Gay sauna staff kicked a transgender man out of their nude bath house – because he didn’t have a penis.
Sailors Sauna staff turfed out the transgender patron because they did not want to fall foul of their licence – which marked the gay hot house as a ‘male space.’
The 26-year-old trans man, who identifies as bisexual, decided to check out the sauna with a friend on Monday night.
The pair arrived at the sauna at around 9.30pm and were there for an hour before being approached by a member of staff in the hot tub.
A staff member asked him to leave because of his genitals, but offered him a full refund.
Sailors Sauna confirmed the incident took place and that they were in fact in the wrong.
In a statement, the sauna said: “On Monday evening, a customer informed a member of staff that a woman was using the venue.
“I can only confirm what was said on the reception.
“The customer was told we did not know how we would stand in regards to our license.
“We are only licensed for men to use the venue.
“I understand that the gentleman was male however his physical gender was different and as a customer had already stated that a female was using the venue, I explained that I would need to clarify with the council.
“The customer was given a full refund and we did apologise.
“We have had confirmation from the council that if someone has a Gender Recognition Certificate or ID confirming they are male, we would not be in breach of our licence.”
The Equality Act 2010 protects a trans person who proposes to change gender – they no longer need to be under medical supervision.
The venue said they needed to check the rules with Tower Hamlets Council, which informed that if a customer has a male ID they have a right to enter.
Words Grainne Cuffe
