An 80-year-old woman in Washington state was banned from her local YMCA pool permanently after she demanded a transgender employee to leave the women’s locker room.
On Friday, Port Townsend resident Julie Jaman recalled an incident in July during an interview with Seattle radio show host Dori Monson.
“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. 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.’” Jaman said.
In a report released by local news outlet Port Townsend Free Press, the incident took place on July 26 at the Mountain View pool, which is a City of Port Townsend facility operated by the Olympic Peninsula YMC.
According to Jaman, she was alerted that there was a trans employee inside the women’s locker room and while she was showering, she heard a “man’s voice.”
Jaman then immediately alerted a pool staffer about the incident and was stunned after the staff member accused her of “being discriminatory,” and “was banned from the pool forever.”
The 80-year old also revealed that the staffer also allegedly threatened her that the police would be called.
“She didn’t ask me what the problem was, if I was okay, nothing about me. It’s as if she was just waiting to pounce on me. It was just stunning.” Jaman added.
Meanwhile, the Port Townsend Police Department confirmed that there was no official police report filed but the department provided an incident report on the matter.
According to the incident report, Jaman “had an emotional response to a strange male being in the bathroom” near young girls, and is hoping to not be “trespassed” from the pool.
The report also added that a phone call from the YMCA has detailed that Jaman was reportedly in the facility’s locker room “screaming” at an employee and “refusing to leave.”
“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,” Erin Hawkins, the marketing & communications manager for the Olympic Peninsula YMCA said in a statement in response to the issue.
