Trans Swimming sessions

[DaveDave]

Just saw the below event advertised at my local pool. How come this is ok but we can't have biologically female only swimming sessions? I'm annoyed, not because of the event, but because it seems impossible to have female only swimming without being accused of being transphobic.

"Been hoping for a swimming event that's only for trans, non-binary, and/or intersex people? Well, here it is!

To ensure privacy we have booked an entire public pool so it's just for us! Apart from the lifeguards, the rest of the building will be empty too, so there's no need to worry about which changing room to use or people staring. Whether you want to swim laps, float about, or just hang out, you're very welcome. We want these sessions to be accessible to as many people who need them, so if you need a carer who is cisgender to attend with you they are welcome to come along. Parents/guardians are welcome to come and wait in the changing rooms but will not be allowed in the pool or on the poolside.

VENUE: The venue will be given to you during booking to ensure privacy. Please do not advertise this information. You can arrive 15 minutes prior to our swimming session starting, but please note that if you arrive more than 15 minutes late you may be locked out. There is very little phone reception by the pool so you may not be able to get in touch with anyone to let you into the building.

CHANGING FACILITIES: The changing room is gender neutral, wheelchair accessible, and has individual changing and shower cubicles. Before swimming you'll have 15 mins to get ready, and 30 mins at the end.

AGE RANGE: This event is for all ages, but if you're under 18 you'll need to get a consent form signed. Just let us know when you're booking and we'll send you one to bring filled in on the day. Please bear in mind that we do not currently allow cisgender parents and guardians to be in the pool or on the poolside.

DRESS CODE: As always, genitals covered. If you have [insert word you're comfortable using for your chest/boobs/breast tissue] you'll need to have your chest covered too. A rash vest would be best, but if you don't have one or can't afford one a light weight t-shirt is also acceptable.

BOOKING: To book, or ask any questions, contact [email protected]. If you are disabled and need a cisgender carer to attend with you please let me know during booking.

COST: This event is free to attend but as a charity we welcome donations. You can donate on our website

www.rainbow-project.org/donate/ or there will be a donation bucket available at the event.

(redacted)

I going to be very down the earth.
trans people represent something like 0.5% of the population.
How many people are ever going to use that slot?

Virtue signaling at its best.

Swimming can be bloody expensive these days so I would encourage everyone to attend for a rare, free swim.

Especially an event where they felt the need to specify “DON’T BE NAKED!” because, as everyone knows, events at a public pool with children present might be clothing optional 🤨 🚩

I'm happy with this session and I'm very GC! It's a nice idea which doesn't harm anyone. Unlike following the twaw mantra. It will be interesting to see how many turn up.

I don’t recall supervising my children when they were teens and went swimming.
Much younger children ( surely) wouldn’t go if their parents can’t be there.

I think it’s a great idea

And if a parent believes their child to be transgender, surely they would be less likely to be mean and transphobic?

The no parents poolside for minor attendees is not okay

Everyone can use it. Contact the group, say you're nonbinary (which is true, because everyone is) and off you go for a free swim. Take the kids if you like. They're nonbinary, too.

Aside from that I am all for an exclusively trans session or group

As I am for an exclusively women's or exclusively men's

I have no more objection to this session than I would to any faith-group session. But it should either welcome parents or have a minimum age of at least 16.

And women should be able to book the pool for an exclusively female swim. I wonder whether the pool would accept that? We constantly hear of women's single sex events being cancelled by the venues for not being inclusive of males.

I try to read all before posting but couldn't help myself this time

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

Everyone in the area identify as a transperson. what they going to do, turn you away? why that would be to discriminate and they, and their hairy hands, don't discriminate.

How do they know which of the women turning up are men, want to be men or are actually women.

They don't because as we keep trying to explain when it's the other way round

they can't tell fucking difference!

