While we are not a regulatory body, we do promote safe and inclusive practices among all ukactive members. We want all facilities to provide a safe and welcoming environment for All.
As such, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) released guidance on ‘Separate and single-sex service providers: a guide on the Equality Act sex and gender reassignment provisions’. This guidance has been created to help organisations to make lawful decisions about any services they offer to women and men separately or differently. The guidance explains the permitted sex and gender reassignment exceptions in the Equality Act 2010. It covers a range of scenarios, including where organisations are providing facilities which are shared by their service users and their own staff.
During the creation of this guidance, ukactive spoke to EHRC, and asked that there were sector specific examples for our sector, including changing rooms and single sex classes/sessions.
To be clear this is not intended to provide technical legal advice on all scenarios and sectors. Instead, it will encourage service providers to use the information to create policies that are both legal and balance the needs of the different groups they serve.
ukactive will continue to work with the EHRC and if you have any feedback on the guidance, please let us know (on info@ukactive.org.uk) and we will be able to feed back to EHRC.
Further reading
- Equality and Human Rights Commission
- ukactive Personal Safety and Harassment Policy
- ukactive Guidance For Front Line Staff To Assist Trans People To Access Leisure Facilities
- A practical guide with insight, guidance and tangible solutions to support fitness and leisure operators in getting more women and girls active within their facilities.