that - single sex.

Add mixed gender dorms if necessary.

If they genuinely believed they had no choice they should have been kicking off about it. Drawing it to the attention of their members. Writing to the press and arranging meetings with people in government to discuss what can be done to allow them to continue their crucial work of providing safe single sex accommodation.
Not just sneaking it in below the radar as if women's freedom and safety are of literally NO importance.

Sorry, had to remove post as it may identify me too much in RL.

crispbutty

But presumably within the group of students, even if no other guests are allowed, any male student claiming to be trans can sleep in with the females?

So females will still have to share with males who identify as females, just that they won’t be strangers?