Men in women's changing rooms - not transwomen, ordinary men

This particular line caught my eye: 'We have to be very careful, it's a very sensitive time and it's very easy to offend people

But it doesn't matter one iota if the "people who are offended" are women. Only a man's feelings are to be protected; whether they're natal, trans or bi. Male privilege is to be protected at all costs.

Have to hope some poor woman isn't attacked by one of the men taking women's clothes into the changing room.
The store may have to have a policy then.

Ain’t that the truth, in your final sentence, Chewbacca. It only works one way. ?

A friend’s daughter wanted to buy herself a man’s suit so she found something she liked in a store and took it to the men’s changing rooms. She was refused entry because ‘men might feel uncomfortable’ if there was a woman sharing their space.

She was told she had to schlepp all the way to the women’s fitting rooms, on another floor, where of course, she may well have encountered men trying on frocks. She told them what they could do with their suit, which wasn’t polite.

The shop was quite right not allowing a woman into a male changing room. Just as it is very wrong that men are being allowed, by some shops, into female changing rooms.

It’s almost unbelievable that men are being allowed into women’s changing rooms.

And they wonder why high street shopping is dying out.

It’s the usual majority bowing to the minority.
It is wrong on many levels.

Any male being allowed to use a changing room with the sign Women above the entrance is farcical, a complete undermining of Women’s rights, rapidly being seen as of no consequence! ?

Indeed so Kalu but the hard fought for women's rights have been sold out so that men, in any guise of their choosing, don't get their feelings hurt. But we've been assured by those, who are so much more progressive and forward thinking than us, that it will all be fine. Women don't need a safe space to call their own, even when their in their underwear trying on clothes, in a vulnerable position in a hospital bed or in a women's refuge or prison. Someone will be along shortly to reassure us again.

Ridiculous.

Chewbacca

Indeed so Kalu but the hard fought for women's rights have been sold out so that men, in any guise of their choosing, don't get their feelings hurt. But we've been assured by those, who are so much more progressive and forward thinking than us, that it will all be fine. Women don't need a safe space to call their own, even when their in their underwear trying on clothes, in a vulnerable position in a hospital bed or in a women's refuge or prison. Someone will be along shortly to reassure us again.

Good post Chewbacca. I totally agree.

We should remember this is the Daily Mail which is not known for honest reporting. I will reserve judgement until I hear the story from a reliable source.

It's all over Twatter Jackiest and Zara has been asked to comment, so it looks legit.

Women hold the power here, don't use any brand that back males using women's changing rooms.

I was in hospital in a mixed bay, with male and female wards. One of the men kept coming in our ward and had to be led out again by the nurses - when they were around.

He continually came back. On one occasion when there was no staff (they really were busy, rushed off their feet), I told him very politely that he should not be in the female ward. I was met with a torrent of abuse, the F word, the lot. He was actually quite threatening. OK, I'm sure he had 'issues', and judging from his rhetoric, it was personal. When I mentioned it eventually to a nurse, she was very apologetic but said there was nothing they could do except ask him to go back to his room (he had a side room). Some of the other women were quite scared and afraid to sleep because he was wandering around at all times of the night. I suggested they lock him in his room at night - and she was horrified. I wonder how horrified she would have been if he'd actually attacked one of the female patients...

I find this just unacceptable.

Dickens, were we in the same hospital at the same time? I had exactly the same experience!

Chewbacca

This particular line caught my eye: 'We have to be very careful, it's a very sensitive time and it's very easy to offend people

But it doesn't matter one iota if the "people who are offended" are women. Only a man's feelings are to be protected; whether they're natal, trans or bi. Male privilege is to be protected at all costs.

This is the truth, and it is so dispiriting when women who speak out against it in favour of women's rights are accused of being anti-feminist. It feels so much worse when other women put the feelings of men over those of their own sex, and see those of women as irrelevant.

