Virgin Active has banned trans women from female changing rooms after the threat of legal action from a television presenter.
The gym chain, which has 230 clubs across eight countries, emailed its members on Friday morning to inform them of the change.
Solicitors acting on behalf of Michelle Dewberry, the GB News presenter, sent a letter threatening legal action against the gym chain.
The letter said it would bring a claim under the Equality Act about the chain’s policy of “trans inclusion”, which allowed trans-women and non-binary people to enter into female changing rooms.
Ms Dewberry had complained to the gym chain after she claimed to have encountered a man dressed in women’s clothing in her local gym’s female changing room in February 2025.
Virgin Active has 1.2 million members worldwide. However, it is understood that the changes will only come into play in the United Kingdom.
Source: Virgin Active bans trans women from female changing rooms after legal threat