‘They are men’: Teen speaks out as debate erupts over new policy
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Public facilities are constantly evolving to accommodate diverse communities, but not every change is met with universal approval.
A new policy at a sports centre has sparked heated debate.
Critics questioned its implications, while supporters defended its inclusivity.
A Melbourne radio host strongly criticised signs at a Victorian sports centre that encouraged patrons to use the bathrooms where they ‘feel safe’.
Radio 3AW host Tom Elliott reacted after a 14-year-old listener noticed the signs at the Oakleigh Recreation Centre and called them ‘madness’.
The laminated notices were placed outside change rooms, with one stating: ‘Trans, gender diverse, and non-binary people are welcome in here.’
Another sign informed visitors that they could choose whichever bathroom suited them.
It listed the available amenities, including toilets, sanitary bins, shared wash basins, shower cubicles, lockers, and a shared changing space.
A separate notice instructed patrons on how to react if they believed someone was using the ‘wrong’ facility.
‘Please don’t: stare at them, challenge them, insult them, do not purposefully make them feel uncomfortable,’ it read.
‘Instead please: respect their privacy, respect their identity, carry on with your day, protect them from harm.’
Elliott claimed the recreation centre had ‘given up on the idea of male and female bathrooms’.
‘This is madness. The number of people who are genuinely trans, non-binary and gender diverse is tiny,’ he said.
‘The amount of rule changes, and mucking around with changing rooms, and the way we shift our language and everything for people who are a fraction of one per cent of the total just amazes me.’
He argued that separate male and female change rooms existed for a reason and that ‘men and women, boys and girls are different from each other’.
‘Different in very obvious and—given the propagation of the human species—very important ways,’ he added.
Fourteen-year-old Sam, who spotted the signs, shared his concerns on-air.
‘In front of both male and female changerooms and bathrooms, I saw two signs of both what to do and what not to do if you see someone who appears to be gender diverse,’ he said.
‘It just makes me sad that girls my age have to struggle with this, that they now have to worry about getting changed in front of literal men, they are men.’
Monash Council defended the signs, stating they aligned with federal and state laws.
‘Access to bathrooms in Monash Council facilities is in line with federal and state legislation that outlines that people who identify as non-binary, gender diverse or transgender can lawfully use toilets and facilities that they’re most comfortable using,’ a spokesperson said.
The council cited the Victorian Gender Equality Act 2020 and the Australian Sex Discrimination Act 1984 as legal frameworks supporting the signage.
The Oakleigh Recreation Centre, which features a gym, group fitness facilities, multi-purpose courts, a gymnastics area, and seasonal outdoor pools, was at the centre of the controversy.
Sam noted that the showers in the men’s change rooms were open-facing.
Watch the video below to learn more.
The debate over inclusive signage came a month after Elliott faced backlash for criticising translated road safety signs.
He argued that signs in languages other than English, such as Punjabi in the majority-Indian suburb of Tarneit, were unhelpful.
‘The decision to translate vital communication could mean migrants don’t feel the need to learn English,’ he said.
‘Should we actively encourage migrants to learn English? Now I say this because one of our producers noticed a TAC sign in Tarneit in the northwestern suburbs...the sign is entirely written in Punjabi, one of India’s more popular or more widely spoken languages.’
He questioned whether multilingual electoral documents and road safety signs discouraged integration.
‘The more that we translate electoral documents into lots of languages, the more that we put road safety messages into lots of languages like Punjabi, the more we say to migrants you don’t have to learn English,’ he said.
The Federation of Indian Association of Victoria dismissed his claims.
‘If you go to Clayton or Footscray, there are signboards in Vietnamese and Mandarin...it’s not going to change the world by having a signboard in a different language,’ president Vasan Srinivasan said.
‘Cultural input is very important. It could save many lives.’
As public facilities adapt to be more inclusive, not everyone agrees on the changes.
Do you think policies like these create a safer environment or raise new concerns? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
A new policy at a sports centre has sparked heated debate.
Critics questioned its implications, while supporters defended its inclusivity.
A Melbourne radio host strongly criticised signs at a Victorian sports centre that encouraged patrons to use the bathrooms where they ‘feel safe’.
Radio 3AW host Tom Elliott reacted after a 14-year-old listener noticed the signs at the Oakleigh Recreation Centre and called them ‘madness’.
The laminated notices were placed outside change rooms, with one stating: ‘Trans, gender diverse, and non-binary people are welcome in here.’
Another sign informed visitors that they could choose whichever bathroom suited them.
It listed the available amenities, including toilets, sanitary bins, shared wash basins, shower cubicles, lockers, and a shared changing space.
A separate notice instructed patrons on how to react if they believed someone was using the ‘wrong’ facility.
‘Please don’t: stare at them, challenge them, insult them, do not purposefully make them feel uncomfortable,’ it read.
‘Instead please: respect their privacy, respect their identity, carry on with your day, protect them from harm.’
Elliott claimed the recreation centre had ‘given up on the idea of male and female bathrooms’.
‘This is madness. The number of people who are genuinely trans, non-binary and gender diverse is tiny,’ he said.
‘The amount of rule changes, and mucking around with changing rooms, and the way we shift our language and everything for people who are a fraction of one per cent of the total just amazes me.’
He argued that separate male and female change rooms existed for a reason and that ‘men and women, boys and girls are different from each other’.
‘Different in very obvious and—given the propagation of the human species—very important ways,’ he added.
Fourteen-year-old Sam, who spotted the signs, shared his concerns on-air.
‘In front of both male and female changerooms and bathrooms, I saw two signs of both what to do and what not to do if you see someone who appears to be gender diverse,’ he said.
‘It just makes me sad that girls my age have to struggle with this, that they now have to worry about getting changed in front of literal men, they are men.’
Monash Council defended the signs, stating they aligned with federal and state laws.
‘Access to bathrooms in Monash Council facilities is in line with federal and state legislation that outlines that people who identify as non-binary, gender diverse or transgender can lawfully use toilets and facilities that they’re most comfortable using,’ a spokesperson said.
The council cited the Victorian Gender Equality Act 2020 and the Australian Sex Discrimination Act 1984 as legal frameworks supporting the signage.
The Oakleigh Recreation Centre, which features a gym, group fitness facilities, multi-purpose courts, a gymnastics area, and seasonal outdoor pools, was at the centre of the controversy.
Sam noted that the showers in the men’s change rooms were open-facing.
Watch the video below to learn more.
The debate over inclusive signage came a month after Elliott faced backlash for criticising translated road safety signs.
He argued that signs in languages other than English, such as Punjabi in the majority-Indian suburb of Tarneit, were unhelpful.
‘The decision to translate vital communication could mean migrants don’t feel the need to learn English,’ he said.
‘Should we actively encourage migrants to learn English? Now I say this because one of our producers noticed a TAC sign in Tarneit in the northwestern suburbs...the sign is entirely written in Punjabi, one of India’s more popular or more widely spoken languages.’
He questioned whether multilingual electoral documents and road safety signs discouraged integration.
‘The more that we translate electoral documents into lots of languages, the more that we put road safety messages into lots of languages like Punjabi, the more we say to migrants you don’t have to learn English,’ he said.
The Federation of Indian Association of Victoria dismissed his claims.
‘If you go to Clayton or Footscray, there are signboards in Vietnamese and Mandarin...it’s not going to change the world by having a signboard in a different language,’ president Vasan Srinivasan said.
‘Cultural input is very important. It could save many lives.’
As public facilities adapt to be more inclusive, not everyone agrees on the changes.
Do you think policies like these create a safer environment or raise new concerns? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