People who claim to be defending trans rights are actually stamping all over women's rights. Unless they are stopped in their tracks, the word 'woman' will be meaningless, and obviously when the concept of a woman has gone, so have women's rights. I have yet to meet a trans rights activist who can even define what a woman is, as if they did that, they would have to concede that it is not, and never can be, a man. The nearest they come is to say that being a woman is 'a feeling', that can apply to those with male or female bodies, and that you can tell if someone is a woman because they call themselves 'she'.

It's not just a political fight - it affects basic things like privacy to change amongst other women, to have specialist female health care, to compete against other women in sport and to draw on accurate figures that show things like pay differentials and poverty rates (ie ones that aren't skewed by having men identifying as female in the statistics). Many women (if they are lucky) don't stay in hospitals very often, and most never go to jail or to domestic violence refuges, so the plight of those who do is hidden, but it doesn't take much insight to imagine how it must feel to be incarcerated with a male sex offender, or to run from a violent man only to find another is calling himself Gladys and staying in the refuge that feminists fought for as a female-only sanctuary.

It's interesting that there are those who say that they want corroboration before believing a report on this in the Daily Mail. It is far from being my paper of choice, but I would take the view that if even the DM are saying that women's rights are being eroded and is calling for a more feminist approach, then things have reached a pretty pass.

On the front cover of my Women’s Institute magazine a couple of months back was a photo of a new member. On reading the article it confirmed that the person was a transwoman. So even the WI is bowing to the trans lobby group.

Now before I am accused of being anti trans I can confirm I was regularly in touch with my late transwoman cousin and there was no animosity between us. Everyone has a right to do what suits them with regard to their sex (or should I say gender) but the WI IMO is for women, as the name implies.

The other side of the coin.

I was in a Next changing room recently, (Womens) and I heard an assistant asking a chap to leave, saying he wasn’t allowed in there. He was a dad accompanying his daughter, unsure of age but about 11/12 I think. He made no fuss but asked if he could stand outside to check on her ‘trying on’. Another customer offered to keep an eye on her, but the assistant said they would look after her.

Everyone was courteous and pleasant, but the staff were quite strict about it.

That's good to hear.

Of course changing rooms/loos are tricky for dads with young daughters (although I'd expect most 11/12 year olds to manage on their own), but men should not be allowed in.

Of course, the problem starts when the man says he identifies as female - it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if the dad you describe had done so.

Nandalot

*Dickens*, were we in the same hospital at the same time? I had exactly the same experience!

... I live near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire!

Of course, there are men around like that and I suppose they do end up in hospital - so maybe just a co-incidence, as there are a lot of mixed bays now...

www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/
"People who claim to be defending trans rights are actually stamping all over women's rights. Unless they are stopped in their tracks, the word 'woman' will be meaningless, and obviously when the concept of a woman has gone, so have women's rights"

Thankful to all female activist who fight for womens rights - sadly many loose their jobs, are abused, trolled, targeted or receive a police warning on their records for their views. Sadly many organisations are caught up in this war of attrition and bow to minority. Enough is enough.

Brilliant post Doodledog. You sum up what I think, but put it so much better than I could.

Dickens and Nandalot what a horrible experience for you both. I’ve been in hospital twice when female patients with dementia were making life exceptionally difficult for other patients and the staff said there was little they could do, but to find male patients causing this kind of trouble when you are ill really is untenable.

This is the truth, and it is so dispiriting when women who speak out against it in favour of women's rights are accused of being anti-feminist. It feels so much worse when other women put the feelings of men over those of their own sex, and see those of women as irrelevant.

This, absolutely! I've had to take a step back, it is so draining, frustrating and generally depressing to have to keep justifying your beliefs that women are a sex class, that they deserve respect, fairness and privacy as that sex class, and that those rights and expectations do not impact any other class of human (unless they wish to trample female rights into oblivion!) That any worker in a store can say as long as they're carrying female clothing (????) anyone (even obvious males) must be allowed in the female changing rooms just beggars belief. Perverts allowed free access as long as they're accompanied by a hanger from the female clothing section. I so wish more women would vote with their purses. These outlets would soon revise their priorities when the bottom line went from black to red.