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The episode first arose in March of 2012, when a male student joined the school and requested that, due to his Islamic faith, he be exempted from physical contact with female classmates.

Steve Nickerson, the school’s owner and sensei (lead instructor), agreed, explaining in an email to the National Post, “I believe every person should have an equal opportunity to participate in recreational activities and I would not deny this student access to my classes.”

Classes remained gender-mixed, but when students were paired off to practice techniques, it was ensured that the Muslim student was never paired with a woman.

“Through the regular rotation of training partners, if he was partnered with a female student, he would just be switched out with a different student so that he was with a male,” said Mr. Parsons.

It didn’t really have a big impact on me. I didn’t even think it would be a big deal

Evan Nickerson, an 12-year aikido veteran and Mr. Nickerson’s son, claimed the policy did “not affect the class in any way.”

“The classes are not divided or segregated, men and women train together all over the training space, the one male student simply just does not train with women because of his religious beliefs, and all the other men and women in the class all train together normally,” he wrote in an email to the National Post.

Ashley, a female student who did not want her last name published due to her sensitive employment, said “it didn’t really have a big impact on me. I didn’t even think it would be a big deal.”

The student also did not bow. Although aikido practitioners will regularly bow to each other, to the sensei and to a wall adorned with portraits of aikido’s founders, the student argued he was forbidden to bow to anyone but God.