women-only gyms now unable to keep out leering men

I have always been grateful that my local gym has a women-only area for women to work out. It's been so nice to exercise without being leered at, propositioned, or harassed. I have tried to exercise in the mixed -sex spaces, I just don't feel comfortable, so finding a gym with a women-only section was important to me. The women's area is behind closed doors, and there are clear signs that mark it as a women's space. The gym has always been careful to inform us if a man will be entering the area to repair machines, and only female gym staff enter.

The other day while working out, a man wearing women's athletic clothes entered the women's space. He spent a long time wandering between the machines, and staring at the women. He didn't seem particularly interested in working out, and spent a long time staring at me. I decided to use the technique I often do when men stare at me, stare back until they look away. This was effective. I usually have to do that sort of thing on public transport, I was not expecting to have to do it here. I felt deeply uncomfortable, and all the of safety, comfort and security I felt previously in the space was completely gone. Eventually he entered the women's change area, I imagine to do more leering. I left quickly, feeling violated and angry.

What's even more frustrating is that despite all the efforts the gym puts into keeping this section women-only, there is nothing they can do to restrict this man from entering the women-only section. In Canada, gender identity is protected in the human rights code because of a law called Bill C16. If the gym tells the man he can only use the mixed-sex section, he could take them to a human rights tribunal and they could be fined.

Women have so few spaces to ourselves, and exercising in a women-only space allows women, who spend so much of our lives caring for others, to spend time taking care of ourselves without being bothered by men. It's endlessly frustrating that we have no ability to protect these spaces in law in Canada.

#canada #gym #harassment #leering #spacewithoutmen #fitness #SingleSexSpaces

histories of trauma & public bathrooms

I have grown up around physical violence from males. I have also experienced rape, sexual assault, and physical assault from males known and unknown to me. My experience of being in bathrooms and having male-bodied people entering these spaces is that I immediately feel uncomfortable. I become hypervigilant, tense, my breathing is more shallow, and I use the facilities and get out as quickly as possible. It is no longer a safe space for me.

I of course do not wish for transgender people to be uncomfortable, but I think there needs to be an equal consideration given to the experiences of women like myself, who need spaces where they too can feel safe. Currently it seems as though people born as women are not having their need to feel safe considered at all.

#australia #bathrooms #publicspaces #trauma #maleviolence #singlesexspaces

bathrooms: men & other

I live near popular shopping hub in Tasmania Australia, and their toilets have been changed to 'men' and an 'all gender' toilet which includes the family and disabled signs. The toilets don't even say woman! It is a clear erasure of women's spaces meanwhile men's spaces remain intact.

#australia #tasmania #bathrooms #allgender #menandother #genderneutral