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’

And, even if were true, which (as you rightly say) it isn't, that German/French/Scandi women are fine with mixed-sex nudity, so fucking what? Why is that supposed to be a gotcha for British women?

Some cultures are fine with women being bare-breasted. Does it follow that we're all uptight prudes if we're not flashing our tits on the 267 to Hammersmith?

Men need to get the fuck out of women's spaces, and women need to stop being so bloody stupid as to enable this harm to other women and trying to coerce and pimp them out for bloody brownie points. And yes, that is all it is. Get a bloody grip.

• *Hallelujah!!!

This is awful. My DH and I attend a Bannatyne gym and we were discussing this on the way home last night. If the open plan, no cubicle changing rooms became gender neutral we would both cancel our membership.
He was more horrified at the thought of mixed changing rooms than I was. There’s no way he’d get changed in front of women.

Well said @Froodwithatowel

the reason violent men are more likely to attack women they know is simply ease of access!

I don't think domestic violence (which is bidirectional in the majority of cases) is the same thing as sexual predation. I still don't support men in women's changing rooms though.

What do you mean by ‘bidirectional’ @CaramacFiend ?

Sexual domestic violence isn't "bidirectional" and most women are raped by someone they know.

I didn't say sexual domestic violence.

The point the pp made that you responded to was about sexual assault, not other violence against women.

It said 'violent men attacking women'. This to me includes DV.

Whataboutery.

When women are concerned about men in their changing room they are concerned about sexual assault, flashing etc. Not domestic violence.

So women are concerned about their husband flashing them at home?

I'm just saying I think the issues in changing rooms are distinct from male violence at home and should be focused on separately. Trying to shoehorn in partner violence just undermines it for me.

Males are more violent than women and women are far more at risk of being seriously injured or killed by their partner in the home than men are.

She didn't actually mention anything about it being at home. She said violent men, which clearly means sexual violence as well. She's right, as I said. The majority of rape and sexual assault victims are raped and sexually assaulted by someone they know. That counts as "easy access to victims" too.

I agree with you that DV is not the topic of this thread. DV is MVAWG like rape and sexual assault are, but not strictly relevant here.

I think if you have experience of domestic violence you are even more likely to feel vulnerable in mixed sex spaces.
As you’ve lost the ‘it only happens to other people’ factor. Same with any experience you have had in life.

This!

That’s been going on with public swimming pools for ages, mainly so families can change together. I hate them though ,mainly because I like to shower without a swimming costume (get off chlorine) and feel odd walking back to the locker naked under the towel. Also single gender changing rooms are usually quite friendly places.
Some David Lloyds and some gyms abroad have all three options which is much better (woman, man and family).

My friends 19 year old daughter was at a central London bar on Saturday. She needed the loo so went into the ladies where she was followed in by a very obvious TW who went into the first cubicle (despite others being available) and sat peeing with the door wide open meaning anyone walking in would be immediately presented with that view and hade to walk past to get to the other cubicles. Deliberate??
And is that something the vast majority of women would do? I certainly don’t remember peeing with the door wide open in my many years on this planet.

My local council swimmng pool/gym also has all 3 options, as well as individual poolside cubicles.

I think if you have experience of domestic violence you are even more likely to feel vulnerable in mixed sex spaces.

And yes.

Small update - one person connected with the gym has replied that there’s nothing to worry about, it’s only for one class. But the email says it’s for ‘this period’, so who knows what they actually mean.

Still no reply from my email asking for clarification.

My friends 19 year old daughter was at a central London bar on Saturday. She needed the loo so went into the ladies where she was followed in by a very obvious TW who went into the first cubicle (despite others being available) and sat peeing with the door wide open meaning anyone walking in would be immediately presented with that view and hade to walk past to get to the other cubicles. Deliberate??
And is that something the vast majority of women would do? I certainly don’t remember peeing with the door wide open in my many years on this planet.

Yes, that's deliberate. And no.

We need to stop thinking of these males as a type of women.

Who is in this class that makes the gym so proud to be changing the rules?