@NotBadConsidering

I've been to swimming sessions where you can swim naked, I personally don't mind, I've swum naked in the sea too. In Germany it was particularly common

It's mixed age, mixed sex, where natal females may be topless and parents/guardians are not allowed.

Further, there's no mobile reception and no "consent form" can mitigate for the 🚩 all over this.

It's an open invitation to child sex offenders.

HTH.

If it was over 18s, I'd be delighted. Crack on & enjoy.

I suspect they'll be plagued by quite a few blokes with unmentionable three letter acronym issues going on, for whom a nice bit of breast stroking in a pink tankini is a fun day out, but y'know, if consenting adults are up for that sort of thing, it's a private session & no one else's business.

It's clearly not going to be suitable for unsupervised children.🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩

& as PPs have said, they can't actually exclude parents, carers or, well, anyone who fancies a dip. Anyone can be temporarily gender fluid...so I can't see how the 'all ages' but also 'trans only' thing can even work in practice.

”AGE RANGE: This event is for all ages, but if you're under 18 you'll need to get a consent form signed. Just let us know when you're booking and we'll send you one to bring filled in on the day. Please bear in mind that we do not currently allow cisgender parents and guardians to be in the pool or on the poolside.”

red alert! red alert!

Red alert cannot be said enough!!

red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert!red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert!red alert! red alert! red alert!red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert! red alert!red alert! red alert! red alert!

I don’t see why a trans man should have to cover her breasts to swim since they are a ‘man’. Sounds like discrimination to me. Against trans men.

I'm GC and fully support female only spaces for women who want them but I can't see what the problem is here?

No one is forced to go to this swim session!

Private hire of a pool to allow a group that might otherwise find it difficult to access the pool facilities without being stared at or upsetting someone sounds like a good solution. Presumably someone could arrange a similar female only booking if they wished and set their own rules.

Able bodied U18s can go if parent says they are capable of swimming and self supervising, this is actually stricter than a normal swim session where parental consent isn't needed for older kids at all. Presumably a lower age applies from a swimming safety point of view anyway.

The transwomen will use the ladies, the transmen will use the men's... so the usual segregation will happen, just in the opposite changing facilities anyway!

arent there checks and certifications needed to be around children? so if my kids wanted to go i'd be asking about that, i wouldn't ask if i didn't have kids who want to go, leave them to it.

Would it be allowed as women only? there is only one way to find out. Try to arrange one (same for the under 60s men if they really think they need a special session to themselves) and then see what happens and react appropriately.

I'm guessing it is quite expensive to hire a whole pool though

I think it’s great. A group hires a pool, finds out demand and asks everyone to behave as they would at any other swimming session. It will likely be in the evening, so limited opportunities for kids to go without parental involvement. Bring it on, and stop pearl clutching.
The women’s sessions at pools were instigated as someone up thread said to get more women using facilities. Swimming pools always make uneasy compromises between different groups ie school sessions, the 40 lengths power crawl brigade and splashy leisure sessions with floats and groups of kids.

There are loads of women only swimming sessions advertised round here, quite rightly. You’re making up a problem that doesn’t exist. Good that there are trans only sessions, good that there are women only sessions, everyone wins.

They absolutely are not unless they've passed a specific swim test. Nowhere is that stated in this.

I think that you will find that 'women only' doesn't these days mean what it looks like it means.

Adult trans swimming sessions - crack on! Mixed age mixed sex swimming sessions - yeah nah - on what planet is it ok to have adults and children who don’t know each other being around each other with no parental supervision for the children?

as an aside - women only sessions are indeed brilliant provided they’re for actual women and not “anyone who identifies as a woman”

That's what I find interesting. If I had the money and energy, could I privately hire a pool for a women only session, and say biologically born women can only attend, no trans women are allowed?

I feel like I most definitely couldn't and would probably be sued!

@Daisy03. I'm a lifeguard. I work in a leisure centre. It's a normal pool rule to allow children of 8 and over to swim without their parents.