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The YMCA scrubbed guidance from its website saying that its campers should have access to bathrooms and cabins based on their gender identities after a campaign from a conservative parent group warned about the organization’s transgender policies.
On Wednesday, The Daily Wire exclusively reported that American Parents Coalition had warned its followers that YMCA camps across the country allow boys who identify as girls into female facilities. By Friday, the YMCA had either scrubbed or restricted access to much of the content on its website related to gender ideology and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“After being called out for prioritizing radical, gender ideology over child safety, the YMCA is scrambling to delete and hide the evidence,” American Parents Coalition Executive Director Alleigh Marré told The Daily Wire. “The YMCA can delete and hide as many web pages as they want, but American Parents Coalition will continue to push for policies that protect girls in sports and in private spaces.”
dOne of the pages that appears to have been removed from the website was called “How to Create a Safe Space for LGBTQ+ Campers” and was posted in 2017. This archived page included recommendations that “all campers and staff have access to the facilities aligned with their gender identity and comfort within facility and resource limitations.”
Other recommendations included working to “confound gender-based assumptions,” using “gender-neutral (or self-identified) pronouns,” marketing featuring same-sex couples or transgender individuals, partnering with organizations that “serve the LGBTQ+ community,” and celebrating Pride month.
Already at YMCA facilities across the country, women and girls have complained about the presence of males in their locker rooms and shower areas. And certain camps, such as Camp Olson in Minnesota, stipulate that access to restrooms and overnight accommodations be based on gender identity.
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Another YMCA webpage that was restricted was called “Affirming LGBTQ+ Communities with Pride.” This page directed visitors to radical organizations like the Trevor Project, the Human Rights Campaign, and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN).
The page also recommended working “with local officials, organizations and youth groups to ensure that policies support the LGBTQ+ community.”
A page with book recommendations for children was also restricted. One of the books, aimed at children ages 4-7, was “George,” by Alex Gino, which describes a gender-confused boy.
“When people look at George, they see a boy. But George knows she’s a girl. George thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever until her teacher announces the title of the class play. This book is the candid and heartwarming story of a transgender girl and the support of her friends,” the description posted by the YMCA reads.
Also restricted were similar pages on the YMCA’s promotion of Pride including a blog post by self-described “queer transgender woman” talking about how the YMCA of Greater Boston marched together in a Pride Parade. Another similar post discussed the YMCA of the USA’s National LGBTQ+ Steering Committee.
Other DEI-themed pages and the biographies of employees working with DEI roles are restricted. For example, the bio page for Lynda Gonzales-Chavez, who was the YMCA’s Senior VP/Chief Global Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Officer, is no longer visible. Her role is now described as Chief Global Relations and Community Engagement Officer at YMCA.
Marré was not impressed with the removal of the LGBT-themed content.
“Parents deserve complete transparency and accountability when it comes to their children. Make no mistake, until the YMCA announces new policies to safeguard children, they are only concealing the evidence,” she told The Daily Wire. “As parents, we cannot stop applying pressure to these institutions. This is just the first step in protecting our children from spaces that defy biological truth.”
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