Men will be barred from using parts of an on-campus gym at the University of Southern California under a new initiative to make women and non-binary gym-goers feel more comfortable while working out.
The Student Assembly for Gender Empowerment (SAGE) pushed for the new rules in partnership with the Lyon Center, a recreational facility controlled by the university.
SAGE describes itself as a “programming assembly and intersectional feminist organization under the student government, committed to uplifting all voices oppressed by the patriarchy.”
Men are barred from a University of Southern California gym under a new initiative to make women and non-binary gym-goers feel more comfortable. USC The Student Assembly for Gender Empowerment (SAGE) pushed for the new rules in partnership with the Lyon Center Shutterstock The plan excludes men from working out in portions of the Robinson Room at the Lyon Center on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m., according to the Daily Trojan student newspaper.
Student Mengze Wu, a senior majoring in neuroscience, the moved is meant to address her discomfort working out in “men-dominated.”
“My past experiences with being in enclosed spaces where it’s very men-dominated have never been super pleasant,” Wu told the Daily Trojan. “There tends to be this problem where I don’t get to take up a lot of space unless I really assert myself. And even then, I face a lot of hindrance in feeling completely comfortable.”
Jana Alnajjar, a sophomore majoring in philosophy, politics, and law who acts as SAGE’s advocacy liaison, told the publication that she’s “heard from multiple women and non-binary students who want to be involved in different workout spaces but don’t feel comfortable being at the gym.”
“Whether it’s being approached regularly or feeling judged, over time that discomfort leads students to stop going to the gym altogether,” she added.
Under university policy, usage of recreational centers is restricted to authorized students, staff, faculty, and approved guests, without discrimination.
Alnajjar said the initiative was carefully planned over several months, beginning last fall with meetings and revisions. She first contacted the Lyon Center to create a designated space for women and non-binary students while ensuring it remained open to all under university policy.
“Because of university constraints and current federal restrictions on DEI, there was a lot of back and forth on whether this would even be viable,” she told the Daily Trojan. “How can we do it and advertise it so students know it’s a space for them, but still open to all?”
The California Post has reached out to USC for comment.
In October 2025, the Trump administration targeted USC and eight other universities with a “Compact for Academic Excellence,” offering preferential funding in exchange for adopting conservative policies, including freezing tuition, banning race or gender considerations in admissions, and limiting international student enrollment.
Earlier, USC faced aggressive federal actions alleging it failed to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment. Measures included federal investigations, threatened funding cuts, and site visits by the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.
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