2023-11-08 00:33:07
A cycling workshop at the University of Quebec in Montreal prohibits men from entering on Tuesdays, a practice that raises questions and draws criticism from students.
Workshop leaders explain this decision by the desire to create a safe space for women, trans, non-binary, two-spirit and intersex people.
However, all UQAM students must pay $1 per session to finance the workshop and the inability for men to have access to it on Tuesdays poses a problem.
“It makes me angry because excluding a group of people doesn’t open the door to inclusion,” said a student to our journalist Kevin Crane-Desmarais.
“It’s reverse discrimination,” says another.
One student, however, affirms that the choice of banning men once a week is one that makes her feel more secure.
“When I started coming to the workshop, I found it more secure,” she says. “For many it’s intimidating when you’re not used to it and it’s generally a very masculine environment.”
The workshop managers did not want to react.
For its part, the University affirms that it “is a choice of the student group of the workshop which is autonomous” and that it is possible for students “to obtain a reimbursement of the contribution of a dollar.
The Human Rights Commission invites people who believe they are victims of discrimination to file a complaint.
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