Man blasts spa for not giving him a key to female changing rooms
A man in a skirt claims his day was "spoilt" after a hotel spa refused to give him a key to the female changing room.
Anna Coombes alleged that staff "assumed" he wanted to use unisex changing rooms as he vented on Twitter.
The 65-year-old has since demanded that the worker at the Mercure Hotel in Sheffield is sent for gender sensitivity training.
He tweeted: "As if I am not a woman. I am so f*****g angry. I'm at the Mercure Hotel in Sheffield and I fancied using the swimming pool. I couldn't get my locker key to work on the ladies.
"Turns out the assistant had 'assumed' I wanted the unisex changing room. With me dressed like this," as she shared a picture of her in a blue skirt and top.
He added: "This is the first time anyone IRL (in real life) has treated me as if I am not a woman... decent people accept the rule of self identity. If in doubt then find a polite way to ask, don't assume."
It is unknown if Coombes was staying as a guest at the hotel, but explained that he later went back down to "ask that the person in question is sent on a diversity, equality and inclusion course".
Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, who has been campaigning to keep biological men out of women's sports, replied to Coombes' tweet.
She said: "You’re male, use the changing room with other males or at the very least the unisex changing room! Deciding you wanting to change where you want to change does NOT trump women & girls rights.
"Ps I don’t know a single female that would subject that level of discomfort on others."