Trans man claims gym asked ‘what genitalia’ he has
A trans man has claimed that gym staff asked him about his genitalia, in the wake of the UK Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman. (Getty)
A trans man has claimed that gym staff asked him about his genitalia, in the wake of the UK Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman. (Getty)
A trans man has claimed that gym staff asked him about his genitalia in the wake of the UK Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman.
Last month, the UK’s top judges ruled that the definition of a woman in terms of the 2010 Equality Act excluded trans women and was based on biological sex.
Although trans and non-binary people are still protected from discrimination by law, members of the community have begun seeing the consequences, particularly in the way public bodies and organisations operate single-sex spaces, and MPs have already warned about the effect the ruling could have on the safety of “butch lesbians” and other cis women whose appearance wasn’t deemed “feminine” enough.
The Football Association has banned trans women from playing women’s football, and the England and Wales Cricket Board has taken similar steps in their game. Meanwhile, Barclays Bank has moved to ban trans women members of staff from women’s toilets.
And according to The i Paper, trans man Evan Wade was told he would be asked “what genitalia he had” after contacting more than 60 gyms – many of them women’s – as he tried to figure out what the ruling means for trans men and women.
Wade began transitioning five years ago. He is male-presenting and has a deep voice and facial hair from hormone replacement therapy (HRT). He told the gyms about his appearance, sex at birth, chromosomes and gender identity.
Staff at one unnamed gym reportedly responded by asking: “What genitalia do you have? We would have to ask you personal question on what genitalia you have” to ensure the “comfort of the ladies, as certain genitalia cannot go into those changing rooms”.
Wade then asked: “Would you be happy to take my word regarding my genitalia or would you require proof, and if so, how would I go about proving my genitalia?”
The gym then told him that if he was born female, he would have to use the female changing room, Wade claimed. He went on to say: “I was taken aback, it’s not anyone’s business,” and he feared having to out himself as trans to other gym members if he was made to use women’s facilities.
Wade received “contradictory advice” from other gyms, whose staff appeared to be finding it difficult to navigate the new rules.
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