In response to Elizabeth Allchin, respecting women in change rooms (Gazette letters, Aug. 1):
Ms. Allchin states I should examine what I wrote. I beg your pardon, but perhaps it is you who should understand better what it is you are reading.
You said I wrote that my son-in-law does not take his daughter in the men's change room. Read again, before you put down my standards. I said the family room is great when my daughter and her husband take their child together as they can go as family. I did not even give the gender of the child. You presumed it was a girl. You are right – she is a little girl, five months. If my daughter is not with them, he has no problem taking her in the men's room.
Also, I do have an older mother who would not mind at all. In fact before the renos, there was no family change room, so myself, my mother and my daughter and son all changed in the women's together. And yes, my husband and I do believe and were naked in front of our children when they were young. Now as adults they have a healthy body image.
You wrote that during the year, schoolgirls come in and run for the change room. These are not the four- and five-year-olds that we are talking about. I get your point of what you are trying to get across with the human body, but these girls are more the ones going through puberty and starting with breast development and body hair. They grow out of that stage.
You bring up respect for older people. Not all older people feel as you do. And being older, you will remember then that family change rooms are more modern. We did fine before with opposite sex in the change rooms. Family change rooms are also meant for families and special needs. Families for the most part means two adults and children.
You are also now bringing culture and religion into this. People who fall into this category would probably never complain. We know several Muslim families and they have no problem. In fact, one mother said when her husband does not come with her, they all go in the ladies. Her two boys are six and seven.
In actual fact in Canada, we are far behind. In many places around the world there are universal change rooms, some are 12 and under, in Australia many are seven and under. Actually I really feel here it should be changed to at least eight. That's what I propose!
Sheena Fulton, St. Albert
