YMCA Scrubs Trans Guidance After Parent Group Uproar

The YMCA removed several webpages outlining policies that allow boys who identify as girls to access female cabins, showers and locker rooms following backlash from a national parent group.

The takedown came days after the American Parents Coalition published a warning to families Wednesday about YMCA summer camps permitting biological males into private spaces designated for girls. The now-removed materials — which were archived — included guidelines encouraging staff to affirm “gender identity” over sex and to withhold such information from parents. (RELATED: ‘I’m Going To Stab You’: Some Trans Americans Mourned By White House Died During Altercations With Law Enforcement)

“Parents deserve the truth — especially when it involves the possibility that their children could be put in a situation where they’re expected to share private spaces with members of the opposite sex,” said Alleigh Marré, executive director of the coalition.

Archived versions of the removed pages show the YMCA’s national body had issued guidance dating as far back as 2017 encouraging affiliates to give campers access to facilities based on self-declared gender identity. One page, titled “How to Creat ea Safe Space for LGBTQ+ Campers,” states that camp workers should “ensure all campers have access to the facilities aligned with their gender identity.”

Guidance from Camp Olson, a YMCA facility in Minnesota, advised against notifying families if their child decided to come out as transgender at the camp, stating that “an individual should not be outed without their permission … to other participants, staff, or their own families” — adding that biological sex “should not dictate the use of gendered space.” Other now-removed YMCA webpages included recommendations to feature transgender individuals in promotional material, partner with LGBT advocacy groups and read books like “George” — a novel about a boy who wants to be a girl — to children as young as four. (RELATED: The Village People Are Sick Of YMCA Being Called A ‘Gay Anthem.’ They’re Going To Start Suing Over It)

Camp Olson had adopted these recommendations directly into its registration system, instructing children to select cabin assignments based on “gender identity” and reserving the right not to inform parents about changes in their self-identified gender while at camp. Similar policies were found at YMCA branches in Wisconsin and New Jersey, some citing state-level non-discrimination laws as justification.

The Lakeland Hills YMCA in New Jersey, for example, says its policies follow mandates under the state’s discrimination law, which they claim bars most institutions from segregating restrooms based on sex. Meanwhile, the Door Country YMCA in Wisconsin states that guests may use locker rooms based on both “gender identity” and “physical presentation,” regardless of anatomical sex.

The YMCA also pulled down a page titled “Affirming LGBTQ+ Communities with Pride,” which directed users to advocacy groups like the Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN and the Trevor Project.

YMCA has yet to announce any policy change or public response clarifying its current stance, nor did it respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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