Women only gym. Am I being a killjoy?

[SapphosRock]

There’s a female only gym and cafe opening not far from me. The idea is so that women can train without fear of being harassed by men. So far so good. Sounded promising, I was tempted to join.

www.theargus.co.uk/news/19157289.mama-fit-female-only-gym-cafe-opens-burgess-hill/

On further investigation I actually think it sounds pretty awful for three main reasons:

1.	The owners are men. Not sure I feel about two blokes profiting from the discomfort and intimidation of women. Additionally, surely they will be present in the gym at times defeating the object of it being female only? 

2.	The name is shit. Women are much more than just Mamas.

3.	They haven’t thought through their membership criteria or PR. Some women asked some completely legitimate questions on social media about their policy on including trans women. These women were basically told to shut up and go away. 

In my opinion these men don’t have a clue about what women actually want from a female only gym.

Prepared to accept this is just be me being a grouch and they are approaching this with the best of intentions. Thoughts?

And leaving a bar full of plates on the squat rack so I have to strip it before I can get the bar down because it’s also set too high.

Delirium

Oh hell, that gets on my nerves too. And ending your work out by leaving the ONE Olympic bar, stacked with plates, on the rack, and sodding off to the shower.

Extra points if you do this with the ladies Olympic bar, because you chose a lighter bar just so you could put extra plates on it, for the sake of the photos your mate was taking of you.

However, those exemptions do not allow you to provide for one gender only. In other words, offering a gym that is open only to women and trans women (but not to men) is in breach of the Equality Act.

What you fail to mention is that under the equality act you are perfectly entitled to open a gym and limit membership to women and Trans men only (all being the same sex).

Am I to only one who thinks it's a bit dodgy 2 men deciding their life dream is to own a gym for women only?

It'd be great if the owners would clarify their policy so people can make an informed decision.

I don’t think it’s dodgy at all but I think the reason they’re targeting mums is probably because they assumed transwomen can’t give birth and so it gives them some cover to let them know that the gym is for women that give birth and hence make it exclusive to one sex.

I think there trying their best and it would be good for us to give them feedback without defaming them

Haha 2 early 20s guys open a gym with a name that sounds like fake S London patois for MILF.... I don’t think I am the target market.

Our council gym used to have women only sessions that were well attended, but in truth, in my years of intensive gym going I never encountered anything other than respectful support from the men who used it. Of all the places I have been harassed or assaulted by men, the gym has not been a problem.

As a fatty (hate cupcakes by the way - they're just disappointment camouflaged in pretty frosting) - it's the women I've had nastier experience with at the gyms... making comments about me to their mates, leaning over machines to chat so I can't get on to use them, and one female member of staff who openly laughed at me being there. I no longer go.

I don’t think it’s dodgy- I suspect they’ve spotted a gap in the market and assume they can make money.

Sprinters (who do lots of strength training) nearly always look much more buff than long distance runners. I don't know that many women that seriously squat or deadlift but most want to have a nice bum etc.

It's the sprinters who look bulky though.... some of them, not all.
Never seen a bulky looking long distance runner.

As for the second sentence. Speak for yourself!

Nope. Just recognise that for many women a 'nice bum' is really not on their radar (maybe they already have one or just maybe they don't actually care) and they're at the gym for the health benefits and general well being.