Melbourne City Hall has arranged a swimming night to welcome transgender people after listening to transgender residents.
The Green Party-led Darebin City Hall, which made headlines in 2017 by abolishing Australia Day, is open only to transgender people at its swimming pool at the Reservoir Leisure Center on Saturday. Anyone who thinks they are transgender and their children are allowed to enter.
A city hall spokesman said the event was the same in nature as they had previously held for other religious and cultural groups. He added that the event was preceded by discussions with the LGBTQI community but declined to respond further. The event will be held outside the usual opening hours of the swimming pool.
The Facebook page on Swimming Night says it`s the first sex and gender-diverse swimming night in the state, offering indoor swimming pools for transgender and gender-diverse people who can exercise, socialize and feel safe.
"this is in support of the recommendations of the Darebin Advisory Board on sexual orientation, Sex and gender Diversity," the post said.
Darebin City Hall Councillor Steph Amir said on Twitter that he agreed with the LGBTQI community`s concerns about the event and said they were the reason the city hall decided to host the event.
Some people worry that transgender people are afraid not to go to the swimming pool and the gym.
Gideon Rozner, a researcher at the Institute of Public Affairs, a right-wing think-tank, told Radio 7 that maintain legal rights people such as Darebin City Hall should spend less time on identity politics and more on the core business of local government.
"City Hall facilities, such as swimming pools, should be open to all taxpayers, regardless of their gender, race or religion," he said.
But people on Facebook praised the event as great.
Someone wrote, "I`m afraid to go to the pool as my real woman."
"I`m really scared. My bathing suit didn`t work for the last two summers. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I can`t wait."
