Court threat over Swansea Student's Union ban on pole dancers

POLE fitness instructors say they are prepared to go to court after a group was banned by Swansea Students' Union.

Earlier this week, the Post reported how the union had kicked out the Swansea Student's Pole Fitness Society for "upholding sexist attitudes".

Now the national Pole Fitness Society, which represents more than 300 instructors, says it will take legal action unless the decision is reversed.

A spokesman for the society said: "We appreciate that this is a young committee, new this term and for each of them, the first time in a paid, decision-making role.

"We do hope that they are mature enough to acknowledge their mistake and strong enough to turn the decision round.

"This would be the best course of action for everyone.

"However, we must consider our own duty to our membership of 300-plus professional pole instructors and act according to their wishes.

"In the absence of any reply from the SUSU trustee board we are prepared for both legal and constitutional recourse.

"We sincerely hope that neither of these options become necessary and that the young trustees can benefit from this as a learning opportunity."

The union imposed the ban because it said pole fitness and pole dancing were a "direct spin-off" from lap dancing.

It said at the time: "We should not be deaf to the very issue of pole fitness playing a part in upholding this raunchy culture and objectification of women and girls and the impact of this on our female students."

Instructor Dawn Roberts had been running the classes for the Swansea students' Pole Fitness Society.

She said prior to the ban she had contacted the students' union to stress her classes had nothing to do with the sex industry.

Yesterday she told the Post: "My class is and always has been about fitness.

"I have no relationship with the sex industry and none of the people I have trained have gone on to work in it."

The students' union board of trustees issued a fresh statement in response.

It said: "The union are aware of the contents of the letter written by the PDC and are looking to discuss this and a number of other issues at our next student forum."