The Kenwood Ladies’ Pond on Hampstead Heath has long held a reputation among Londoners for being a safe haven for women, including those who are transgender. Since 1925, women have been swimming, chatting and relaxing on its bank all through the seasons. Yet, it has once again become a contested site of the UK’s debate around the rights of trans people.
This week, it was announced that the charity Sex Matters is planning a £50,000 claim against the City of London Corporation in a bid to ban trans women from the ladies’ pond, arguing that it’s a breach of the law following the Supreme Court ruling brought by For Women Scotland in April, which states that trans women are not legally women under the Equality Act. Their pledge, which forms part of the group’s “stand up for single-sex services” campaign, is calling to “keep men out of the ladies’ pond”.
