feminist challenges me

Finally I had serious conversation about the women only swim, with someone, whom I can only presume,  is a supporter. She pretty much insulted me, was condescending, uncivil, arrogant, and insinuated that she speaks for all women.

Here is how it went. I was in the hot tub recently and saw a woman of perhaps 45 years-of-age. She could have been Middle Eastern. She wore a cross on her necklace. "Ah, perfect", I thought, "someone who has some 'skin in the game'". I asked her if I could ask her some questions. She agreed. I am a little hard of hearing and moved closer (only to her side of the tub, not within intimate distance) to be able to interview her. She seemed slightly taken aback but didn't move away.

I gave her my mini-speel to introduce the bare-bone facts of the women only swim (1. public holidays; 2. before opening hours; 3. women only plus small boys; 4. no male staff, including cashiers and guards; 5. all windows blocked out; 6. no males permitted anywhere on premises, including lobby) and asked her if she had an opinion on it. She looked at me skeptically and replied, 'I can see that you have an opinion on it, are you a misogynist?' I couldn't believe what I was hearing, and wasn't entirely certain she had just insulted me so I made light of it: 'No, I am not a massage therapist'. She repeated her accusatory question. And it went from there.

Here are notes from the notes I made later....

1.  The reason there is a WOS is because of history of the patriarchy

2. Because I did not finish university, therefore I couldn't understand

3. The reason that health care is 80+% women is because it is 'a ghettoized profession'

4. All women are feminists, 'of course'

5. There is no such thing as men's rights, that is redundant

6. She presumed to know my thoughts, for when I replied 'that's interesting' she replied "No, you don't think that's interesting."

After seven minutes or so, she left with her female friend, without saying goodbye to me.

Thereafter I saw a male in his mid-thirties and told him my being unsettled from a conversation and asked if he would share his opinion about the subject. He thought the WOS to be a good practice. His wife said that the downtown Vancouver pool had had something similar but had cancelled it due to not enough participants to make it worthwhile.  She said it was for survivors of abuse (she didn't use that exact phrase) and for 'religious reasons' "Oh, you mean Buddhists?" 'No, I believe it was Muslims." The husband was skeptical of the need for no men permitted in lobby, 'that's going a bit too far.' he said. But in the change room I had the impression that he didn't want to continue the conversation (I didn't try, for other reasons) and seemed to be embarrassed to be seen near me.

It seems that I have no popular support for my opposition to sex discrimination and religious molly-coddling in the public sphere.