Leisure centre call police on one woman with a hand sewn #redflag banner

[WhoopsINameChangedAgain]

On Saturday 27 September 2025, in a leafy suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, one lone woman protested the recent decision to change the leisure centre single sex changing rooms into one mixed sex area with no changes to the changing cubicles.

Despite the peacefulness of the protest, and considerable positive engagement from service users who stopped to chat to her, the staff called the police.

Thankfully the officer was rightly not concerned and happy for her to continue her peaceful protest.

https://x.com/wrn_neandnyorks/status/1972197438363713594?s=46&t=A2fpFNgDRyXF2d6ye97wEA

Pics for those not on twitter; police officer can be seen through doorway behind her.

I think they were loosing money and needed to make the gym bigger. How ever I know from speaking to a local mother to girls that the girls don’t like using the gym due to how many men and boys go. Plus the changing set up. I think there’s one enclosed loo they can change in in tbe gym (don’t quote me)

In my opinion the mixed sex changing and toileting at Gosforth is all discriminatory. I have no idea how anyone trained in safeguarding ever signed off on it. Assuming they even thought about safeguarding. Which I don't think they did.

The idea that women and girls attending a UK leisure centre need to change in an accessible toilet to feel safe boggles my mind. And where does that leave the people who actually need the accessible toilet? Outside waiting, I guess! 😡

Have been this week; nothing has changed. The toilets do not have sinks within them. They have a small gap beneath and above; around 2 inches. In the end one you can see a reflection of who is inside from outside on the tiles.

There’s a AIBU about a mixed sex accessible changing room in a gym. It’s a private design I believe and the man opened it from the outside to enter.

I think a new generation of people are beginning to realise the limitations of mixed sex changing rooms and toilets.

Older generations somehow ‘got it’ which is why we have single sex facilities. Alas, disabled people are not deemed worthy enough to have single sex facilities yet -because it would be costly economically.

I still can’t get over how ‘let’s add more unisex provision’ is the ‘solution’ without risk assessments.

An update!

Plans are now in place at Gosforth to modify the toilets in the changing village to be fully enclosed.

Additional toilet provision will be added by the gym.

Better signage on the group change should facilitate use/availability for those who want to use it outside school hours.

Further changes may be needed once Sport England extract their digit from their terminus and update their design guidelines for pool change and their Accessible and Inclusive Sports Facilities guidance.

So a small improvement in privacy, but still some way to go.

What a disaster if it’s enclosed and mixed sex toilets and changing cubicles. Privacy overrides ventilation, cleaning ability, supervision and prevention of misuse.

Yes the whole thing is a nightmare, caused by their need to fit 2x changing rooms in one.

And why all this trouble and expense and increased risk for everybody?

To avoid saying 'no' to crossdressing men and mad activists.

To be honest I think it was financial. They wanted more gym space and decided that a mixed sex changing village would be ok. Why wouldn't they? All the new leisure centres have them!

No excuse for the toilets though. They are shocking.

There is a large mixed changing area, - which I am sure will now be mainly for the men and the women will be squashed and uncomfortable in the smaller space.