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At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond

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Jacques worked in a series of office jobs in Brighton and watched certain gains be made around trans legal rights: the Gender Recognition Act was passed in 2004 and treatment was provided on the NHS. She asked herself: “If the government is doing us less damage, which other social institutions are doing us damage? And a lot of people hit on the media at the same time. We’d all grown up with wall-to-wall transphobia in the media and it was never seriously questioned.” ja siis on keset Londoni linna, Hampstead Heathi pargis selline peidetud aare - tiik, puude vahel, mudase põhjaga (räägitakse. ei ole mul õnnestunud seda põhja katsuda), kalade, veelindude, kiilide ja muu juurdekuuluvaga. päris metsajärv see muidugi ei ole, seal on aed ümber ja väravas tuleb pilet osta ja vetelpääste kontrollib, mitu inimest korraga ujuda saab. dušš jm infrastruktuur on ka, aga üsna tagasihoidlik. ja see kõik on reserveeritud naistele (keelatud on mehed, lapsed, koerad ja transistorraadiod). meeste tiik ja segatiik on samas pargis ka olemas, aga need ei ole üldse samasugused. Yes, there are 3 ponds dedicated to swimming which all have changing facilities, are tested for water quality, and have lifeguards on duty. Although Hampstead Heath is a good place to start, there is much more to Hampstead than just the Heath. In February 2019, the New York Times published an op-ed with the headline “ How British Feminism Became Anti-Trans”. The lead image was the Ladies Pond sign. It immediately translated the very particular and peculiar Britishness of our anti-trans sentiment for a progressive US audience, for whom trans rights is an unquestioned tenet of human rights and feminism. (This reputation was solidified this month, when Harry Potter author JK Rowling doubled down on her tweets about trans people with a self-published essay originally titled “ Terf Wars”.) A number of mystified US publications have spent entire articles questioning just why the UK is so transphobic. “TERF ideology,” one Vox article declared, “has become the de facto face of feminism in the UK.”

Yes, there are cold showers at the ponds. These are not showers like you find in leisure centres though and are very basic outdoor ones. Are there Changing Facilities at Hampstead Ponds?

The Lido and Bathing Ponds

Faye has written a forthcoming political non-fiction book about the systemic transphobia in British society and says, quite sincerely, that the hardest chapter to write has been on feminism (“without wanting to sound too self-pitying, I’ve been targeted very badly in the name of feminism”). Lees hasn’t written for a newspaper for the past two years. She’s semi-retired from journalism and doesn’t consider herself an activist anymore. Fourteen women, from various ages and ethnicities, reminisced their time swimming at Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond. Their memories are divided into four seasons, starting from winter to autumn. Each woman has their own experience with the Pond, but they all can agree that the Pond is their second home. If a sense of belonging is a book, then At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond fits the description. Every essay describes how each woman feels welcomed; as if they're part of something--that they belong, no matter what time of the year or where you came from. Here, in the Pond, they can forget a bit about their mundane life and just existing. And that's powerful enough to me (note that I'm quite jealous since there's no pond or river to go wild swimming near me). This book of essays is something to hold on to and re-read when we cannot be there in person. Pure joy.’ – Financial Times Lees half-jokes: “I’m glad millennials and Gen Z get it – part of my activism now is just waiting for people to die.” Yes, there are changing areas and cubicles at each pond and separate male and female changing at the mixed Pond.

With prior notice the Bathing Ponds and Lido may be closed to facilitate staff training, facility maintenance and additional cleaning. I went to school not far from the Heath. Our cross- country running ascended nearby Primrose Hill, which we were told in history class had been flat land prior to being excavated as a plague pit. The ponds were for summer, for those who knew how to negotiate the Heath’s unmarked paths and the ponds’ unwritten rules. I found that a lot of ladies sunbathe topless in the grassy area of the ladies bathing ponds on Hampstead Heath as it’s completely covered by trees during the summer.

Water temperature

Kenwood Ladies Pond is a popular destination for women seeking a peaceful and secluded place to swim, sunbathe, and relax. The pond is surrounded by lush greenery and tall trees, creating a tranquil and serene environment that is perfect for unwinding and escaping the hustle and bustle of city life.

Know your limits and leave the water if you don’t feel well or if you are advised to by the lifeguards.Simultaneously, an emergency meeting for LGBTQ+ Guardian staff members and allies gathered to discuss how best to respond. Most people in attendance were reportedly under 40. A letter to the editor was drafted that afternoon and signed over the following days by more than 300 members of staff. It was also submitted for publication to Buzzfeed, who protected the anonymity of its signatories. Some might remember this as a British story of furious debate and outright transphobia. But its key theme is an imbalance of power – one weighted against trans people and present within the internal and external make-up of the media and public life today. British trans people represent an estimated one percent of the population. One in four trans people has experienced homelessness and more than a quarter in a relationship in the past year have experienced domestic abuse. Their plight is firmly a class problem when one in three employers is “less likely” to hire a trans person, and in Ireland, half of trans people are unemployed. During high season, in the warmer months, the council advises users to book online before coming in. Whereas during winter, pre-booking is unnecessary, as the ponds are relatively quiet. Don’t swim too far initially. Focus on getting in the water and acclimatising your body and breathing first. In my novel The Pure Gold Baby, I set a scene of perfect happiness at the Ladies’ Pond. Anna, the protagonist’s daughter, now a young woman, is an eager swimmer, and Jessica, reading Proust, keeps half an eye on her as she lies on the grassy bank. “She sees the fringe of sallows and elders, she hears the slow strokes of an elderly stout swimmer, the ripple of water, the faint hum of hoverflies, the murmurs of conversation.

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