‘Get Out Right Now’: Woman Banned from YMCA Pool After Demanding Trans Employee Leave Women’s Locker Room

An 80-year-old woman in Washington State is permanently banned from the pool she’s been attending for 35 years after complaining about a transgender staff member reportedly ogling little girls in the facility’s bathroom.

Julie Jaman, a 40-year resident of Port Townsend, Washington, and 35-year member of the local YMCA pool, says she was banned from the facility after demanding that a male staff who identifies as a woman be removed from the women’s locker room after allegedly seeing him watch young girls use the toilet.

“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 told Seattle radio host Dori Monson on Friday. “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.’”

The alleged incident took place on July 26 at the Mountain View Pool, which the Olympic Peninsula YMCA operates.

Jaman claims that she first became alerted to the presence of the trans employee in the locker room when she heard “a man’s voice.” According to Jaman, after she saw the employee watching the girls use the bathroom, she immediately reported the incident to another staffer.

However, instead of getting help with a dangerous situation, Jaman says she found herself under attack.

Jaman claims the staff member told her she was being “discriminatory” and that the police were going to be called.

“She didn’t ask me what the problem was if I was okay, nothing about me,” Jaman explained in the radio interview. “It’s as if she was just waiting to pounce on me. It was just stunning.”

The police incident report claims that Jaman had “an emotional response to a strange male being in the bathroom.” The report further states that Jaman was “screaming” at a male employee and “refused to leave.”

Though, the Olympic Peninsula YMCA says the ban against Jaman stems from a series of abusive incidents, not just the altercation with the trans staffer.

“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,” said Erin Hawkins, communications and marketing director for Olympic Peninsula YMCA.

Jaman also claims she spoke with Olympic Peninsula YMCA CEO Wendy Bart, who reportedly told her that the Pride posters in the facility should have served as notice that trans persons could be in the facility.

”I told her there were no signs posted to give women warning,” Jaman told Monson. “She said there were Pride posters posted all over and she assumed that was adequate to inform women what to expect.” According to Jaman, Bart added, “‘we take pride and everyone is welcome.”

Jaman retorted, “That’s fine with me, except that they do not provide alternatives for women who choose not to be undressing in front of men,” Jaman explained to Monson. “Our pool is a very old pool. We just have two shower rooms, dressing rooms, one for men, one for women.”

The incident has led to protests in Port Townsend.