For any Puregym regulars....

[EmpressWitchDoesntBurn]

They've stated on Twitter that their communal changing rooms are NOT single-sex and that any woman who wants to be sure of not changing with men should use the gender-neutral toilets. So that's nice.

Thread here: twitter.com/Albawitch_xx/status/1418506009815945216?s=20

@SeggsMatters

I would say that my pure gym has both a accessible toilet and also separate accessible shower facilities with changing area. As a third space away from male or female changing.

I don't know if that's the case for all. But mine has.

But those areas are for disabled people. It's actually important that only disabled people should use facilities for the disabled, otherwise they're not actually accessible. Are we to reclassify all women as disabled?

It appears there are some vocal and dertemined men and other male-bodied people who will not rest until every women's single-sex space is well and truly colonised and controlled by them and there is nowhere left for women to feel safe.

Likewise with any particular award, privilege or protection awarded only to women. "We'll have that, that and that too, thank you!"

Why can't they just be nice and stop snatching everything we thought we had?

It may indeed end up that women declare a gender feeling and start using the one place the TRAs kick and scream about going: the gents' changing room!

Why can't they just be nice and stop snatching everything we thought we had?

This is in a nutshell why sex is in equality law.

Without legally enforceable boundaries women lose every time, and anything women have is on conditional loan from men based on nothing more than good will.

@NewlyGranny

It appears there are some vocal and dertemined men and other male-bodied people who will not rest until every women's single-sex space is well and truly colonised and controlled by them and there is nowhere left for women to feel safe.

Likewise with any particular award, privilege or protection awarded only to women. "We'll have that, that and that too, thank you!"

Why can't they just be nice and stop snatching everything we thought we had?

It may indeed end up that women declare a gender feeling and start using the one place the TRAs kick and scream about going: the gents' changing room!

💯

Oh it looked ok yesterday

I wouldn't fancy taking DB to court!

The ones whinging and threatening have zero intention of taking him to court it's all bluster and hoping to induce fear so he will climb down, it won't work. Every single one of them has shown that they haven't a clue about the Law or the Equality Act.

Yep.

Interestingly the complaints are quite mildly worded.

Still not that many for this topic.

And no one seems to have threatened to rape him etc.

And no one seems to have threatened to rape him etc.

Surprising that! The most he got called was a vile little bigot and to shove it up your pipe you rancid transphobe, not nice but a world away from death, rape and threats of violence.

It wouldn't surprise me if most of those threatening to sue and misrepresenting UK Law in an attempt to make Duncan change his mind are not in the UK.

They do so have a way with words these TRAs, they present their argument in such a measured, compelling manner.

Wasn’t he a sailor in his youth? I can’t see him being remotely bothered.

It would be a really interesting test case of single sex exemptions. If he for example surveyed all his female members and the result came back that 80% plus remained in favour of retaining single sex changing facilities, would that be a sound enough basis to enact the single sex exemption?

I don't think it even requires that does it?

Having read DBs bio on wiki, I can't imagine him being in the least impressed by attempts to bully him on Twitter.

The EA exemption for single sex things-

This is from gov legislation website ie the horses mouth. This part is included in part 7 para 26.

'hese exceptions would allow:

a cervical cancer screening service to be provided to women only, as only women need the service;

a fathers’ support group to be set up by a private nursery as there is insufficient attendance by men at the parents’ group;

a domestic violence support unit to be set up by a local authority for women only but there is no men-only unit because of insufficient demand;

separate male and female wards to be provided in a hospital;

separate male and female changing rooms to be provided in a department store;

a massage service to be provided to women only by a female massage therapist with her own business operating in her clients’ homes because she would feel uncomfortable massaging men in that environment'

The are mine to highlight.
Also note the use of male female not man woman.

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/notes/division/3/16/20/7

This is the actual law. And that's that.

Oh my vanished!

Changing rooms is an example in the actual legislation.

@KittenKong

Wasn’t he a sailor in his youth? I can’t see him being remotely bothered.

He got chucked out from the navy because he threw an officer into the water. For a dare apparently. The more I read about him, the more I admire him.

Puregym are pretty shit.

Checked today and they’ve lowered their prices. So quit and rejoin if you can.

Also, getting quiet in the gym, which is lovely. Keep up the good work!

Apologies if this has already been mentioned but one of the things that made Duncan Bannatyne a lot of money was insisting that his care homes for elderly people had single rooms, which shockingly wasn't the norm. Which shows that he has previously looked at how his competitors' operate and chosen to make his money by providing the dignity and comfort for his customers that they didn't. It says a lot about who he is as a person IMO - all respect to him.

@JustcameoutGC

It would be a really interesting test case of single sex exemptions. If he for example surveyed all his female members and the result came back that 80% plus remained in favour of retaining single sex changing facilities, would that be a sound enough basis to enact the single sex exemption?

Not sure that a public vote is relevant. Any organisation can choose to invoke the law NiceGerbil mentions, & make use of an exception.

It is strange if it is getting quiet. They seem to have come out as a trans friendly gym so I was hoping to see all transwomen and their allies signing up and supporting that gym.

DB is a businessman in the end and seems to be v successful.

I'm not saying that his polices don't align to how he feels.

In the end if he can differentiate by guaranteeing single sex changing which is very important to women and to men too tbh (although the chances of a woman coming in are slim for obvious reasons!) then he has cornered the market for women and girls who want that. Which I'd imagine is a high % of 50% of the population. And women will pay a bit more for that confidence as well.

It's business sense and like I say probably what he thinks is the right thing anyway.

The fact that he has some private unisex changing with showers

And that is NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Is just incredibly revealing (no pun intended).

What happened to shy and will want to hide body and very uncomfy in communal changing then?

The widespread spread of stonewall law is appalling.

It also showed really well that you can have all the laws you want. But if they are broken it's not automatic something happens. There needs to be the knowledge money time etc to launch a legal case.

I get that the law provides for single sex exemptions, but these are open to challenge and the providers can choose whether or not to apply it.

For example in the recent case on TW in the female prison estate, MoJ chose not to apply the single sex exemption due to the need to balance the rights and safety or women AND transwomen. If there was ever anywhere on the planet the single sex exemption should be applied without question it is in women's prison and yet here we are.

See what’s happening in California. Condoms now available in woman prisons (even though the state was aware of several HIV+ prisoners in the woman’s jails).