Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

FaithWalkers

Home
Evangelical
YMCA Bows to Bullies on Transgendered Locker Rooms

YMCA Bows to Bullies on Transgendered Locker Rooms

Last updated on: January 4, 2016 at 8:19 am by Bill Blankschaen

YMCA Bows to Bullies on Transgendered Locker Rooms 2016-01-04T08:19:30-07:00 Bill Blankschaen

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

OK. This is just hilarious. Or at least it would be if it were not true.

The YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap counties in Washington state had implemented a policy earlier this year not to allow people who are confused about their gender to choose their own locker rooms.

But now they have reversed that decision. You are now free to move about in whichever locker room you choose.

“In October we released a statement asking our transgendered members at our family facilities to use private changing rooms,” explained Michelle LaRue, spokesperson for the Pierce and Kitsap county YMCAs.

LaRue said immediately those members felt targeted, alienated.

“So then this week we said we are not going to discriminate against anybody and that includes gender identity, that includes locker rooms….”

(Don’t even get me started on targeting after that bogus call on Joey Bosa in the New Year’s Day win by Ohio State over Notre Dame. No wonder we can’t defeat ISIS. We cannot even play football without fear of offending someone. But I digress.)

Why the sudden reversal after parent complaints prompted the policy in the first place? Here’s why:

“The state Human Rights Commission wrote a new policy specifically for locker room use last month, and the Y said this makes it compliant.”

This is the same state of Washington whose attorney general Bob Ferguson attacked a 70-year-old docile florist Barronelle Stutzman for declining the opportunity to endorse a same sex ceremony. Now she is well on her way to having everything she owns taken from her in this unprecedented, vindictive action.

Just to the south in Oregon, Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of Sweetcakes by Melissa bakery, have been made to pay $135,000 after being driven out of business for the same reason–when same-sex marriages were illegal in Oregon!–while the state bureaucrats say they need to be “rehabilitated.”

Message received. The compassionate bullies will force you to care.

You will be made to choose sides. You will be made to bake cakes and arrange flowers or made to suffer. Your choice.

And you will be made to open your locker rooms to whoever wants to use them.

“Resistance Is Futile”

Don’t miss this: These YMCA counties policed themselves. Simply the implication of what could be done to them was enough to do the trick.

Once the compassionate bullies apply enough pressure to enough people, everyone else will get in line with their agenda.

But not to worry, the YMCA says, they have a system in place to make sure no one uses just any locker room:

“The Y said it has safeguards in place to prevent that. Staff members are allowed to ask questions — if they see someone walking into the locker room, they can ask that person to verbally state their gender, then employees can check it in the computer system to make sure it matches.”

I. Kid. You. Not.

First of all, no one in their right mind is going to ask and risk being sued for their troubles.

Second, what’s in the computer is only what the person already told them. So as long as the person’s own answers match…we’re good?

For the first time in the history of America, we are defining a class of people who are protected from any appearance of discrimination based solely on what they say they feel.

And here is where your dues are going: “The Y told KIRO 7 News that its board just approved a million dollars in upgrades to make the locker rooms more private for everyone.”

It remains to be seen how the national YMCA will respond. But they must respond. If they permit this policy in one county, it will soon be leveraged to force others to comply. Just ask the Boy Scouts how this process works. Every local Y board had better get ready, because it is coming.

And if one “Christian” organization has done it, why shouldn’t all of them be made to do it? Are you listening pastors?

The local YMCA is not the endgame.

Perhaps it’s time for the Y to change its name from the Young Men’s Christian Association to the Young [insert your current gender preference here]’s Vaguely Religious Organization.

Or maybe it’s time to shut the doors and send everyone to Planet Fitness. We know how tolerant they are.

You Will Be Made to Care

Previous Post

January 1, 2016

Schools and the YMCA Allow Boys in the Girls Bathrooms

Next Post

January 7, 2016 Why I'm Still Struggling to Sing in Your Church

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Christian Living Church Culture FaithWalkers Family Guest Posts In Your Church Interviews Leadership Movie Reviews Politics Spotlight Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2017 August 2017 July 2017 May 2017 March 2017 January 2017 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 August 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: James says that if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is blessed in what he does.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE