Hampstead Heath’s well-known bathing ponds may soon implement a ban on transgender swimmers utilizing single-sex areas, per proposals currently open for public consultation.
The City of London Corporation (CLC), which manages the ponds, has launched a review setting out six possible approaches to gender inclusivity.
One option would bar trans people from using ponds that match their gender identity, restricting them instead to the Heath’s mixed pool.
Currently, trans men and women are allowed to use whichever single-sex pond they feel is most appropriate.
But the policy has sparked years of tension among swimmers, with campaigners demanding a return to strict sex-based segregation.
In recent times, women have held noticeable protests, such as in 2018 when activists wore fake beards and mustaches to infiltrate the men’s pond, and again this May when approximately 30 women, chanting ‘no goolies in our poolies’, attempted to access the male-only area against the regulations.
The debate has intensified further after the group Sex Matters threatened legal action following a Supreme Court decision that defined ‘woman’ legally as biological sex.
Critics say the ponds’ current system undermines women’s rights to privacy and dignity.
On the other hand, trans swimmers and their supporters argue they have frequented the ponds for years without problems, deeming the exclusion efforts as ‘cruel and judgmental’.
One of the protesters pictured with a fake beard in the protest at proposed gender laws
Woman rights campaigners swim in The men’s pond at Hampstead Heath
They caution that such rules could have the opposite effect, pushing trans men with facial hair and masculine traits into the women’s pond, potentially causing embarrassing confrontations, according to reports by The Guardian.
Maya Forstater, CEO of Sex Matters, stated: ‘Women opting to swim at the ladies’ pond instead of the mixed pond are seeking a female-exclusive setting for various personal reasons, including privacy and dignity. Permitting individuals with gender reassignment characteristics to enter compromises this female-only environment.’
Announcing the consultation, Chris Hayward, the CLC’s chair of policy, said: ‘Hampstead Heath is one of London’s most cherished open spaces, and the bathing ponds are an integral part of the Heath.
‘We want to hear directly from users and other stakeholders about how they value these unique facilities and how they believe they should operate in the future, and I encourage everyone with an interest to take part in the consultation.
‘We recognise the sensitivity surrounding this issue. Our consultation will help ensure that everyone’s voice is heard, and that decisions are made in a fair, respectful, and transparent way, in line with the law.
‘While the consultation will be an important source of insight, it is not the only factor.
‘The views we receive will sit alongside our wider responsibilities – including meeting legal requirements, assessing equality impacts, ensuring safeguarding, and considering how any decisions could be implemented in practice.’
In 2018, women staged a protest in the men’s pond, wearing fake moustaches and beards to highlight the organisation’s refusal to ban trans women from the ladies’ pond.
Tensions flared again in May this year when women’s rights campaigners stormed the male pond with around 30 female protesters, wearing false beards, wigs, and moustaches, demanded to be let in on Bank Holiday Monday, claiming to self-identify as male.
‘They were blocked by security guards and police, who locked gates and reminded them protests were not allowed.
