A woman who identifies as male bared her breasts during a trial session for prospective lifeguards in Jacksonville, Florida, all within view of 40 to 50 children no more than 15 to 20 feet away.
The woman was one of 21 lifeguard trainees in the trial session at Cecil Aquatic Center.
“A transgender person, a female who identifies as male, removed their shirt exposing their bare breasts, and completed a portion of the training with 20 other trainees,” a spokesperson for the city of Jacksonville stated, Action News Jax reported. “While we cannot confirm the age of the individuals participating in the training, JaxParks recruits lifeguards starting at age 15. This occurred within view of several dozen children and their parents sharing the same pool at the same time.”
The GOP mayor of Jacksonville, Lenny Curry, acknowledged complaints had been made as he condemned the action, saying, “Our parks and public pools are meant to be a place where families can feel safe to enjoy themselves. We shouldn’t force parents of young children to be caught in the crossfire of battles over wokeism.”
“After consideration of the incident, I believe it is wrong for our public pools to be a place where Jacksonville families are forced to explain to their children why a person hired to protect public safety is exposing her breasts,” Curry continued, as Florida’s Voice noted. “I see no reason for our lifeguards to be forced to make changes to existing rules mandating that biological females cover their chests.”
Cielo Sunsarae, the executive director and founder of Queer Trans Project, protested, “Kids don’t sexualize breasts; it’s the adults that are making it out bigger than what it is. What is the difference if the person had top surgery or not?”
“We can’t move past this as a community without proper education, advocacy, and basic respect,” she added. “No matter how much you don’t agree with someone’s ideals, just respect them.”
According to Florida state law, lifeguards and swimming instructors at public polls “shall also be currently certified in first aid and in adult, child and infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation through the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the National Safety Council, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, by Medic First Aid International, Inc., or by American Safety and Health Institute.”
The woman who identifies as male was not hired.