Sauna apologises after excluding trans women from ‘women-only’ session: ‘We got it wrong’
Beach Box Sauna Spa jas apologised (Canva)
Beach Box Sauna Spa jas apologised (Canva)
The bosses of a Brighton sauna have issued a public apology, after excluding transgender women from a women-only session.
Having announced the session, Beach Box Sauna Spa, located on Brighton’s seafront, confirmed on Instagram that trans women were not invited, but were welcome to attend LGBTQ+ sessions instead.
The decision came nearly two months after the Supreme Court issued its ruling in the case of For Women Scotland Ltd vs The Scottish Ministers. In an 88-page judgement, the UK’s top judges ruled that the words “sex” and “woman” in the 2010 Equality Act referred to a “biological woman” and “biological sex” – specifically excluding trans people.
In response, the EHRC, the UK’s equalities watchdog, issued interim guidance instructing organisations, bodies and services to ban trans people from single-sex facilities which matched their gender and, in some cases, also from those matching their “biological sex”.
The court’s verdict was predicted to have wide-ranging implications for the trans community and within weeks a number of organisations, including the Football Association, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Scottish parliament took steps to implement the guidance, including imposing bans on trans women in female spaces and from women’s activities.
However, the sauna’s decision was met with criticism in Brighton and from farther afield, The Argus reported, and the bosses have now issued an apology.
In a statement shared on social media, a spokesperson said: “At Beach Box, we’ve always aimed to create an inclusive, welcoming space for everyone, regardless of gender, identity, background or lived experience.
“But this week, we made a mistake that caused hurt and disappointment, particularly within our trans communities. We want to say, with sincerity: we are truly sorry. We now understand that promoting or hosting a cis-only event goes against everything we believe in.”
The management took “full responsibility for the harm caused” and “deeply regret it”, the spokesperson added.
“While we have undertaken LGBTQ+ inclusion training with the brilliant team at @lgbtswitchboard, it’s clear that we still have work to do. We are listening and learning and we know that being inclusive in intention isn’t enough when the impact tells a different story.
“We are currently reviewing our events programme and internal processes to ensure Beach Box is a space where everyone feels safe, seen and welcome. Not just in words, but in action.
“To those who have spoken up and shared how this made you feel, thank you. Your voices matter deeply to us, and we’re committed to doing better, both now and in the long term. Beach Box is built with love and community at its core, and its primary focus is to be a place for health and wellbeing.
“Everyone has been, is, and will always be, welcome here by everyone in our team.”
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