An elderly Washington state woman who was permanently banned from her local YMCA pool after telling a transgender employee to leave the women’s locker room was harassed by transgender activists at a rally Monday night.
A post by Reduxx Magazine reveals trans activists were screaming “trans rights are human rights” at Julie Jaman of Port Townsend in a video of the incident. The video was tweeted by the Reduxx account.
Amy Sousa of RevFoxxUSA, the organizer of the event, told Fox News “that if it weren’t for the wall behind the backs of Jaman’s supporters, ‘Some real violence would have happened’.”
All kinds of men were assaulting us and crawling between our legs,” she said. “They continued to move in on us closer and closer until we were pinned against the wall. They were touching us and stealing our things, trying to turn off our sounds, trying to disrupt our equipment.”
Sousa said at least one member of the group was planning on filing assault charges with local police stemming from the incident.
According to multiple reports, Jaman, 80, had been a member of the Mountain Valley YMCA for 35 years. She reportedly ignited a local firestorm after telling her story to a Seattle radio show host about a July 26 encounter with a transgender employee in the women’s locker room, while she was taking a shower.
Jaman said the employee, a biological male who identifies as female, seemed to be watching young girls change out of their swimsuits.
“I saw a man in a woman’s bathing suit watching maybe four or five little girls pulling down their suits in order to use the toilet,” Jaman recalled. “I asked if he had a penis and he said it was none of my business. I told that man to ‘get out right now.'”
When she confronted the YMCA manager, the manager accused her of discriminating against the employee, was told she couldn’t use the pool anymore, and threatened to call the police, according to The Port Townsend Free Press.
Jaman told the outlet that she filed a complaint with the police over the incident.
YMCA Posts Statement Regarding the Incident
The Olympic Peninsula YMCA which operates the Mountain View Pool posted a statement about the incident to their website intended to provide “clarification” about what happened between a pool patron and YMCA staff member.
“On July 26, one of our YMCA day camp staff members accompanied 2 girls to the restroom facilities in the women’s locker room in a supervision role. At the Y, we have a ‘rule of 3’ where staff always accompany children in a group of 3 so a staff person is never alone with a child and children are never alone with each other,” the statement said.
“The Y staff member and one girl were standing outside the restroom stall while the other girl was using the restroom when the patron expressed her concerns in a disrespectful manner toward the staff person, which violates the Y’s Code of Conduct,” the statement explained.
“The Code of Conduct states that when members use YMCA facilities, they agree to: ‘Provide an atmosphere free of discrimination, hatred, derogatory or unwelcome comments, intimidation, conduct or actions based on an individual’s sex, race, ethnicity, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.’ It also states that the Y will not tolerate disrespectful words or gestures towards YMCA staff or others,” the statement continued.
“The Mountain View Pool Aquatics Manager informed the patron that she had violated the Y’s Code of Conduct due to her disrespectful behavior toward the staff member and that she needed to leave the facility.”
The local YMCA contends the patron had several incidents where she repeatedly violated the code of conduct.
“The Aquatics Manager then informed the patron that she was permanently suspended from Mountain View Pool and all Olympic Peninsula YMCA facilities. The patron refused to leave the facility at first and the police were called, she then left before the police could arrive,” the statement said.
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The YMCA says it has measures in place to protect children in their care, including a background check of all staff members; annual training on preventing, recognizing, and reporting child abuse; the Y prohibits staff from being alone with a child where they cannot be observed by others; and before a person is allowed to become a member or use the facilities, the Y’s staff runs each new person’s name through software that screens for sex offenders.
Erin Hawkins, the marketing & communications manager for the Olympic Peninsula YMCA, says the permanent suspension is not due to the incident with the trans employee in the women’s locker room.
“Julie Jaman was permanently suspended from the Mountain View Pool due to her repeatedly violating our Code of Conduct, specifically, using disrespectful words or gestures toward YMCA staff or others; abusive, harassing, and/or obscene language or gestures toward YMCA staff or others,” Hawkins told Fox News.
CBN News has reached out to the Olympic Peninsula YMCA for an explanation of their trans bathroom policy and the incident in question. We’ll post their response here if we hear back.
What Does Washington State Law Say?
Writing for The Free Press, Jim Scarantino says current Washington state law requires facilities like the YMCA to allow transgender persons to have access to locker rooms of their choosing.
“WAC 162-32-060 states that all public accommodations shall allow individuals the use of gender-segregated facilities, such as restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and homeless or emergency shelters, that are consistent with that individual’s gender or expression or gender identity. In such facilities where undressing in the presence of others occurs, covered entities like the YMCA shall allow access to and use of a facility consistent with that individual’s gender expression or gender identity,” he wrote.
But Scarantino explained the law even further, saying it does not protect one group of people, but everyone.
“This law is not a law exclusively for those humans who identify themselves the opposite gender of their biological sex. It is not so limited by its language. It is a law that protects ALL gender expressions and identities, including those of Julie Jaman,” he explained.
“She had never before in her experience been subjected to, against her will, being in the presence of a male while naked in the Y’s showers,” Scarantino wrote. “Julie Jaman was under no legal obligation to surrender the sensitivities and preferences that spring from her gender identity. The state law applies to the YMCA and its employees, not to her.”
He also noted another state law that mentions the discomfort of the person while using a public facility.
“WAC 162-32-060(2)(a) states ‘If another person expresses concern or discomfort about a person who uses a facility that is consistent with that person’s expression or gender identity, the person expressing discomfort should be directed to a separate or gender-neutral facility, if available’,” Scarantino continued.
“This is what Julie Jaman is asking for now,” he wrote.
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