Men at David Lloyd, moaning and whining because the spa is female only for 2 measly hours a week

[Lemieux7]

🙄 sorry about DM link - it’s the only one not behind a paywall. Men on the Facebook group are saying that women should join female only gyms.

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16211821/amp/David-Lloyd-sparks-equality-row-excluding-men.html

What’s the equality objective in this case? Is it to give everybody equal hours of access to the facilities, or to give everybody equal access to fitness and socialising? Or even to give everybody equal access to improve DL’s profitability?

It isn’t sexist. It’s providing a legal service, largely because some men can’t behave themselves. As I said upthread, generally it’s expected that women alter their behaviour to accommodate men. For once this isn’t happening. For two hours a week.

Men perving over women is a stealth boast???? You've never encountered this???? Have I entered an alternative reality 🤔 😄

This is definitely the feminist board, not the surrendered women board?

No.

I arrived at it because it makes no sense for you to specify by firm, otherwise.

Oh hang on I see. You know perfectly well that the police wouldn't break down reports by firm, so you were deliberately asking for statistics that are unobtainable. That's it, isn't it. Cunning, but very low.

What you could do is make Freedom of Information requests to police forces across the country, asking for the numbers of sex offences reported in leisure centres and gyms, and then you could ask for a location break down to see how many occurred in the sauna.

It's already known that sexual offences are committed against women and girls in mixed sex changing villages, after women got together to make FoI requests of forces across the country.

Here's a newspaper report about the situation: https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/changing-areas-have-to-change-call-for-action-as-stats-reveal-close-to-100-sex-crimes-at-leisure-centres/

The Sunday Post’s It’s Time partners, the Women’s Rights Network (WRN) Scotland, received freedom of information (FOI) reports from police involving 91 of the country’s 340 swimming pools.

They revealed 51 incidents of voyeurism and 30 sexual offences against young girls, with 11 involving youngsters under the age of 13.

One rape was recorded, at Kirkcaldy Leisure Centre.

In addition, 25 sexual assaults and 21 other sexual offences were reported, and in total there were 81 female victims. All offences were committed between 2023 and 2025.

Incidents occurred at venues with shared facilities. No crimes were recorded at centres with single-sex facilities but incidents were reported at pools which had mixed-sex “village-style” shared showers and changing facilities.

Mary Howden, of WRN Scotland, warned local authorities must provide “safe, risk-free spaces”.

She said: “Our painstaking FOI research gave us a harrowing insight into a pattern of deeply concerning sexual offending at swimming pools and leisure centres across every part of the country.

“The overall number of offences of almost 100 is truly shocking, but what was really disturbing was the high number of offences involving young girls aged between 13 and 16. While there was a proliferation of sex offences at pools with shared shower and changing, we didn’t find a ­single offence at centres offering ­single-sex facilities.

“Our research shows local authorities need to look very carefully at what is happening at centres with shared facilities. It might be cheaper to provide shared showers and changing areas but the disturbing levels of offending, particularly against children, prove them to be a haven for predators.”

So to be clear, all men are, in your opinion, "gross and pervy".

Can you see how some people might think this is a somewhat disturbed mindset?

Yep. Mixed sex facilities are overwhelmingly less safe for women and girls.

I used to belong to a really beautiful gym that had a sauna in the women's changing rooms and one in the men's changing rooms and I really liked that setup.

I definitely have had offensive comments made at me by men in a mixed sex sauna. I would very much prefer to use a single sex female only facility.

In our steam room especially because it's tiled their loud voices echo off the walls. It gets louder and louder in there until I give up.

Really? Either you believe in equality or you don't. No ifs and buts.

If you believe in equality of all members of the human race, you don't pick and choose the target of your discrimination to suit what is convenient to you at any given time. I have never read so many sexist comments on one thread, emanating from the mouths of educated women who should know better.

Sometimes it's worth standing up for what you believe in because it's morally right to do so. It's not about me 'winning'.

@PastMidnight are you aware of the EHRC code of practice relating to services, public functions and associations? Gym provision will fall under 'services' and there are specific examples in the guidance setting out how service provision can legitimately be provided to a selected group without breaking the law

So everything should be mixed sex, is that your argument?

I mean, there’s more rape crisis provision for female victims than male victims. Do you get irate at the ‘inequality’ of that too?

The objective is to not discriminate on gender grounds.

My boyfriend and I have paid for the premium (most expensive) membership, as sold to us who we joined. We both pay exactly the same.

By virtue of the fact that he has a penis, he no longer has access to the spa for two peak hours on a Thursday, whereas I do.

How would you feel if some women at the spa misbehaved, so ALL women were banned, even though you, and most of the other women, had done nothing wrong?

Thanks, no, I haven't read up on any of the relevant legislation. Sounds interesting though.

Could you please expand on what you mean by racist? If you're bringing up race, the parallel to a women's only session is going to be a session for a marginalised ethnic minority and that's perfectly legal.

Under the Equality Act 2010, it is legal to provide single-sex services to achieve a proportionate aim, e.g. the clientele wouldn't attend a mixed-sex session. It's also legal to offer services aimed at a particular ethnic minority group if it's recorded that those people don't attend general sessions. For example, in the past I've seen vaccination clinics aimed at particular ethnic groups.

Another possible example related specifically to leisure centres might be swimming classes; it's known that there are disparities in swimming ability in the UK that correlate with class and race. Black children are over-represented in drowning statistics because they are less likely to be able to swim. This is an article by a black journalist about learning to swim as an adult at a class aimed specifically at black adults, explaining why it is important.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx27vxkpdz1o

I am aware that some people try to shut down sessions aimed at increasing black people's participation in swimming, but that's because the people objecting are racist. In fact, a few months ago, the right-wing German AFD successfully shut down a session for black children: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/24/scrapping-of-berlin-swimming-day-for-black-children-becomes-latest-in-long-list-of-race-linked-pool-rows

Straw man.

If women were routinely ‘misbehaving’ then men may ask for a men-only session. But that isn’t happening, any more than men are routinely holding their keys between their fingers as they approach their front door, or avoiding certain running routes after dark or any of the other things women do on a daily basis to mitigate the risk from men.

Honestly, if men feel so strongly about this they should start policing other men a bit more effectively.

How so? It’s unequal provision in your world.

The subject of this thread, as written by the OP, is:

Men at David Lloyd, moaning and whining because the spa is female only for 2 measly hours a week

If I may be so bold, it therefore appears somewhat bizarre to be told that it makes no sense for me to specify David Lloyd in my responses.

I have seen women misbehaving and reported them to management. Why would you not do that in the case of men?

What? You think racism and sexism are equivalent? In that case there's really no point discussing things further.

Interesting logic there..

Yes.
Both are an accident of birth, over which we have no control.

It clearly isn’t being dealt with and is endemic. You don’t get it, that’s fine. I’m sure you’ll get ‘picked’.

Can one be black and female?

Can one be white and female?

Can one be any other colour and female?

Can one be black and male?

Can one be white and male?

Can one be any other colour and male?

Can one be male and female?

Do you see a pattern here? Do you think it's relevant?

Just wondered..