(LifeSiteNews) — The YMCA has dropped its “gender identity” pledge after a national parents watchdog group sounded the alarm that girls could end up being housed in cabins with gender-confused boys at the organization’s summer camps.
The move by the YMCA came after the American Parents Coalition (APC) warned that the YMCA doesn’t have a strict policy separating boys and girls in cabins or locker rooms and bathroom spaces.
APC executive director Alleigh Marré told The Center Square (TCS) that “by not complying with Title IX, the YMCA’s policies treat biological sex as irrelevant in the spaces where it matters most for privacy and safety like bathrooms, locker rooms, sports teams, and sleeping accommodations.”
“What’s more, parents aren’t always able to make informed decisions related to safety and privacy for their children because many YMCA branches limit or withhold gender-related disclosures,” said Marré, noting that the YMCA “has a pattern of quietly scrubbing evidence when exposed.”
“Beware of YMCA’s Transgender Policies: As families sign up for summer sports and camps, many may not be aware that YMCA programs will not necessarily separate children based on biological sex,” began an alert sent out by APC.
“Across the country, YMCA locations are prioritizing gender identity over biological reality and parents are often left in the dark,” wrote APC. “Biological males may be allowed to compete against girls, share locker rooms, use showers, and stay in overnight cabins without parental notification or consent. Parents have a right to know the truth about where their children will be housed, who they will compete against, and how their privacy will be protected.”
The APC alert continued:
What We’ve Learned: While nationally, the YMCA provides guidelines on how to create a “Safe Space for LGBTQ+ Campers,” it leaves the implementation of facility, housing, and sports policies up to each local branch. Many local YMCAs have adopted radical gender identity policies, allowing individuals to access locker rooms, bathrooms, overnight housing, and sports teams based on self-declared gender identity, not biological sex. What’s worse, is some of these branches are under no obligation to inform parents. While some YMCAs offer private changing spaces, they are typically optional and must be actively requested by families. In many cases parents aren’t told about these options unless they ask.
APC listed troubling examples of “radical YMCA policies” allowing boys to invade girls’ private spaces.
A policy at a YMCA camp in Minnesota explicitly states that parents may not be informed ahead of time if a male will be placed in a girls’ cabin, sports team, or locker room.
A New Jersey YMCA permits individuals to use restrooms and locker rooms that match their “gender identity” rather than their sex in accordance with New Jersey law.
A YMCA in Wisconsin allows members to use facilities that align with both their “gender presentation” and “identity” rather than sex as does another YMCA in Michigan.
“Parents have a right to programs that respect biological reality and parental authority,” Marré told TCS, and recommended that “parents should ensure they are informed of their local YMCA branches’ policies including both the YMCA facility and camp gender policies.”
“If the YMCA is pushing an ideological agenda, parents should contact local and federal elected officials,” urged Marré. “Lawmakers must be aware of what policies are being implemented and how they impact families.”
