Advice wanted regarding right to single sex changing facilities

[onedayiwillmissthis]

Hi, long time lurker, looking for advice.

Today I went to the lovely gym/spa I am member of...and there was a transwoman (male) in in the women's changing room!

Have spoken with the owner, who, never having come across this situation before (the transwoman has only recently become a member) is unsure of where they stand. Owner tells me she wishes to be fair and accepting of everyone.

All well and good. In the pool, the gym, the sauna, the jacuzzi etc...but...surely changing facilities should be sex based. Male & female.

Gym does already have a separate, third, changing area with shower, toilet & lockers (presently designated, disabled, male, female and babies) which the owner told me is open to anyone to use. Apparently I could use this space if I am concerned.

Owner has told me she will be contacting UKActive, to get advice and find out the legalities etc of the situation. Having had a swift look at UKActives website, it appears they have been influenced by the likes of Stonewall & Mermaids etc.

Can anyone please point me in direction of clear direction. Have tried EHRC & .GOV. which seem to say that sex based changing facilities are still allowed. I would like to be able to introduce alternative information, as UKActive seem to be all about ...whatever trans want, trans get!

I remember browsing a trans support site, a transwoman with a recent GRC was joining a public pool / gym and asked the community for advice. She (the TW) asked something along the lines of is it ok to use the women's to change, they would not be nude, but arrive in gear / swimsuit and if they had to change use a towel. How should they approach the managers to ask permission.
So a reasonable sounding person (leaving aside how we feel).
The answers we are along the lines of - absolutely don't ask, you have a GRC and legally entitled to be there so just go in and threaten them if they stop you....

If you want to carry on challenging it, try raising awareness of the mixed sex changing room policy - local papers, local news websites etc.- spreading your concern at lack of women only spaces. And hope it doesn’t get binned on the basis of being transphobic - which sadly is a real danger. I wrote to my local hospital and local paper about single sex wards and got ignored (hospital) and brushed off (local paper). But at least I know I tried and may yet revisit the issue.

Do point out that you have been excluded.

And that you will be seeking legal advice as you have a protected characteristic and their policy is exclusionary towards many females in order to put a higher value on a small number of entitled and selfish males, who want what they want and could not care less about answers that work for the sex they identify as.

Obviously whether or not you choose to actually follow through is up to you, but do make this sexist muppet of a gym aware that they may very well end up in legal trouble if one of the females they exclude has the time, money and will to fight.

And will do it without a rich and slightly insane bunch of phenomenally misogynistic charities bankrolling them too.

Sorry it's ended up like this OP, predictable by the sound of the owner but still. I do think generally it's the 'inclusivity' thing we need to focus on in these situations though. As soon as it's quoted we need to point out that being inclusive to male bodied people in women's spaces is excluding many women, and that a third space is still being inclusive, to everyone. Where appropriate ask the question 'why would you exclude 50% of the population to include less than 1%?' Business owners need to think carefully about this because women will vote with their feet and 'being kind' (to everyone except women obviously) doesn't pay the bills.

Tell her about Bannatyne’s gyms which do still have single sex changing rooms. She’s lost you, she will lose others to businesses like Bannatyne’s, and losing business is the only way they will listen.

Just about to mention Bannatyne's

'why would you exclude 50% of the population to include less than 1%?' Business owners need to think carefully about this because women will vote with their feet and 'being kind' (to everyone except women obviously) doesn't pay the bills.

Also point out the plain, ugly sexism of this.

It is more important that male people have their first choice from everything than that some female people have anything at all . That isn't inclusion in any way, shape or form, that's just flat out sexist discrimination, plain sex based thinking that says Y chromosomes always must trump X ones.

Male people have two options. They are fully covered. If they insist on using female spaces and excluding female people from any access at all, and cannot summon up any sense of care, responsibility or you know, actual understanding of what 'inclusion' means? Then yes, it's time that legal gatekeeping became involved. As it has to when people cannot be relied upon to respect other people's rights and needs.

Mind me asking which area of the country this is? Am thinking of joining a similar sounding place and don't want to encounter males in the female changing areas.

It’s a business:

one trans persons monthly fee over x number of women who cancel their subs and demand refunds.

ask the person on question to respect the wishes of the women to have their right to a single sex facility.

I sent them so much info. Raised all the objections that have been mentioned. But, their arguement is their wish to 'be inclusive', 'transwomen are women' and 'we follow the guidance from UKActive' www.ukactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ukactive-Transgender-Guide.pdf

It's a small, independent Health Club and Day Spa, in West Norfolk, so very rural and unfortunately there is not a lot of alternatives.

The gym have a well appointed third space (Disabled/male/female/baby) with lockers, shower, toilet, seating etc which I was originally told (by gym staff) that this or any trans person would use. However, the gym owner later denied that this was the case and told me that as this person 'was a woman' they could use the female changing.

It was confirmed though, that I could use this third space if I chose

? Why does the app (on Android) put random emoticons instead of those chosen?

The thing is though that the 'wish to be inclusive' is a #fail.

They're not being inclusive to many females by insisting that males must be allowed to stuff themselves wherever they choose regardless of impact on others. Especially females with disabilities, females of faith and some cultures, who are protected under the EqA2010 which requires non discriminatory blanket policies.

Once they know that, they're flat out lying about 'inclusive'.

I suppose my question in reply would be

"If TW are women and can choose from all three facilities, where do the females who can only access female only spaces go please?"

And wait to hear that actually, the 'inclusion' is of the female-exclusionary type. Which is not inclusion but just good old misogyny.