This one's been rumbling along for a few days.
A transgender woman in Parksville is speaking out after she was allowed to sign up for a women-only gym, then later told she would only be allowed to access the co-ed gym due to the fact that she is trans.
Brigid Klyne-Simpson says she previously had a rocky relationship with exercise because she didn’t feel comfortable going to gyms and working out with mostly men.
“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.”
Bodyworks Fitness is a gym in Parksville with two locations. One is co-ed and the other is ladies-only.
Klyne-Simpson says she was able to sign up at the Bodyworks Fitness ladies-only facility where initially, a trainer welcomed her to the gym.
“One of the trainers there greeted me, and she was extremely kind and she could basically tell I was trans right away and said I would be welcome there, and explicitly said I would be safe as well, even gave me a hug,” Klyne-Simpson said.
She said she signed her membership agreement on the spot and returned Friday, having a “great time” as she worked out for more than an hour. But days later, something changed.
“Then on Monday, I got a call from the same person basically saying, ‘Sorry, we made a mistake, you’re not actually allowed to be here, but you’re more than welcome to use the co-ed facility,” recalled Klyne-Simpson.
“I just hung up, because I mean, I was extremely devastated, there’s really no other word for it.”
Co-ed facility not good enough: it has to be the women's gym.
This being Canada, he's getting official support.
Kelli Paddon, B.C.’s parliamentary secretary for gender equity says situations like this highlight that it is important to continue working to advance transgender people’s rights.
“Trans people deserve to feel safe, welcome and affirmed for who they are. Trans women are women – period,” Paddon said in a statement to CHEK News. “At a time when trans people are under increased attack around the world, it’s up to all of us to speak out and to help break down barriers that transgender people face.”
And now, a report in the Vancouver Sun.
B.C. government voices support for transgender woman denied access to women-only gym https://t.co/qDdgDeU1CT
— The Vancouver Sun (@VancouverSun) January 24, 2023
A somewhat misleading picture, though. You might be forgiven for thinking that you were seeing the poor trans woman in question. Alas no. Here "she" is:
Needs a gym? Yes. Needs a women's gym? Absolutely not.
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