For a century, the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond on Hampstead Heath has been a serene swimming space and cherished refuge for women and girls. Here, women thrive, finding acceptance and solace in the tranquil surroundings. Women’s-only spaces like the Ladies’ Pond offer a community free from judgement and free from threat. They are so wonderful because they offer a community free from men.
But in 2017, the City of London (CoL) announced that transwomen would be allowed into the Ladies’ Pond and changing spaces. Women objected, some self-excluded, and activists stormed the Men’s Pond, prompting embarrassment and anger. Despite identifying as men, they were peacefully removed and a police officer explained, “You can’t enter a facility for the opposite sex.”
Yet over at the Ladies’ Pond, women were not being afforded the same rights as men to privacy, dignity and safety. Their embarrassment and anger at male intrusion was ignored.
The Kenwood Ladies’ Pond Association (KLPA) have staunchly supported the CoL, despite acknowledging the Ladies’ Pond is a haven for women and the vulnerable among them, like survivors of sexual violence, religious women and lesbians.
Their website claims that, in alignment with the Equality Act 2010, the Ladies’ Pond, while accepting transwomen, is “a women-only space that is NOT open to men.” But in April this year, the fabulous For Women Scotland won a unanimous U.K. Supreme Court ruling that “sex,” “man” and “woman” in this Act refer to biological sex, rendering this KLPA statement nonsensical.
The CoL, unmoved, plans to retain its policy to permit some males into the Ladies’ Pond while they consider the ruling. It is unclear how much consideration is required. Providers can no longer promise “women-only” spaces that include some males. Such spaces should be clearly described as mixed-sex. And including some but not all males in a mixed-sex space risks legal issues.
Third and mixed-sex spaces are being recommended and, post-ruling, some providers may need time to adjust facilities to meet legal duties. However, the CoL, managing the Men’s and a mixed-sex pond, is well-positioned to simply bar transwomen from the Ladies’ Pond, without leaving them pond-less.
Venice Allen, a frequent Pond user and ex-KLPA member expelled for opposing male access, has campaigned tirelessly to restore the Ladies’ Pond as a female-only status. Despite CoL’s intransigence, she vows, “It shall be ours again one day.”
Emma Hilton is a Biologist at the University of Manchester and a Trustee of Sex Matters
Counterview: No, the Hampstead Heath Ladies' Pond shouldn't ban trans women — for this simple reason
