Gender & Inclusion Policy

Policy Title: Divas Gender & Inclusion Policy – Student Eligibility
Applies to: All Pole & Aerial Divas company owned and franchised studios
Owner: Pole Divas Franchising Pty Ltd
Version: 1.0
Effective date: August 2026
Next review: August 2027
Legal basis: Special measure, s.12 Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic)

1. Purpose

This policy sets out who is eligible to attend Pole & Aerial Divas group classes, and why. It exists to give every studio – company-owned and franchised – a single, consistent, and legally sound answer when the question of eligibility comes up, whether that’s at sign-up, on the front desk, or in a difficult conversation with a student.

This policy protects two things at once: the women’s-only culture that sits at the heart of the Pole & Aerial Divas mission, and the legal basis that allows us to lawfully operate that way.

2. Scope

This policy applies to eligibility for standard student enrolment across all Pole & Aerial Divas studios (company-owned and franchised). It does not set staff employment or workplace conduct policy – that is covered separately. Where this policy references private lessons & functions, it is only to clarify how the student eligibility rule does and doesn’t apply.

3. Our Position

Pole & Aerial Divas is a women-only space. Our classes are for people who identify as women – this includes cisgender women, transgender women, and woman-aligning gender diverse people.

Our mission is to create a safe, supportive space where all women can build fitness, confidence, and community without the discomfort many women describe feeling in mixed-gender gyms and group fitness settings. Being a women’s-only space is how we deliver that.

Being inclusive of trans and gender diverse women is part of the same commitment, not a separate one. A space “for women” that quietly excluded trans women would not be delivering on the mission – it would be undermining it. Eligibility is based on gender identity, not sex assigned at birth, medical history, appearance, or legal documentation. This applies to all classes ran at any Pole & Aerial Divas location, including Littles and Teens classes.

4. Legal Basis

Operating as a women-only service is only lawful in Victoria because it is formally recognised as a special measure under section 12 of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic). In plain terms, a special measure is something the law explicitly permits an organisation to do – even though it treats people differently based on a protected attribute (in this case, sex) – because it is a genuine, good-faith effort to promote substantive equality for a group that faces disadvantage.

5. Exceptions

The eligibility rule applies to standard student enrolment. It does not apply to:

• Private lessons – open to all genders
• Private functions and parties – open to mixed-gender groups, at the discretion of the studio.

6. Consistency Across the Network

This policy is a single, network-wide standard across all Pole & Aerial Divas studios.

7. Review

This policy will be reviewed at least every 12 months, or sooner if there is a relevant change in Victorian equal opportunity law, or if an issue arises in practice that suggests the guidance needs to be clearer. Head Office is the policy owner, and any changes are issued centrally to all studios.