EXCLUSIVE Transgender woman claims she was blocked from joining popular women's only gym
A transgender woman has sparked fierce debate after claiming they were denied access to a popular women's only gym.
The woman shared a text message she claimed was from a staff member at Fernwood Fitness, a women's only gym franchise with locations across Australia, on a Reddit thread titled 'transgenderau' this week.
'I'm sorry, the Fernwood company policy is not inclusive of transgender women,' the message read.
'Fernwood offers membership only to biologically born females who identify as female. If you wish to discuss this further, please direct questions to our head office.'
The transgender woman appeared to have been trying to join a location in Victoria.
'I have no idea if this is a known problem I should have seen coming with Fernwood, but it surely seems to be against Victorian discrimination law?' she asked.
'I've not been out for all that long, this is the first time discrimination has happened so directly and personally, (it) caught me off guard.'
The post was quickly flooded with supportive comments.
'This is absolutely in breach of Australian anti-discrimination laws,' one said.
'Blow this up. Name and shame the gym and the person you spoke to. Of course don't give them money, but what they are doing is illegal.'
'If your sex is changed on the birth certificate they can't legally refuse you. Because in Australia, trans women are legally women,' said another.
'The nuance is that they can refuse transgender women, but they need to actually have a justification for it that is compliant with law. It is almost certainly not the case that they have written policy or written justifications for this,' a third said.
Some encouraged the woman to take legal action, citing Tickle v Giggle as a precedent.
In that case, transgender woman Roxanne Tickle successfully sued Giggle, a social media app for women, in the Federal Court after it withdrew her membership. The case remains subject to an appeal by Giggle CEO Sall Grover.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Vile moment group of men TORTURE a defenceless kangaroo in shocking clip
Aussies have been left outraged after footage of a group of men laughing as they kicked and threw rocks at a defenceless kangaroo went viral online. The group of men were seen repeatedly antagonising the kangaroo in the shocking clip believed to have been recorded in the Northern Territory and shared to Instagram by @crossthecreekboys in May. At one point, one of the men lifted the kangaroo off the ground by its arms before slamming its head into the tow bar of a parked Nissan Patrol. In another distressing moment, one of the men kicked the back of the kangaroo's head while another stood on its tail. Aussies Against Animal Abuse has reported the video, which has been removed from Instagram, to the police and animal welfare authorities. 'We see a lot of heartbreaking videos and photos as part of our daily work, but watching these videos was beyond traumatising, it was hard not to be sickened to our stomachs,' the group captioned the video. Viewers were similarly troubled by the clip, with one woman describing the behaviour as 'disgusting,' adding the men 'need to be punished'. Animal cruelty is a criminal offence in the Northern Territory and can attract a maximum penalty of two years in prison or a fine of $37,000. It includes 'beating, abusing, torturing, injuring' and 'wounding' an animal. Aggravated animal cruelty, where the act results in the death or serious injury of an animal, can attract a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment or $92,500 fine. A Department of Agriculture and Fisheries spokesperson confirmed its Animal Welfare Branch was investigating the incident. The latest video follows several kangaroo cruelty incidents across Australia. NSW man Michael Holmes was charged with aggravated animal cruelty after allegedly tying a live kangaroo to the back of his car and driving some 400m in April. Holmes is expected to fight the charges when his case resumes in July after his lawyer entered not guilty pleas at Queanbeyan Local Court last month. Separately, a 64-year-old man pleaded guilty to four charges of aggravated cruelty relating to the killing of 71 kangaroos on his Victorian property in 2021. He was handed a $80,000 fine plus costs on Thursday after the judge found he had exceeded the conditions of his Authority to Control Wildlife.
