Hampstead Heath Ladies Pond and Transphobia. 

Hampstead Heath Ladies Pond and Transphobia. 

It isn’t about privacy, dignity or safety. It is about prejudice, discrimination and hate. Not my words, but from people who have contacted me, since we made it clear that TransLucent will undertake legal action to defend trans inclusion at the Ladies’ and not to be forgotten, Men’s pond.

Because what that ruling did, according to the purveyors of transphobia in the gender-critical ideology movement, is that trans people should, nay, must be excluded from both the Ladies’ and Men’s ponds based on their birth sex and consequent gender reassignment. Trans men with beards and deep voices, excluded from the Men’s pond because of their birth sex, excluded from the Ladies pond because they look like men. 

No blacks, no Irish, no trans seems a useful metaphor in the circumstances – helped along by the UK’s “independent” Equality and Human Rights Commission, ironically charged to advocate for inclusion of minority groups in society.

The reality is, they have done everything but.

Nor has democracy been adhered to – a democratic vote by women users clearly wants trans inclusion. When the “gender critical lost the vote, they barricaded the entrance to stop women users from entering. 

One message from a pond user read:

“I saw your post about the KLPA. I swim regularly at the pond and am keen that it remains inclusive. I have not experienced nor am I aware of any issues from trans swimmers at the ladies’ pond. My only negative experience is from the extremely aggressive anti trans protestors”.

Another read:

“I am horrified that Sex Matters wants to disrupt the peace, tranquillity and inclusiveness of our beloved Ladies Pond. I have been swimming there most weeks for the last 10 years. This perceived threat/danger of theirs is completely unfounded. I can’t bear that these people who claim to be pond swimmers but so often aren’t, are trying to use our sacred space as a political football. Having been to the KLPA meeting with the nasty women stamping their feet, braying at other women and standing on chairs and shouting, it is them I fear. Not trans women.”

Another read:

“I have never once had any issue caused by the pond being inclusive to trans women. On the contrary, the pond has always felt like a safe and welcoming space for all women, and I have supported its continued promise to be inclusive of trans women. Trans women are women, and it deeply saddens me that the question of whether the pond should ‘allow’ them access is even being posed“.

Another read:

I am a regular year-round swimmer and season ticket holder at the Kenwood Ladies Pond on Hampstead Heath. I am aware that some TERF groups want to try and ban trans women from accessing the pond, and I am totally against this. The pond is an inclusive space for all women, and trans women should be (and currently are!! welcomed).

Trans women do not pose a threat to cis women at the pond, and gender policing harms us all by imposing ever more rigid and narrow definitions of what a ‘real’ woman is. An attempt to ban trans women will only result in bigotry and harassment of anyone who doesn’t look ‘gender conforming enough’ .

There are masculine presenting women, women with body and facial hair caused by PCOS and other conditions, women who have had mastectomies who swim at the pond – who will decide who is ‘women enough’ to swim?? We must stand in solidarity with our trans, non-binary and gender non conforming kin, and resist this narrow mindedness and hatred with all that we have.”

The fact that trans men are also affected gets no attention in the press, but James (not his actual name) contacted me, saying how his trans man friend was devastated that he could lose access to the Men’s Pond.  He transitioned a decade ago.

His mental health improved immensely after transition …and now this.

No blacks, no Irish, no trans – transphobia stinks.

Hampstead Heath Ladies Pond and Transphobia – authored by Steph