A women’s rights group has hit out at the bosses of one of Britain’s most famous outdoor swimming pools for ‘failing to acknowledge their concerns’ about the use of the pool by transgender people.
The Women’s Rights Network (WRN) has accused the Kenwood Ladies Pond Association (KLPA) of being ‘high-handed and undemocratic’ by dismissing its attempt to ban trans women from the facility on Hampstead Heath.
Committee chiefs claim any such move would be ‘unlawful’, having taken legal advice on the move – but the local WRN branch claims it has refused to release the advice to members.
There are already men-only and mixed swimming lakes in the area, while the women’s pond boasts famous members such as Kate Moss, Helena Bonham-Carter and Emma Thompson.
The row emerged after the KLPA was asked to update its constitution around the use of the word ‘woman’ at its annual general meeting, calling for it to be ‘interpreted literally and biologically so that only those born female in sex can use the pond’.
The pond itself has been open to trans women since 2010, when the City of London Corporation (CoLC) – responsible for running the facility – adopted a new gender identity policy.
Heather Binning, founder of the Women’s Rights Network told MailOnline: ‘The Kenwood Ladies Pond Association has consistently misrepresented the law and failed in its constitutional duty by refusing to acknowledge women’s concerns about men accessing the Ladies Pond.
‘The Equality Act and subsequent guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission makes it clear that single-sex spaces are lawful in a number of situations including changing rooms and swimming sessions.
‘The committee claims to have taken legal advice on this, but is refusing to share that advice with members and at least one member of the management committee.’
An unnamed spokeswoman for the Haringey and Islington branch of the WRN claimed the committee had ‘consistently failed to respond to concerns raised by members and wilfully refuse to acknowledge that many pond users object’ to the use of the pool by trans women.
The spokeswoman added: ‘A number of WRN members who are also regular pond users and members of the Kenwood Ladies Pond Association have raised concerns about the high-handed and undemocratic behaviour of the management committee.’
‘We hope the management committee will see sense, and act in accordance with the KLPA Constitution and start listening to its members.
‘However we fear that their refusal to share the AGM agenda and legal advice and statements that the media will be barred from the meeting give us very little faith they will do the right thing.’
Walkers on Hampstead Heath were split on whether the group was entitled to object to the use of the pool by trans women.
A woman walking her dog on Hampstead Heath, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I can understand the women’s frustration. Not every space has to be open to everyone.
‘I imagine this is an important space to them. It’s about feeling safe and comfortable, isn’t it?’
But a female runner, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said: ‘It makes sense that it would be illegal to ban trans people [from the Women’s Pond]. It’s discrimination, isn’t it?’
Asked about the debate around women’s spaces, the woman, who lives just a 10 minute walk from Hampstead Heath, replied: ‘Trans women are women though, aren’t they?’
Pauline Latchem and Beth Feresten, co-chairs of the KLPA, said in a statement: ‘The KLPA management committee has appended to the AGM papers a formal response explaining that it is in receipt of legal opinion that the proposal is likely to be unlawful and that, pending further legal advice, the amendment may be removed from consideration at the AGM.
‘In addition, the committee officers have reiterated that all women are welcome to join the KLPA and recorded their opinion that it would be irresponsible and contrary to good governance to recommend to the membership a proposal that is likely to be unlawful as well as impossible to enforce.’
The ladies only pond had been seen as a safe haven for women due to the absence of men.
Other opponents of the transgender policy have cited the fact that Muslim women and Orthodox Jewish women face being excluded from the pond due to their religion.
But a user of X, previously known as Twitter, posted a screenshot of the proposal on the social media platform calling supporters of the corporation’s policy within the KLPA ‘self-hating women’.
The user, @esjayXX, said: ‘We have a ladies swimming pond in London (as well as a men’s and a mixed sex).
‘Sadly some members want to allow men into this magical space. Because women are not allowed our own spaces.
‘The City of London set the rules. But self-hating women in the @KLPA maintain them.’
The KLPA has consistently said it is committed to helping to create an inclusive environment for all women, including transgender women.
It has said only members can attend the AGM next month. But the row has been rumbling on since 2018 when transgender bathers were given full access following a controversial consultation.
At the time, many questioned why the council gave the motion a green light despite disregarding nearly 19,000 of responses to its equality survey.
The policy – which was welcomed by the KLPA – came after an online survey consultation on attitudes to gender identity received nearly 40,000 responses.
But 18,459 were disregarded as invalid, on the basis that those respondents did not answer any questions other than to identify themselves and declare the reason for their interest in the survey.
The survey, undertaken by the City Corporation, showed around 12,390 of the remaining 21,000 respondents agreed that trans people should be able to access services relating to their gender identity.
In total, around 18,459 votes were thrown out, 12,390 were in favour of transgender users, and 8,610 were against.
The council said the move will ensure a ‘robust and consistent approach’ to gender identity.
But some women had expressed concerns the policy will put their safety at risk in female-only spaces.
One woman said in response to the survey: ‘This is opening-up opportunities and safe spaces for women to any man who claims to self-ID as a woman.
‘Statistics show that women are at risk of male violence.
‘This includes genuine transwomen – these transwomen with GRC and cis women need safe places and not to have misogynistic self-ID advocates trying to erode their rights and safe spaces.’
In May 2018, a group of female activists staged a protest next to the men’s pool of Hampstead Heath.
The group, which called themselves Man Friday, faced a barrage of abuse and threats from hardline transgender activists who branded them ‘terfs’ (trans-exclusionary radical feminists).
One woman sported a pantomime beard; another wore a lime green mankini, a male version of a bikini.
The women chose the male outdoor swimming pond for their demonstration against the change to allow trans women to use the women’s pond and female changing rooms.
Hannah Clarke, 44, a founder member of the Man Friday movement, said: ‘We’re scrupulous about respecting transgender rights, but the law must also acknowledge biological differences between men and women and their entitlement to separate spaces in order to retain dignity, privacy and safety.’
Fellow protester Amy Desir, 35, a divorced mother-of-two from Luton, Bedfordshire, added: ‘I’ve never seen myself as a feminist until now. But I was following the discussion on Mumsnet about men just saying “I’m a woman” and having all the protection and spaces just for saying that. I thought: “That can’t be true.” But it was.
‘And people were being enlisted to train the police and school teachers about the subject, and I thought it was bonkers.’
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John James
