Score another one for the good guys. The YMCA is settling a lawsuit with an elderly woman who was kicked out of a branch in Washington state for complaining about a man in the women’s locker room.
The organization has agreed to pay $65,000 to Julie Jaman, 83, if she drops her lawsuit, which was originally filed in June 2024. The incident occurred on July 26, 2022, when Jaman heard a male voice in the women’s locker room while she was taking a shower.
Jaman explained that on July 26, she was showering in the women’s restroom at the pool when she heard a man’s voice near her.
“I looked over and 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 toilets,” Jaman said. “And I told that man to get out right now.”
Another employee was in the women’s restroom at the time. Jaman asked that particular employee to remove the man from the room.
“She immediately said to me, ‘you’re being discriminatory, and you’re banned from the pool forever, and I’m calling the cops,’” Jaman said.
“I was taken aback. She didn’t ask me what the problem was, if I was okay, nothing about me,” Jaman added. “It’s as if she was just waiting to pounce on me. It was just stunning.”
Remember the 82-year-old lady who was banned by the YMCA in Port Townsend because she complained about a transformer in the women's bathroom?
— Beth Dutton (@1BethDutton) July 1, 2025
She just won 65k in a settlement. The problem is, though, Julie Jaman is still banned from going to the YMCA.
Why does the YMCA think… pic.twitter.com/ehPFN1ZIOW
The YMCA has come under fire over branches that allow biological males to occupy women’s spaces. The American Parents Coalition (APC) recently contacted three federal agencies to inform them about the practice, arguing that it violates Title IX of the Civil Rights Act.
Alleigh Marré, executive director of APC, stated that the YMCA is using taxpayer funds to impose these policies. “Over the last year or so, we noticed scattered public complaints across the country — mostly from women — reporting biological males in locker rooms, changing, ogling them, etc.,” Marré explained. “Unfortunately, we found that not much had changed. YMCA websites across the country stated policies that allowed individuals to access bathrooms, locker rooms, and camps based on gender identity—not biological sex.”
She also described the lack of transparency in how YMCA branches impose the policies. There have been instances where biological males are not only able to enter women’s locker rooms, but also restrooms. They are also allowed to bunk in girls’ cabins on camping trips. The parents are not notified about the policy.
Jaman will still be banned from the facility, regardless of the outcome. However, she still celebrates the outcome. “I never imagined that expressing concerns about the safety and privacy of women and girls would lead to me being shunned and banned,” she said, according to a press release. “I’m grateful that justice has been served and that my voice was heard. This is a victory for common sense, women’s rights, and the right to speak the truth.”