After scoring a momentous legal victory for women by helping force Virgin Active into U-turning on its changing-room policy, Michelle Dewberry has revealed on GB News exactly how she did it.
The fitness group made the decision after a threat of legal action by Michelle with support from charity Sex Matters.
Michelle Dewberry said the change was made on the day of her legal deadline
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GETTY / PA / GB NEWS
“As anyone that watches my programme will know, I feel passionately about the safety of women and girls and I feel passionately that your sex is your sex. It’s a biological reality”, she said.
“Very recently, I was at my gym, a Virgin Active gym and I was very distressed. I had just got changed and entering the changing-room was a male dressed in women’s clothes.
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“I went to the management of the gym and I asked, ‘this is a female single-sex changing-room, it was very clearly identified as such and it said boys over the age of eight had to use the male changing room’. Their response absolutely shocked me.
“They told me the changing rooms were for however people identify. That is not in keeping with the law. the Supreme Court ruled back in April that is not the case and those spaces have to be defined by biological sex.
Michelle said she was delighted about the decision
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GB NEWS
“I teamed up with Sex Matters and I also teamed up with a fantastic lawyer and I commenced legal action against Virgin Active. Our requests were very simple.
“Bring your policy in line with the law, communicate all of those changes to your members and adopt your signage so it reflects a single-sex space. I am delighted that today, which was my legal deadline day before we dragged them through the courts, they did exactly that.
“Four months, after meandering along comfortably from the Supreme Court ruling, we have a seismic victory for women and girls. We have an absolute, legal right not to have men in those intimate single-sex spaces.
“I for one am delighted.”
Michelle joined Martin Daubney on GB News
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GB NEWS
At the time, Virgin Active management apologised for Michelle “feeling uncomfortable”, adding that they “do have multiple transgender members that use our facility”.
Maya Forstater, CEO of Sex Matters, said she was “delighted” that Virgin Active had acted following the charity’s intervention with Michelle Dewberry.
“The law is clear and gyms, leisure centres and sports facilities that provide men and women’s changing rooms, showers, saunas and other single-sex facilities should do so confidently and clearly.
“Individual businesses, charities and public services should not wait for women like Michelle Dewberry to step up and threaten them with legal action. It should be obvious to all that in spaces where there is a ‘woman’ or ‘man’ sign on the door this is not up for negotiation.”
Emma Cocker, solicitor at Lawrence Stephens, said: “It is disappointing that legal action was necessary in order for Virgin Active to commit to providing safe and dignified changing spaces for its female customers, even after the Supreme Court’s declaration in April that ‘sex’ within the Equality Act 2010 means biological sex.
“Instead, Virgin Active waited until it was threatened with a legal claim before implementing the necessary changes to bring its policies and practices in line with the law. This should act as a warning to all service providers that continued non-compliance with the Equality Act 2010 will result in legal action.
“They may also wish to consider that forcing customers to take legal action to ensure their privacy and dignity is respected and that the law is followed is likely to attract adverse publicity and affect consumer confidence.”
A spokesperson for Virgin Active said: “We acknowledge the UK Supreme Court judgment in April, which confirmed that the Equality Act 2010 defines sex in biological terms.
“We understand and accept that this ruling is legally binding on our business, as well as all other gyms and similar facilities across the UK.”
