Glasgow has introduced policies to be more inclusive of trans people – but the move has attracted some criticism.

Staff have been told anyone who identifies as male or female can take part in single-sex sessions or use the changing rooms they feel most comfortable with.

Guidance for staff used by Glasgow Life, the council’s sport and leisure body, says: “The person is entitled to participate in single-sex sessions and cannot be excluded from participation of (sic) their chosen gender.

“Cross-dressing people (who cross-dress because they feel more comfortable expressing themselves in masculine or feminine clothing).”

But people are worried the rules, designed to be inclusive of the trans community, could be abused by sex predators.

Some campaigners argue this fails to consider the needs or rights of other service users.

They said single-sex activities or changing rooms become meaningless if anyone can access them.

Susan Sinclair, who tweets and blogs as Scottish_Women, argues that by law an assessment should have been done about how it might affect other people using the facilities.

She said: “Glasgow Life’s ‘Guidance on Accessing Sports Facilities and Service by Transgender People’ is yet another example of a policy change by our Public Authorities that misinterprets the 2010 Equality Act.

“There would appear to have been no public consultation or Equality Impact Assessment carried out for this change of practice.

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“Single-sex changing rooms and showers are permitted under our Equality law, and this would include the exclusion of trans people of the opposite sex.

“Yet Glasgow Life wrongly state that the Equality Act 2010 allows trans people to choose their changing and showering facilities.

“This is extremely alarming and is wide open to abuse from sexual predators.

“Glasgow Life needs to urgently review their guidance with a view on how this negatively impacts on women and girls who have sex-based protections.”

Critics argue that such as Glasgow Life’s could also impact on people who cannot share facilities due to culture or faith.

But the leisure organisation said it was trying to remove barriers to participation.

A spokesman for Glasgow Life, said: “Equality is at the very core of everything we do.

“We work to break down any barriers to access across our services and facilities, while ensuring that everyone can take part while feeling safe and secure.”

Policy officer with Scottish Trans, Vic Valentine, said: “The definition used of who has the protected characteristic of gender reassignment does not require them to have undergone any medical treatments, or to be under medical supervision.

“The law and its protections are broad, and rightly cover trans people in the early stages of living in their gender identity.”

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