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Email a FriendI agree with your theory, and on the face of it, would not have a problem with women only swim times. I have noticed, though, that these things donned to become political/religious and contentious when others get involved in interpreting the act for their own purposes. If everyone would “keep their eyes on their own paper” I doubt there would be a problem. When people who are not living in the community, or who would never use that pool anyway, start to get involved in the conversation, that’s when I see things getting out of control. Take for example the law suits filed against The Catholic University of America on behalf of women students (they are supposedly being discriminated against with the end of coed dorms), and Muslim students (no actual students are taking part in the suit) by a professor at another University in town. I think just as we have com box trolls, there are news trolls out there trying to make big issues out of simple community choices aimed at making people better enjoy their day to day lives.
Women Only Swim Times
Posted by Rebecca Teti in News on Thursday, November 17, 2011 10:00 AM
Do women-only swim times offend you?
I tuned in for news headlines earlier this week, and a local radio host was up in arms about a community pool in our area offering women-only swim times twice a week.
Since the hours were requested by a group of Muslim women, his concern was that this was an instance of “creeping Sharia”—the gradual overturn of Western laws in favor of Islamic law.
Is it?
I’m not inclined to think so.
If the women had requested a Muslim-only swim time, or insisted that any woman in the pool wear Islamic garb, that would indeed be problematic because it would be imposing Islam on others.
If this were a state or federal entity requiring special accommodations across the board in every community, I’d be heartily opposed to that as well.
But this a community pool accommodating a sizable number of its citizens in a way that doesn’t seem to harm anyone else.
The women-only hours are twice a week in the afternoon, when men are typically working.
I imagine other women might find the program a boon—and wish they’d thought of it.
As the pool manager points out, his affiliated gyms have had women-only hours for years:
“There are a lot of women for a variety of reasons would prefer not to exercise in front of men,” Bellamy says. “They’re either exercise shy or they feel intimidated by some of the free-weight goons. They don’t want to be out there on the exercise floor in a co-ed fashion.”
I think we have to make a distinction between the kind of demand that really does undermine the rule of law—such as allowing sharia courts to handle marriage matters, or recognizing polygamy “through the back door” via welfare payments to the multiple wives of immigrants, as is beginning to happen in some parts of the country.
Those practices undermine the principle of equal protection and equal standing before the law, and what might seem like mere respect for another culture simultaneously erodes our own. That we can’t have.
But if community life is to mean anything, we have to be willing to be generous with our neighbors and not so quick to take offense.
For years it’s been the case that public school systems in heavily Jewish neighborhoods observe more Jewish holidays than Christian ones.
That’s not an attack on the Christian majority in the country, it’s a reasonable accommodation for the actual citizens of those communities.
It’s also practical, since the kids from practicing families would be missing from class anyway. It’s no different in principle than when schools in farm districts used to adjust their schedules to harvest times.
Community services—whether public or private—are there to serve the actual citizens of those communities, and even to accommodate their special requests where reasonable and practical.
It seems to me a polite request for some swim time falls into this benign latter category.
What say you? Do you agree, or am I hopelessly naive?Photo credit
Comments
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I think it’s a great idea!!
If I understand right, women are allowed to swim at other times as well. But that the allocated times are for just women. I would probably be more inclined to swim at a community pool if I knew there would only be other women swimming.
I live in a heavily Hasidic/Orthodox Jewish area, and there are similar things around here to accommodate them.
I joined “Curves” for several years—not to loose any weight but because I did not enjoy working out at other gyms because it made me uncomfortable to do so in front of men. This had less to do with modesty and more to do with just feeling embarassed to be huffing and puffing and dripping sweat and struggling to lift heavier weights, etc. in front of guys—it felt unladylike to me. But in the privacy of a women’s only gym I felt free much more comfortable. Women’s only swim times sound great for the same reasons (and I say that as a life-long competative swimmer who feels very comfortable in a swim suit)!
I think it’s a great idea! I was a member at a gym for years and definitely didn’t enjoy working out with a bunch of guys. Men in gyms tend to have large amounts of testosterone surging and their conversation and appearance can be crude and intimidating (whether or not they mean for it to be). Swimming takes this to the next level because of what you’re wearing (or not wearing). I suppose in our culture, this could also present an opportunity for the other extreme (same-sex advances)...hmmm, maybe we should all just work out alone for fear of what we *might* encounter. 
We live near Columbia and I think it is a great idea. It doesn’t say only Muslim women, it is just women. If anyone thinks it is a Muslim-only notion, maybe they should question their own religion’s sense of modesty. I don’t mean Christian women should mind swimming in front of men but rather that Christians (and non-Christians) should understand the concern for modesty regardless of religion and respect the boundaries any woman preferred when it came to her sense of bodily purity. The only thing I wonder that I didn’t see in the article is what ages….is it only adult women or does it include girls?
The Columbia Association, who owns this pool, is a semi-private community-based club with membership fees and requirements (similar to a credit union). Whether the special hours are offered to due to the gender of the individual club members desiring them, or to the religion of the individual club members desiring them has nothing at all to do with “creeping Sharia” with regards to *government*.
I do think they are a good idea. It is nice to be able to exercise without having to worry about men ogling you.
I would love this myself! Our YMCA was remodeled, and everybody who comes into the building for any reason has a large window view of the entire pool area. I don’t even like going in there just because it is so open to everyone’s view. Everyone could use a little more modesty.
I think all sorts of activities and clubs should accommodate segregation based on gender, for both women and men. Unfortunately, the “equal rights” for women movement has meant the attempted destruction of any all-male organization, and the subsequent discouragement of all-women organization (heck, even the Girl Scouts will let boys join). As much as I and other women prefer to exercise, swim or socialize with only women (always, sometimes or never), men, too, deserve estrogen-free zones where they can relax, workout, or eat without having a heaving, exposed bosom or 3 mile long legs parading in front of them (and then getting dirty looks for noticing them). I think it’s a shame that modesty and the concept of the sexes being different and needing “safe zones” where they are free to be their gender without risk of scrutiny is being promulgated by the Muslims only, instead of by conservatives in general. I do think a fire-storm (even bigger than this) would erupt if a similar men-only time were established.
I don’t mind coed exercising or swimming. What would be nice is to be able to do these activies without someone having their eyes fixed directly at my breasts. I try to keep covered up as much as possible but most affordable swimsuits seem to be made by manufacturers that do not seem to think I want to cover up by breasts (especially if you have large breasts). I have been fortunate that at this time the YMCA that I exercise and swim at I have not had this happen like it did when I was a member of another exercise facility.
LOL
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