SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — A large group gathered near the Springfield Kerasotes YMCA on Thursday. They were there to support 16-year-old Abbigail Wheeler.
For months, Wheeler and her family have been protesting rules at the YMCA regarding the organizations locker room policy. Wheeler, who was a member of the swim team at the YMCA, took issue with the fact that the YMCA allows transgender people to use the locker room that aligns with their gender identity.
Wheeler complained about an incident in late April, where she says a transgender women was changing in the locker room while the swim team was practicing. Wheeler said at the rally she only saw a person changing in the locker room.
“To be clear, I did not see the man naked and no male genitalia was exposed, however, I did see the man changing in the women’s locker room. After seeing the man, I was scared and upset. I decided to leave immediately because I was alone with them and felt very uncomfortable.”
There was never any formal reports or allegations of any wrongdoing filed with the YMCA.
“We’ve not had a report of misconduct,” Angie Sowle, CEO of the Springfield YMCA said. “We had a report of somebody finding somebody that was different than them in a space that they didn’t think they should be in.”
When asked if at any point Wheeler felt she was directly threatened or in any way harassed by the person in question, her father, Dan Wheeler, stepped in to answer the question.
“I want you to know our family’s position,” Dan Wheeler said. “It’s not whether a biological male is naked, whether a biological male is leering. Whether a biological male has a camera out, it’s the fact that there’s a biological male in the girls locker room.”
The YMCA policy is rooted in the Illinois Human Rights Act. Sowle insists that if the YMCA were to change it’s policies, they would violate the law.
The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits businesses, or in this case recreational centers, from denying or refusing the “full and equal enjoyment of facilities, goods and services” solely based on someone’s gender identity, according to the Illinois Department of Human Right’s Website.
The Illinois ACLU helped litigate a similar case in the mid 2010’s involving Palatine High School. A student sued the district after the school told the student to use a bathroom that did not align with their gender identity.
“lllinois expanded the Human Rights Act back in the early 2000s, to include both sexual orientation and gender identity,” Ed Yohnka, Director of Public Policy at the Illinois ACLU said. “So in fact, this has been really in Illinois law since the early 2000s. And in fact, the advocates, you know, were very conscious about making sure that gender identity was included at that time. So while we haven’t seen this much, you know, as much conversation about this until recently, the fact is, is that this has really been part of the Illinois law for some time.”
Wheeler’s story has gotten national attention. In the past week, she and her family made claims to national media outlets that she was kicked off the swim team because of this protest.
The YMCA released emails this week showing that Wheeler’s parents chose to remove her from the team themselves, and then told YMCA leadership they would be ending their membership at the facility. Wheeler’s father confirmed that he and his wife chose to take their daughter off the team, and she was never directly kicked off by YMCA officials.
“The fact of the matter is they made it impossible for her to continue with the team,” Dan Wheeler said.
“At that point, Dad understood exactly what the motive or the path forward here was to pass judgment and punishment on my daughter. And dad stood up and said, You know what, my daughter’s been punished enough,” Dan Wheeler continued.
After initially complaining to her coach and being told nothing would change with YMCA policies, Wheeler and her teammate posted signs in the women’s locker room. Some of those signs read “Biological Women Only”, and “Men are not Welcome Here.”
One of the signs that was posted in the YMCA locker room, according to the Springfield YMCA.
“It’s vandalism, at best. It’s discrimination, at worst,” Sowle said. “It’s definitely made to make a certain segment of the population feel very uncomfortable in that space. That’s the definition of discrimination.”
Wheeler told her coach that she posted the signs. She was then withheld from practicing with the team. Sowle said it is YMCA policy that when a minor violates the rules at any YMCA facility, they are suspended from any activities until the administration can meet with the family.
The two sides tried to coordinate a meeting, but it never ended up happening. Dan Wheeler reached out to the National organization SafeSport, and he said two members from the organization were prepared to join the meeting. The YMCA objected to that, responding that the facility has it’s own SafeSport officials, and it was not necessary for them to join.
The two sides could not agree on terms for the meeting, and that is when Wheeler’s parents said they would take her off the team.
Hundreds still gathered at the rally that was hosted by the Illinois Freedom Caucus, a group of very conservative state lawmakers. They used the controversy to attack the laws Illinois has on the books protecting the rights of transgender individuals, such as the Human Rights Act.
“They should have protected the girls and the young women in the locker room,” Rep. Chris Miller (R- Hindsboro). “But yet, they decided to to align themselves with the radical left political agenda ahead of the safety and security of those young girls. The adults and those involved at the YMCA should be ashamed of their spineless, spineless behavior.”
Some of those in attendance questioned the mission of the YMCA, which was formerly known as the Young Men’s Christian Association. When asked whether she believes the state law falls in line with that mission, Sowle said it clearly does.
“It seems like there’s people around who have a very different definition of Christian than the YMCA does,” Sowle said. “But treating one another with respect and dignity, the golden rule, treat those treat others like you would like them to treat you. That is the core the definition of Christianity.”