An elderly woman who was banned from a YMCA pool after she demanded a transgender employee leave the women’s locker room has been heckled by activists as she described her experience.
Julie Jaman had been a regular at the Mountain View pool in the City of Port Townsend in Washington when she spotted the worker in the changing room while she was showering.
The 80-year-old was giving a speech about her experience when angry trans protestors ripped down suffragette flag that she was speaking in front of, before chanting loudly over her.
Jaman claims that while she was changing last week she heard a ‘mans voice’ and immediately confronted the worker, Clementine Adams, who identifies as a woman.
She said that she asked Adams if she had a penis, and she said it was ‘none of her business’, so she asked them to leave.
Jaman told a member of staff at the pool, was told by YMCA aquatics manager Rowen DeLuna that she was ‘discriminating’ and that the police would be called..’
She was told that she was ‘banned from the pool forever’ before DeLuna called law enforcement, where Jaman was described as having an ‘emotional response’ and ‘screaming’ in an incident report.
While addressing a group of supporters yesterday she said: ‘I’m the old lady. You may have read some version of my personal experience, a naked old lady in the women shower room and what I saw that day.
Julie Jaman, 80, had been addressing both protestors and supporters when she started getting heckled by the activists in Washington
Clementine Adams, who identifies as female but has yet to undergo gender reassignment surgery, was working in the women’s locker room when she was confronted by Jaman
Janan was interrupted several times by loud chants from activists, who also yanked down the suffragette flags that she had been speaking in front of
She was reportedly ‘banned’ from the pool forever over the incident, and begged someone to call the police after the protestors started chanting
‘The CEO of the YMCA told me pride posters are adequate to let people know, women know, what to expect in the shower room known for 60 years as a female only.
‘One will now encounter men who identify as women undressing and showering with female humans. I object.
‘I don’t want to be forced to shower and dress with the opposite sex present.’
As she attempts to continue her speech, a male voice can be heard shouting ‘if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.’
Other voices then pile in shouting ‘don’t touch our stuff’ and back up as the protestors got closer and closer before eventually ripping off the suffragette flags which had been put up behind Jaman.
She attempted to continue, and got visibly upset, before more angry activists started changing ‘trans rights are human rights’ and ‘trans women are women’.
Jaman continued: ‘I wish the police were here to keep everybody in order. We’ll have to call the police department. Are we gonna get beaten up here? Can somebody call the police please.
‘You can see why its so necessary to have safe spaces for women. This is truly an embarrassing subject, biology trumps ideology.
‘Privacy, safety, dignity for female human beings is required when dressing and showering no less is acceptable.’
Janan told the crowd ‘I don’t want to be forced to shower and dress with the opposite sex present’, before protestors started shouting ‘trans women are women’ at the senior
Clementine Adams, who is a trans worker at the YMCA pool is saving up for two procedures: Feminizing Laryngoplasty (vocal surgery) and Sexual Reassignment Surgery (often called bottom surgery)
Jaman said she ‘heard a man’s voice’ and immediately confronted the person, claiming that they should not be allowed in the changing room
Jaman was told that the presence of Pride flags and posters should have ‘adequate enough in order to inform women what to expect’
An incident report filed by the Port Townsend Police Department described Jaman having ‘had an emotional response to a strange male being in the bathroom’ near young girls.
Notes from the police detail how Jaman was in the locker room, ‘screaming’ at an employee and ‘refusing to leave.’
Jaman, who has been a member of the pool for 35 years claims she had a ‘great relationship with swimmers in the pool.’
But bosses at the facility say Jaman’s barring is a culmination of a series of incidents where she ‘violated the facility’s code of conduct’ and was not solely due to this specific incident.
Erin Hawkins, communications manager for the Olympic Peninsula YMCA, said: ‘We will not tolerate bias, hatred, or discrimination that leads to the oppression of individuals or communities.
‘We will ensure sustained and meaningful progress toward equity and human dignity for all.’
Jaman said she did not feel comfortable being naked and showering with a person born as a male in the same room.
She believes the facility should put up warning signs that the changing rooms are able to be used by trans people.
Since being banned from the pool, a protest was held outside the facility at which supporters of Jaman and trans activists both attended, pictured above
The Olympic Peninsula YMCA, of which the pool is pictured above, said Jamal’s banning was the culmination of a series of ‘incidents’ where she has been disrespectful towards staff
Jaman said she did not feel comfortable being naked and showering with a person born as a male in the same room
Jaman said: ‘They told me that I was being discriminatory and not following the YMCA principles and values. I told her I respect all human beings, and I’m not following any ideology.
‘I told her there were no signs posted to give women warning, I was told there were Pride posters posted all over and that it was assumed that was adequate to inform women what to expect.
‘That’s fine with me, except that they do not provide alternatives for women who choose not to be undressing in front of men,.
‘Our pool is a very old pool. We just have two shower rooms, dressing rooms, one for men, one for women.’
Bart claims Jaman told Adams, who has yet to undergo gender reassignment surgery but has launched a GoFundMe to raise funds, ‘you’re going to stick your f***ing penis in those little girls.’
Jaman denies making such a statement, and claims: ‘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!”
Since her being banned from the pool, a protest was held outside the facility at which supporters of Jaman and trans activists both attended.
Adams says she feels the need to undergo surgical procedures in order to ‘feel like I’m able to be myself.’