Virgin Active bans trans women from female changing rooms after Apprentice winner threatens legal action
TRANSWOMEN have been banned from using female changing rooms by Virgin Active after a TV star threatened legal action.
The gym chain yesterday sent an email to members informing them of the "important update" to "club rules".
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Virgin Active announced the 'update' to members yesterday
Credit: Alamy
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Michelle Dewberry slammed the gym's policy and threatened legal action
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
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Members, including political commentator Owen Jones, shared the email on social media
Credit: owenjonesjourno/x
GB News presenter Michelle Dewberry, 45 - who won the second season of BBC's The Apprentice - had previously announced she'd cancelled her membership after "seeing a man in the female changing rooms".
Her lawyers sent the chain a letter threatening legal action in February.
It comes after the Supreme Court ruled in April that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
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Virgin Active's email - which has been widely shared online - said: "To comply with the law, we have had to update our Club Rules so that our changing rooms and bathroom facilities are designated according to biological sex.
"While this decision was outside of our control, it is legally binding on our business - as well as other gyms, leisure centres and similar facilities across the UK."
On the website, under Section 8 of the Virgin Active Club Rules, it states "by law, our members and visitors who use a changing room marked as 'male' or 'female' must select the one that matches their biological sex".
Ms Dewberry said in a post on X today: "Women: Never stop standing up for yourselves.
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"If not for you, then for your daughters and granddaughters. Organisations: Disregard us women at your peril… The law is the law and no ideology is above it."
She'd said following the incident: "Whatever happened to our right to a single-sex changing space?
"If you are among the minority of woman [sic] who are comfortable sharing your single-sex changing room with adult males, I completely respect that.
"But what about the majority of us who aren't?"
A Virgin Active spokesperson at the time said: "In accordance with UK law and industry guidance, we respect the choice of our members to use the changing room facilities based on the gender they identify with.
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"We support and respect all our members and their safety and privacy remains our highest priority. We continue to ensure our policies remain legal, fair and inclusive."
In March, Ms Dewberry, shared a screenshot of Virgin Active's response to her email that was seeking a policy clarification.
The company's reply read: "The changing rooms are split between female and male, with children attending up to the age of eight-years-old of a different gender.
"For the female changing rooms in particular, this would cover females of all ages, boys up to the age of eight, transgender females, and non-binary members."
The Equality and Humanity Rights Commission (EHCR) in 2022 said it is legal for gyms to limit such communal spaces to a single-sex if a gender-neutral changing room is also provided for trans people.
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In light of the Supreme Court's ruling, the EHCR is set to confirm and submit updated guidance in the coming weeks.
The Sun has contacted Virgin Active for comment.
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Ms Dewberry cancelled her membership following the incident
Credit: MichelleDewbs/x
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