An 82-year-old Washington state woman has sued her local YMCA for slapping her with a lifetime ban after she complained about a male-to-female transgender employee in the women’s locker room.
Julie Jaman accused the Olympic Peninsula YMCA of violating her First and Fourteenth Amendment rights by banning her from the Mountain View pool and other YMCA-run facilities in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
The Center for American Liberty, which represents the Port Townsend resident, sent a letter in March warning of legal action unless the YMCA lifted the ban, issued an apology, and paid $350,000 to Ms. Jaman for emotional distress, but did not receive a reply.
“The City and YMCA’s failure to respond to Julie’s requests highlights their disregard for public safety,” said Harmeet Dhillon, the center’s CEO and founder. “By prioritizing political ideology over the protection of children, they have set a dangerous precedent. As we pursue legal action, we demand accountability and a renewed commitment to protecting women’s privacy and civil rights.”
Ms. Jaman, a 40-year member of the YMCA, was kicked out in July 2022 after confronting Clementine Adams, a transgender staffer serving as a YMCA camp counselor, who entered the women’s locker room with two young girls while Ms. Jaman was showering.
“Jaman thought she was witnessing a crime in progress, so she spoke up as best she could under the circumstances: she told Adams to leave the women’s locker room,” said the filing.
Ms. Jaman asked, “Do you have a penis?” The staffer responded, “None of your business.” Ms. Jaman said, “Get out of here!”
At that point, a YMCA staffer entered the locker room and Ms. Jaman asked her “to remove Adams.”
“Instead, the staff person berated Jaman for her ‘discriminatory’ statements toward Adams and told Jaman on the spot that she was ‘banned for life’ from the Pool for objecting to Adams’s presence in the locker room,” the lawsuit said.
Also named in the lawsuit is the city of Port Townsend, which pays the YMCA to operate the pool.
Ms. Jaman went public by picketing the YMCA and participating in a rally objecting to the organization’s transgender policy, while YMCA managers accused her of a “pattern” of misconduct and city officials took swipes on social media at “trans-haters” and “TERFs,” or “trans-exclusionary radical feminists.”
The day after the August 2022 rally, Port Townsend Mayor David Faber issued a proclamation declaring that “discrimination and prejudice, in any form, particularly against transgender people, are unwelcome and have no place in the City of Port Townsend.”
The lawsuit accuses the city of defamation and painting Ms. Jaman in a “false light.”
“After witnessing a disturbing incident in the women’s dressing room and raising concerns, I’ve faced a relentless storm of attacks and falsehoods,” Ms. Jaman said. “Despite my four decades of community involvement, I’m left with no choice but to seek justice through the courts.”
The lawsuit seeks to lift the ban on her pool privileges and block the YMCA’s enforcement of its code of conduct, as well as award Ms. Jaman compensatory, nominal and punitive damages.
The Washington Times has reached out to the Olympic Peninsula YMCA for comment.