Fernwood Fitness Accused of Discrimination After Saying They Don’t Allow Trans Women

A trans woman has accused women’s gym franchise Fernwood Fitness of discrimination after being told she was not welcome at a yoga class, and Fernwood’s company policy is “not inclusive of transgender women”.

The alleged incident, shared in a Reddit post earlier this week, has sparked widespread criticism and renewed scrutiny of the gym chain’s policies regarding trans women.

The woman, based in outer eastern Melbourne, said she was invited to a Fernwood Fitness yoga session by a friend, and sent an enquiry about class schedules and inclusivity to Fernwood through its website.

In reply, she received a blunt rejection: “I’m sorry, the Fernwood company policy is not inclusive of transgender women. Fernwood offers membership only to biologically born females who identify as female. If you wish to discuss this further, please direct questions to our head office.”

Reddit weighs in with similar stories

The woman described feeling shocked and shaken by the message, which she said “really knocked the wind out of me.”

“I wasn’t walking in demanding anything … I didn’t expect a complete, deliberate rejection,” she wrote.

The post quickly attracted hundreds of comments, many condemning the policy as discriminatory and potentially unlawful under Victorian anti-discrimination law. 

Others shared similar experiences. One user claimed she was asked to provide evidence of genital surgery. Others reported receiving no answers to their emailed enquiries about LGBTQIA+ inclusion at Fernwood gyms. Reddit posts over a number of years have raised issue about Fernwood’s confusing policies.

Some trans women in the Reddit thread reported that they had successfully attended Fernwood without issue, suggesting inconsistencies between franchises. “I go to the same gym, and my branch is very explicitly open to trans women, but I’ve seen stories from other branches that were very different. I have a feeling this might just be someone going rogue at the helpdesk” noted one woman.

Fernwood responds

Fernwood Fitness, which has more than 70 locations and over 90,000 members nationwide, responded with a statement to news.com.au.

“Fernwood Fitness proactively reached out to the person in question to acknowledge her as an individual and to talk about her experience,” the statement read.

“Fernwood appreciates the courage it can take to inquire about a membership as a transgender woman and acknowledges that the experience may have been hurtful or disappointing. Fernwood Fitness extends its sincere empathy in response.”

However, the statement also defended the franchise’s “female-only” spaces.

“A significant number of Fernwood Fitness members come from backgrounds where experiences of domestic violence, sexual assault, cultural beliefs, or religious practices necessitate access to female-only spaces based on sex,” it said.

“For many of these women, such spaces are not a preference but a requirement for their emotional and physical safety and for accessing the health and fitness services they need.”

Fernwood’s statement did not acknowledge that trans women also face disproportionately high rates of domestic violence and sexual assault, and also find women-only spaces important for their safety and wellbeing.

Fernwood said it is currently “reviewing all relevant legal requirements.”

Their head office did not respond to the Star Observer’s request for comment.

Legal implications for Fernwood

As Fernwood operates under a franchise model and each location is independently run, it is unclear how widespread this policy may be.

Victoria has strong sex-discrimination protections, with some Reddit comments encouraging the woman to lodge a complaint with the Human Rights Commission or Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.

Some pointed to the recent Federal Court ruling of Tickle vs Giggle, in which a trans woman successfully sued a women-only social app for denying her access.

Fernwood is a women-only gym. Like other single-sex services such as private members clubs, it has successfully applied for exemptions from sex discrimination laws in each state. However, as trans women are legally recognised as women under federal and state law, the legal basis for their exclusion is questionable.

The woman at the centre of the recent post declined to name the individual franchise and said she is still considering her next steps.

“I’m not content letting this go like it’s just a normal part of public life,” she wrote. “Wonder how many other trans women they quietly turn away and hope won’t speak up.”