GLL (Greenwich Leisure)

[InterestingShipNames]

I had a look at the GLL website, as they run my local pool. They have a safeguarding page, which mentions quite a lot of protected characteristics but doesn’t include sex. It is just the webpage (so maybe they have a fuller one somewhere), but it only covers “gender, age, disability, culture, language, racial or social origin, religious belief or sexual orientation/identity.”.

I wondered if anyone here had asked GLL whether their changing areas are single sex or single gender? It’s important, as the pool I use has communal changing (a few cubicles, but usually in use) for men and women, no changing village option. I was all set to send an e-mail, but given recent cases, I’m worried about the consequences even of asking the question. I wanted to ask something along the lines of:

“Your website lists some of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act ‘gender, age, disability, culture, language, racial or social origin, religious belief or sexual orientation/identity.’ However, it misses out sex. Is this a policy choice or an oversight?”

If anyone has asked the question (or is braver than I am, and wants to send the email) I would be very interested to know the answer.

Nope - not asked yet. My local is run by GLL too under the brand name Better.

A lot of local council ones seem to be Better.

I asked the question and posted the responses I got on the No gym for me thread.
I'm going to have to come up with a response. It made me angry reading the guidelines.

Ours is very clearly marked Male and Female. I'll ask the question next time I am there. Then try to folllow up with an email.

Following Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) guidance GLL allow women and accompanying children under the age of eight, irrespective of the gender of the children, into women's changing rooms. Women only sessions are for females that have reached the required minimum age to access the session.

Regards,

Muir Forrest

National Safeguarding Manager

GLL would refer to the attached CIMSPA guidance on giving Trans People Access to Leisure Facilities, before making a decision on an individual case-by-case basis.

Regards,

Muir Forrest

National Safeguarding Manager

GLL (Greenwich Leisure Limited) is a charitable social enterprise

Also, they refer the reader to Mermaids, Stonewall and Gendered Intelligence for more information.

fin Thanks! That’s really useful to see. But it makes me worry about sending my dd in there alone (she’s too old to go in with her dad, now). Did they say anything about what would happen if you came out and said ‘there’s a man in the ladies’? As in, what recourse would you have if there was an actual issue. Or anything about vulnerable groups (children, but there are vulnerable adults, too, of course).

Iluv Yes, mine is Better, too. No other choice around here, unless you can afford a private health club with a pool.

It was really ambiguous and easy to challenge if logic was applied.
It also looks like every individual member of staff, could interpret the guidance differently.
No mention of safeguarding for women and girls in that particular document, it really did make me angry.
If you Google CIMSPA guidance on giving trans people access, the whole document comes up. I've tried to attach it here with no luck, sorry.

fin I googled but their website doesn’t work on my phone, I’ll try later on a laptop. It really worries me that they don’t mention safeguarding women and girls (or indeed any other of the protected categories, from what you said). Can that be legal, given the Equality Act and the requirements for Equality Impact Assessments? And I know others have talked about insurance - I don’t know anything about how that works for leisure centres, but I would have thought they are meant to have some and that it would be dependent on certain safeguards being in place.