Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Orthodox Jews Protest Women-Only Pond Allowing Trans Swimmers

(JTA) — A women’s-only pond in North London will now be open to transgender swimmers, which will prevent Orthodox Jews from using the pond.

A group of haredi Orthodox women are planning to fight the decision, the London-based Jewish Chronicle reported.

Under Jewish law, women cannot be dressed immodestly in front of men. Trans women are still considered men according to Orthodox Jewish law, which prevents the women from swimming there.

The decision concerning the pond on Hampstead Heath was announced this week. Edward Lord, who headed the committee that approved the change, said it “will ensure our public services do not discriminate against trans people.”

Transgender women already are allowed to use the ladies’ pond, but the change means their right of access is now enshrined in formal rules, according to the Evening Standard.

A judicial review challenge is being prepared against the City of London’s decision, and the Orthodox Jewish women are expected to be part of it, the Jewish Chronicle reported. The decision came after a “public consultation,” according to the report.

The decision to allow trans women to use the pond is consistent with the city’s non-discrimination policy.

The Hampstead ponds also include one for men only and one for mixed swimming.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.