Sorry to blog about gender issues again, but I do want some clarity on safe spaces.
In different discussions on Twitter about places like bathrooms for women, different people have said different things. One has called for unisex toilets for all, some have said that there should be no restrictions on men entering toilets for women if they decide to do so. Issues have been noted with unisex changing rooms regarding, sexual assault, harassment and voyeurism and many women are concerned that this would be the case in other areas.
Some have argued that there is no legal basis to ban men from entering a toilet for women but I am not allowed to do so at my work. In addition to this, those with a Y chromosome are not allowed to enter toilets for women at the secondary school my son goes to.
I know this is going to be controversial, but I do not think that a teenage boy should have access to changing rooms, showers and toilets for girls at schools, unless they have managed to have sex change surgery.
When it comes to adults, it is a more grey issue. I define a woman as someone without a Y chromosome unless that individual identifies as something else. Likewise a man is someone with a Y chromosome, again unless they identify as something else. I do think that sex is real and while I do not consider a TransWoman to be a woman, or a TransMan to be a man, I do think that in many cases, they should be treated as such. I used to think that toilets should be based on genitalia (a view that I still feel should apply to prisons), but there are those with a penis who live as women, and so long as they are not known to be a threat, I do think that they should be allowed in many areas for women.
Sports is a different matter. For many sports, being born male gives advantages. As seen with Isazc Henig, this is not always the case. But it does give an advantage in many other areas and women can end up being injured as a result. Not just in rugby, but with other sports as well.
