A biological male signed up for a gym membership hoping to be allowed to use the ladies gym but was told only co-ed access.
On Wednesday Cheknews published an article and posted the link on social media with the replies turned off, of a biological male “transwoman” complaining about only being allowed to use the co-ed gym.
The co-ed gym is fitted with women’s, men’s and gender neutral change rooms to accommodate everyone but apparently that wasn’t good enough, Brigid Klyne-Simpson wants access to the woman-only spaces.
Brigid Klyne-Simpson told cheknews it’s not comfortable to workout at the gender natural co-ed gym and definitely not at the men’s gym.
“I fell out of it in university because I was just kind of intimidated being around a bunch of mostly really buff guys at the university gym,” Klyne-Simpson said in an interview with CHEK News. “So finding a ladies gym was something that seemed really exciting, and now that I’m out, I understand why I was uncomfortable at the other place.”
According to Brigid Klyne-Simpson one of the trainers said Brigid would be welcomed in the women’s gym and then the membership paperwork was completed.
Brigid showed up on the following friday at the women’s gym and worked out for an hour. On Monday Brigid was called and told the gym made a mistake but Brigid can still use the co-ed gym to work out.
“I just hung up, because I mean, I was extremely devastated, there’s really no other word for it.” Brigid said to Cheknews
“It was important to me to be in a place that would be like explicitly accepting, like, ‘you are a woman, you’re allowed to be here,’”.
The owner of Bodyworks Fitness Dale Nagra said Klyne-Simpson is welcome to workout at the co-ed gym any time but the women’s gym is a safe space for women and young girls and that is the top priority of the women’s gym.
“We want them to be comfortable, but we also have to worry about the young girls that this gym is set up for and the women, and how are their parents gonna feel that they’re in there, then this person walks in with a male voice and big person,” Nagra said.
“So now you pick the comfort of the male who identifies as a woman…and then anybody can go in there saying, ‘OK, I identify as a woman, and I want to be able to go in there.’ And so, do we pick the comfort of the transgender person, and they may not be as comfortable with the co-ed gym but at least that’s an alternative, or do we pick the comfort of the young girls that are working out there that might not feel comfortable?”
“We already have transgender people here, and all sorts of people, we’re not discriminatory at all,” Nagra said. “We’ve got staff that’s minorities, so, we’re not saying there’s no solutions, we’re looking for a solution and we’re not discriminatory people.”
Klyne-Simpson suggests women just need to be trained to deny basic science and biology insisting biological men are in fact women and should have access to women’s spaces if they self identify as a woman.
“But all it takes is education. Once you understand trans women are women, trans men are men, non-binary people are who they say they are, it’s as simple as that,” she said. “If you still feel uncomfortable after that, that’s on you, it’s not on me. I am who I am, it’s as simple as that. I just look different. That’s all.”
Klyne-Simpson has launched a human rights complaint with the BC Human Rights Commissioner trying to find a solution for biological men identifying as women to gain access to women’s rights to a women-only space.
“While I never set out to become an accidental activist or anything, I feel like maybe I do have a certain responsibility that because this has happened to me, I need to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.” said Klyne-Simpson.
Cheknews advocates for biological men identifying as women to gain access to women’s only gyms by linking to two studies that say safety for women in women’s spaces wouldn’t be reduced if biological men identifying as women were allowed in. The studies accurately point out women can be just as violent as some men but is that really the issue?
But lets not ignore the facts that women have been getting attacked in women spaces by biological men self identifying as women.
Criminal predatory instances by transwomen documented
- Non binary teen sexually assaults girl in girls washroom and charged
- Transgender woman arrested accused of sexually assaulting teen in Walmart bathroom
- Transgender sexual assault claims at Brevard Public Schools could bring new state rules
- Female spaces need better protection after trans woman sex assault on girl, say campaigners
- Transgender woman, 18, sexually assaulted girl, 10, in Morrisons toilet
- BRAZIL: Female Student Assaulted by Trans-identified Male Over Washroom Access Says She Was “Afraid of Dying”
Critics argue that biological men “transwomen” trying to push their way into women-only spaces is an attack on women’s rights.
The gym received a lot of support online for standing up for women’s rights.
“Stunning and brave women’s gym in Parksville BC says “No” to male who claims to feel like a woman asking to join. Stay strong, Bodyworks gym http://bodyworksgym.net” wrote LGB Alliance Canada.
“Thank you to BC business owner Dale Nagra of Bodyworks Fitness for standing up for women and girls” wrote Lindsay Shepherd Author of Diversity and Exclusion: Confronting the Campus Free Speech Crisis wrote
Another user said they reached out to the gym to thank them for standing up for women’s rights “I sent an email to this gym last night thanking them for defending women’s rights. I’m beyond fed up with this. The @bcndp and woke mafia will no doubt harass this poor gym owner for doing the right thing, so I sent them some kind words.”
Marc Emery also posted a response to support women’s rights.
“Men should stay the hell out of female-only spaces. Replies have been turned off because hundreds of citizens rightly object to these incel men in dresses invading the privacy of girls and women.“
