Riley Gaines | Twitter
Riley Gaines | Twitter
In a bid to protect girls' sports and ensure the privacy and safety of female students, the Illinois Freedom Caucus has called for a conference addressing a controversial policy at the local YMCA.
The event is set to take place 1 p.m. July 13 in Rotary Park, just off Freedom Avenue, and will be attended by former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines who is well known for her opposition to biological men competing against biological females in athletics. Gaines shared details on Twitter.
“16-yo girl banned from YMCA and kicked off her swim team for opposing a naked male in their locker room,” Gaines said in a July 9 Twitter post. "And to make matters worse, her older sister had to go through the exact same thing with Lia Thomas. But it's 'not really happening.'"
The issue at hand revolves around a recent incident where a high school girl was allegedly required to share the swim locker room with a biological male at the YMCA, accordin gto a post on Breakthrough Ideas. Concerns have been raised about the potential infringement upon the rights of female athletes, as well as the potential for privacy violations and discomfort for the girls involved.
"Let’s hope and pray that there are as many courageous community members — including pastors, coaches and lawmakers — in attendance at this press conference to publicly support these brave families as there were at the Wheaton Park District Board of Commissioners meeting," Laurie Higgins, culture and education writer for Breakthrough Ideas, said about the conference.
The Illinois Freedom Caucus, a political organization advocating for conservative values and individual liberties, has taken a firm stance on the matter and are responsible for setting up the conference, according to Facebook. They believe the policy allowing men in girls' locker rooms poses a threat to the integrity of girls' sports and undermines the importance of gender-separated facilities.
“HUGE stuff coming Thursday!! We must protect our Girls in their locker rooms!!” The Illinois Freedom Caucus said on Facebook.
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