Non Binary Gym Changing Rooms

[NevermindNelson]

I’ve just had an email from a gym I use explaining that their changing rooms are going to become gender neutral. I don’t even know where to start to reply. The email states that they’re proud to do this.

I want to reply with the reasons that I’m cancelling my membership, but all I’ve got so far is, “What, seriously?”

Maybe I should just send this - Just under 90 per cent of complaints regarding changing room sexual assaults, voyeurism and harassment are about incidents in unisex facilities. Because they have made the changing rooms unisex, haven’t they?

Edited to correct the term as ‘gender neutral’

Terms like 'unisex' or 'gender neutral' tend to disguise the danger they pose to women

Yep. It is VERY deliberate that the trans lobby use these words. Sounds so harmless and passive.
Like most of TRA bullshit, it's just smoke and mirrors to hide the fact that grown men are demanding access to all female spaces.

I don’t have any contact info for other users, but yes, that would have been really helpful - I was just at the nodding and smiling stage ☹️

@Rightsraptor The space is really small, the showers are quite small, so a lot of changing happens in the small space behind the door.

I pay for blocks of classes, so not a monthly payment. I paid for a block recently and still have some classes left.

I assume they currently have a male and a female changing room. Could you suggest they consider having a mixed sex one and a female only one? So they actually only repurpose the male one and leave the women's alone? It's still unfair - to the blokes that prefer single sex changing. But at least it is safer for the women.

This is genuinely quite shocking. I had heard of gender neutral loos where each loo was behind a locked door but gender neutral changing rooms is madness unless they are family changing rooms as PP said with huge changing rooms. It simply means the 95% of men who identify as men will be permitted to access spaces where females are and should feel safe to get changed, shower etc. it makes no
Logical sense.

They do have a male and female one now. From the wording of the email, I don’t think that your idea (which I think is the safest way) or a third space is what they want.

@wherethewildtbingsgo I’m glad you said that, because I feel shocked and I’m grateful that I’m not alone.

I was assaulted in a mixed sex bathroom when I was backpacking. He wouldn't have been able to do it if it was a single sex one, he saw an opportunity and took it. I absolutely hate mixed sex facilities with a passion. I don't know how anyone can consider them a good idea.

I imagine they will keep one changing room and convert one into a treatment room or something like that. So they are thinking they get both woke points and an extra space. It’s outrageous and the only thing you can do is leave.

As pps have said: do not accept any righteous wittering about 'proudly inclusive'. It's absolute parroted bullshit; they will know absolutely nothing about actual inclusion.

Ask instead how they will be meeting of the needs of the clients they are excluding which will include (in terms of legally protected characteristics)

• Women of minority faiths and cultures
• Women with disabilities including Autism
• Women with trauma
• Women who have survived DA/DV/CSA
• Women with Gender Critical beliefs (WORRIAD in court.)

And since they are proudly embracing direct discrimination and exclusion towards these groups, (and on a heavily binary sexed basis, so add direct sex discrimination to the list above) to whom should legal challenges be addressed?

It is perfectly possible to create actual inclusion by providing third spaces. This does however require saying 'no' to male people who wish to use non consenting females and dominate all the spaces, and preventing powerful service users excluding more vulnerable ones. That would be actual inclusion.

@FinallyPregnant23 I’m sorry to hear that. Someone thought it was acceptable for you to lose a layer of protection and that’s not right.

This is fucking enraging. They don’t give a shit about women - not our safety, not our privacy, not our rights.

Fuck them. I hope they lose customers in droves. I hope they shut down. Idiots.

@MajesticWhine From the email, they’re making both current changing rooms “into gender neutral spaces” so no single sex spaces at all. I have to leave.

As their change of policy renders the facilities inaccessible to you, the breach of contract is theirs. If you were a wheelchair user and they announced that they were removing all the ramps and lifts, they could hardly require you to continue to pay for services you can no longer use.

@Froodwithatowel Thank you for writing that all out for me, it’s really helpful.

I’m wondering if I should send this instead of a carefully crafted email.

@Froodwithatowel That will be what I use to get my money back.

My gym and pool has mixed changing. You just use a cubicle. I don't think people are going to be wandering around naked.

@garlictwist There aren’t any cubicles, just some showers and a small changing area. Women are naked in the changing area.

My pool has mixed changing, HOWEVER:

-There are shit loads of cubicles, which not all gyms have

-I never shower there because i don’t feel comfortable showering in front of men

My local pool have a changing village, it's full floor to ceiling lockable cubicles and floor to ceiling lockable showers, just rows and rows of cubicles and lockers. There are no areas that could feasibly be used to get changed in outside of those lockable cubicles and it is made very clear that no one should be naked in any visible communal areas.

That's not what the OP has described. The OP had describes an open room that strangers get naked in and then a couple of small showers and a single toilet cubicle. So the expectation here is that all women using the gym should be willing to get naked in front of a strange man if they want to use the changing and showering facilities.

I think most gyms do this now, even big chains like David Lloyd. Most just aren’t daft enough to publicly announce it and they hope people won’t notice. My mate is sure there was a bloke in the ladies at our local DL last week.

duncan Bannatyne gym says no gender neutral in their gyms. Sadly not one near me.

Absolutely ridiculous. We are pandering to a tiny minority. Vote wuth your feet

@CyberCritical Thank you. Women are willing to get naked in this place because of the way we treat each other - no staring, no encroaching on space, etc.

They announced it with great pride - the word ‘proud’ was used in the email, this wasn’t an under the radar change.