Feeling like I don’t want to use our local swimming pool

[Sunisshining3228]

Hello
I’m a lurker here. Just wanted to share something here.
I went swimming this morning at the pool in the area that we moved to not long ago. Haven’t swum for exercise for a while but used to love it when I was growing up and used to compete etc.
It was a unisex changing rooms. There were cubicles and lockers which meant a bit of privacy but the showers were two rows facing each other. Men were making good use of the showers, one older guy was giving himself a thorough soaping down but I didn’t notice any women lingering to use it. I felt pretty uncomfortable even pausing to rinse the chlorine off because it was not private. Not saying the men were out of order or anything but they were looking and I don’t want to feel looked at by a man when using a shower.
I had to go to work afterwards so needed to use the shower and wash my hair. I felt bad but told myself it was v early In the morning and I asked if I could use the disabled cubicle which has a shower. The pool attendant agreed but I felt bad for using it, I don’t have a disability.
I can kind of see why they designed the changing room this way as it would help mixed sex families and transgender people I guess, but it’s not great for women and adolescent girls. I used to train at a swimming club into my teens and was self conscious, I would have been really put off if our shower area was unisex. It has made me quite reluctant for my daughter to go in for swimming classes/clubs with a changing room like that as well to be honest.
Even drying my hair afterwards and putting on make up, opposite there was a guy drying his hair, probably innocuously looking around at the same time but it just made me want to hurry and get out of there.
I don’t know if I’ll complain cos we just moved here and this seems to be how it is here but I’ll probably re-think swimming again.
It feels like changing rooms have not been designed with women in mind unless we used the disabled cubicle.
Does that mean that being a woman who is uncomfortable about being looked at by men is a disability now?

Seriously though. How do those with disabilities who may need assistance, often from the opposite sex, navigate single sex naked changing?

I would expect the accessible changing rooms to be part of the mixed family room set up. They are in one of our borough's pools because the hydrotherapy pool is used for both disabled swim sessions and baby and toddler swimming. So the family/accessible changing room comprises of about 4 large cubicles that can fit a wheelchair or buggy in, more than one adult and one with a hoist.

I definitely don't pretend that our facilities are always excellent for people with disabilities or anybody caring for them. It's harder for my SIL swimming now that her son is older if BIL isn't there, as her son is not able to go into the men's by himself and no longer allowed in the women's. There is often a wall bar and a shower stool in the general area, though, so I think most pools are reasonable (guessing really, though, as it's not my area of expertise) if you don't have the sex issue and there are some pools with separate disabled facilities.

For non-disabled people it's all very straightforward, though. Locker room first, you get naked there, leave all your clothes and stuff in a locker, take your towel and swimming costume into the wet area, leave your towel on the racks, shower, get into your things, go swimming. Come out, shower again (exit shower not compulsory of course), get dry, enter locker room, get dressed, leave. Only males I see are little children.

We all need facilities that meet our needs. Neither female people nor people with disabilities should be sacrificed for the benefit of the other group (obviously a lot of overlap between the groups as well).

Seriously though. How do those with disabilities who may need assistance, often from the opposite sex, navigate single sex naked changing?

At my pool there is a separate accessible changing and shower room so it's suitable for those with opposite sex carers. There's also a disabled toilet and shower seat in the female area but not the men's (as it's downstairs so not accessible anyway)

The changing rooms at our local leisure centre have been unisex for ages. However, the shower areas and loos are separate. I think that’s ok, but wouldn’t like communal showers.