Womens Rights Network - swimming changing rooms - good news

[Manchesteruser]

From Women Rights Network:

England has put its swimming pool guidance under review with immediate effect.

Last week we highlighted the Councils that have told us they follow to the letter Sport England’s advice to install mixed-sex changing villages for swimmers.

This week Sport England has posted a notice on its Swimming Pool guidance page stating that the Accessible and Inclusive Facilities and Swimming Pool Guidance is ‘under review’.

Could the Equality and Human Rights Commission Code of Practice and Ukactive guidelines for leisure centre operator stating that offering only mixed-sex changing facilities could discriminate against women and girls have concentrated minds further?

Is Sport England finally waking up to the terrible damage it has caused with its blanket recommendation that ‘mixed-sex changing villages are the preferred option’ for new and refurbished swimming pools?

Our Red Flag Campaign continues to highlight the dangers of mixed-sex changing rooms. The safest changing room is a single-sex changing room.

Isn't that great news!

The crazy thing about the wording 'preferred option' is that, according to Sport England, it wasn't them saying that they preferred the option of mixed changing, it was Sport England saying that most leisure centres preferred the option of mixed changing.

The confusion over the wording was highlighted on TwiX yesterday:

https://x.com/SexMattersOrg/status/2086815893359612381?s=20

So the leisure centres were doing what Sports England told them and Sports England were doing what the leisure centres told them. 🤪

It sounds like good news though, Sports England are now going to do what is lawful and right. 🥳

Good news - the only public swimming pool in my area has one of these ridiculous changing village arrangements. I and other women I know will never use them in their current configuration.