University of Texas Student Says Gyms Are Too 'Masculine,' Proposes Women-Only Gym

A columnist for the University of Texas at Austin proposed the idea of a women-only gym center due to the overwhelming “masculine” nature of co-ed gyms.

University of Texas at Austin student Sanika Nayak argued that men make gym facilities uncomfortable for women. As a result of this predicament, Nayak proposes that the University of Texas should divide the gym into protected sections, so that female students can feel more comfortable when they are exercising.

“The gym is always so crowded, and there’s always more guys there, especially in the free weights room,” one University of Texas student said in a comment for Nayak’s column. “A lot of times, girls can feel intimidated to go in there and grab some weights, as weightlifting is seen as a thing men do even though it’s important for women to do also.”

“Often women feel that if they go to the gym in leggings and a sports bra, people are just going to be looking at the way (they’re) dressed,” the student added. “That can be a really uncomfortable situation — when you’re just trying to work out but men around you could be focused on something else.”

Nayak says that it would not be that difficult to create a women’s section at the gym. According to her proposal, it was simply include sectioning off a portion of the gym that would become only accessible to women.

“Creating a women’s center at Gregory Gym would not be a difficult task,” Nayak wrote. “A center such as this would simply entail sectioning off a room at the gym equipped with weights, a few treadmills, machines and mirrors. Existing equipment could even be moved or any new funding could be prioritized to buy new equipment for a women’s area.”

In February 2018, Breitbart News reported that Stanford University had banned men from their campus gym during certain hours of the day in order to promote gender “inclusivity.” The policy was quickly canned after it was met with widespread criticism.

In a comment to The College Fix, economist Mark J. Perry said that the University of Texas gym proposal would be a violation of Title IX.

“Title IX prohibition against sex discrimination (including against men) and UT’s statement of non-discrimination would have to be amended and weakened to legally allow a women-only, no men allowed space on the campus of a university,” Perry argued. “That is not a likely option or outcome.”