College Students Try To Ban Men To Protect ‘Non-Binary’ Gym-Goers In The Name Of Inclusivity

The University of Southern California is backtracking on a policy intended to exclude men from using parts of an on-campus gym under a student-government-led program designed to make female and “non-binary” students feel more comfortable.

On April 6, the Student Assembly for Gender Empowerment (SAGE) launched a “new inclusive workout space” where “women and non-binary students can exercise with a sense of ease,” the Daily Trojan reported.

SAGE says it is “responsible for advocating feminist issues on campus” and describes itself as a programming assembly “committed to uplifting all voices oppressed by the patriarchy,” according to the group’s Instagram page.

The program, held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., is offered in partnership with the Lyon Recreation Center, an 80,000-square-foot facility serving as “the main hub for USC Recreational Sports department operations,” according to the university.

The group is using the Robinson Room — a “studio-style area” used for various workout activities, including dance, Pilates, and yoga — as a safe haven from “male-dominated fitness spaces.”

Jana Alnajjar, a USC sophomore and SAGE’s advocacy liaison, said the idea came from hearing women and “non-binary” students “experience a common sense of discomfort in the gym.”

“I’ve heard from multiple women and non-binary students’ perspectives who want to be involved within different workout spaces, but don’t really feel comfortable being at the gym,” Alnajjar told the Daily Trojan. “Whether that means they’re getting approached regularly or people look them up and down. Over time, that discomfort leads them to stop trying to go to the gym altogether.”

Alnajjar added that the approval process involved “a lot of back and forth” because the room is supposed to support women and “non-binary” student groups, but remain open to all under university policy.

“This program is sponsored by USC’s undergraduate student government and is open to all students consistent with university policy,” USC said in a statement to The Daily Wire.

On Wednesday, SAGE appeared to backtrack on the program’s intended exclusion of males, saying “inclusion is a foundational value of this initiative.”

“SAGE hosts a small workout space weekly to foster access and confidence in fitness settings, including but not limited to women and non-binary students,” the group said in an Instagram post. “We believe that every student deserves to feel comfortable and confident in fitness spaces, and we are proud to play a part in cultivating that environment at USC.”

 

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