In a recent incident at a private swim school, a mother has generated a heated debate after expressing her anger over her nine-year-old son being banned from using the female changing room.
Additionally, the mother also said she was told to bring a man to help her son change clothes instead of her same-sex partner.
Previously, the mother often took her son to swimming lessons costing $18 a session at a private swimming school with separated male and female changing rooms.
Boys under 8 years old can change with their mothers in the female changing rooms. However, they will be banned from there after turning the age of 8.
When she suggested that either she or her same-sex partner could take him into the male changing area, this option was also rejected.
She claimed that this was the first time she had encountered such an issue, as she had never faced any problems before, including when using public toilets.
The mother emphasized that she had read many cases of children being sexually assaulted or even raped in changing rooms without supervision. That's why the mother is determined not to leave her son alone in such cases.
However, the staff only told her that she should "bring a man" to take her son into the male changing room. This response left her feeling frustrated and upset.
The mother said strict separation of men's and women's changing rooms is an outdated approach and poses additional challenges for same-sex families.
She believes that leisure facilities should provide alternative options if they do not want boys in the female changing areas.
When she inquired about alternative facilities, the swim school manager mentioned that there were none available and suggested that the mother and her son should bring a male companion next time.
After the incident, the family decided to terminate their nine-year-old's swimming contract.
This case has sparked a larger debate about gender-segregated changing rooms and the need for more inclusive facilities.
While many leisure facilities have adopted mixed changing areas to address such issues, swim schools that operate within school facilities often only use traditional male and female-designated changing rooms.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in the UK ruled that schools are legally obliged to separate changing rooms based on providing biological sex instead of gender identity.