The Guardian
29 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Afternoon Update: critics call for Aukus exit; ‘no corruption' in Higgins' $2.4m settlement; and a strawberry moon
Good afternoon. A chorus of Aukus sceptics, including former prime ministers Paul Keating and Malcolm Turnbull, say a US review into the nuclear-powered submarine program is an 'opportunity' for Australia to escape a deal that would cost hundreds of billions of dollars and leave the country ultimately less able to defend itself. The Pentagon overnight announced it had launched a review of the Aukus agreement to make sure it is aligned with Donald Trump's 'America first' agenda, throwing the defence pact with Britain and Australia into doubt. The defence minister, Richard Marles, downplayed the development, saying it was 'natural' that the US would examine the project, but that he believed there was still strong support for the trilateral agreement in Washington DC. The shadow defence minister, Angus Taylor, said Anthony Albanese must seek to safeguard Aukus by meeting Trump as soon as possible. Turnbull, whose pre-existing submarine deal with French shipbuilder Naval was dramatically torn up in favour of Aukus in 2021, said Australia should 'wake up' and review the agreement as well, while Keating, a longtime critic of the program, said the review 'might very well be the moment Washington saves Australia from itself'. Watchdog finds 'no corruption' in $2.4m settlement to Brittany Higgins after alleged rape Monash IVF CEO resigns after second embryo bungle Erin Patterson says she didn't deliberately source death caps and serve to guests as murder trial evidence concludes Sydney Theatre Company books $10m revenue boost after Dorian Gray production becomes global hit Australian Human Rights Commission president calls for end to police investigating deaths in police custody University staff say Woodside-backed climate conference highlights concerns about energy giant partnership Israeli forces kill at least 60 Palestinians seeking food in Gaza, health officials say The 'strawberry moon', so named because it traditionally denoted the start of strawberry picking in the northern hemisphere, could be seen in skies around the world on the night of 10-11 June. From Dubai to the Parthenon, see our gallery of the best shots. 'World records are made to be broken. So by the time I leave this sport, I want to make sure that that record is as fast as possible.' – Summer McIntosh The 18-year-old from Toronto broke her third swimming world record in five days at the Canadian Swimming Trials, clocking 4:23.65 in the women's 400m individual medley. McIntosh becomes the first swimmer to break world records in three different individual events at one long course meet since Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Official data shows the rate of Aboriginal hanging deaths is at a 17-year high, a number which correlates with Australia's surging prisoner population. Guardian Australia has spent months investigating hanging deaths in every state and territory. The investigation has revealed a staggering death toll linked to inaction on known hanging points. Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Whether wistful or euphoric, Brian Wilson made pop's most overwhelmingly beautiful music He was the Beach Boys' resident genius, seeping melancholy into even peppy teenybopper hits. Beyond all the myths about his life, writes Alexis Petridis, that brilliance is still intoxicating Today's starter word is: BAND. You have five goes to get the longest word, including the starter word. Play Wordiply. Enjoying the Afternoon Update? Then you'll love our Morning Mail newsletter. Sign up here to start the day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.
Daily Mail
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Shock moment accused paedophile wearing The Muppets pyjamas with an 'unleash the beast' t-shirt is arrested
Dramatic footage has captured the moment an accused paedophile wearing The Muppets-themed pyjamas is busted by detectives in his home. Two men, aged 49 and 58, were arrested on the Sunshine Coast by detectives targeting online child exploitation and abuse on Monday. In footage of the arrests, detectives are seen speaking with the pyjama-clad 58-year-old as he sat on a couch barefoot. In another clip, officers are seen inspecting a laptop and desktop computer and searching a room filled to the brim with books. Army medals are also visible on a shelf. The second man, wearing a black sweatshirt and black shorts, is seen speaking with officers while holding work boots in one hand. The 49-year-old man was charged with one count each of using a carriage service to access child abuse material and possessing child exploitation material. Police allege the man accessed child abuse content online, with multiple electronic devices seized from his home for forensic examination. The Nambour man was released on strict bail conditions and is scheduled to appear in the Maroochydore Magistrates Court on July 7. The 58-year-old man was arrested following a search of a Sunshine Coast home. He was charged with one count of using the internet to procure a child under the age of 16 and later released on strict bail conditions. He is set to appear in the Maroochydore Magistrates Court on July 14. Detective Acting Inspector Cameron Burke of Task Force Argos emphasised the serious risk online predators pose to children. 'Predators are constantly adapting to new platforms and technologies, which is why a whole-of-community response is crucial,' he said. 'Every app, game, or messaging service a child uses can be a potential contact point for harm if not supervised.' He urged parents and caregivers to be involved in their children's online activities. 'Parents and caregivers don't need to be tech experts, but they do need to be engaged,' he continued. 'Understanding the apps children use, the settings, supervising, and keeping the lines of communication open are the key to prevention.'
