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A California teen sobbed at town hall as she recounted her trauma at seeing “a naked man” she claimed was a transgender woman inside the women’s locker room at her local YMCA.
Rebecca Philips, 17, addressed the rally in Santee, a suburb of San Diego, on Wednesday night to demand reform of the existing policy after encountering the unidentified individual.
She told the council how, two weeks ago, she was changing after swimming at the YMCA in Santee when she saw a naked transgender woman in the locker room.
“While taking a shower after my workout, I saw a naked man in the women’s locker room,” she said.
“I immediately went back into the shower, terrified, and hid behind his flimsy excuse as a curtain until he was gone.”
Philips said she was tormented by the thought that her five-year-old sister, whom she takes to the gym in the summer, would find herself in the same situation.
Her voice quavering, she said: ‘This is the YMCA, where hundreds of children spend summer afternoons in child care camps.
‘This is the YMCA where my little sister took gymnastics classes.
“The locker room was supposed to be her safe haven to gossip with her friends, shower and change.”
Rebecca Philips, 17, addressed Santee City Hall on Wednesday night.
She urged them to change their policy on transgender women using their chosen facilities, saying it was indecent and “obscene.”
Philips met the transgender woman in the locker room of the YMCA in Santee, California, a suburb of the city of San Diego.
Philips says she was told by staff that the trans woman had a perfect right to be in the changing rooms, and that only those on the sex offender registry were barred from entering.
Facilities for women (locker rooms, shelters, prisons) can be used by anyone in California thanks to a state law that says people must be able to use facilities that align with their gender identity.
And in May 2022, three Democratic San Diego County supervisors decided to redefine the word ‘woman’ to include trans people.
Nathan Fletcher, Terra Lawson-Remer and Nora Vargas approved the measure. The two Republicans serving as overseers voted against the bill.
Philips told the council that she was horrified by the experience.
San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher was one of three who voted to pass the May 2022 bill that said anyone who defines themselves as a woman can use the facilities of their choice.
Terra Lawson-Remer (left) and Nora Vargas (right), both San Diego County Supervisors, also voted to approve the bill.
Philips said that YMCA management, when asked about its transgender policy, told him that “the man I saw could shower wherever he wanted.”
She added: “A grown man can shower next to a teenage girl at his YMCA, here in Santee.”
Philips said she was appalled by the response from YMCA staff.
“They made me feel like I had done something wrong,” he said.
“The indecent exposure of a man to a minor was inconvenient for them.”
Philips said her father, who complained, was contacted by Teri Maas, the association’s director of membership experience at the YMCA of San Diego County.
Teri Maas, director of membership experience for the YMCA of San Diego County, called Philips’ father to assure him that his daughter was never at risk.
“She informed my dad that I was not in danger,” Philips said. That she was safe.
But, he added: ‘Could you knowingly send an underage girl into a room with a naked man and say she was safe? Or was he right?
The YMCA said in a statement: “We were made aware of a situation involving two members in the Santee YMCA locker room earlier this month. The comfort and safety of all our members is our top priority.
‘As a community-focused organization, we strive to meet the needs of all people. We recognize that birth and gender identity are sensitive issues. We rely on subject matter experts, laws, and guidelines set forth by the State of California to ensure that our policies are welcoming and respectful to all members of the community.’
They said they were now reviewing their procedures, in light of Philips’ complaint.
“As part of this commitment to ensure everyone is comfortable, we are reviewing locker room floor plans at all of our association facilities,” they said.
“Our goal is to ensure that everyone has access to additional privacy if they want and need it.”
Trans women wearing women’s locker rooms and participating in some single-sex sports have proven to be a political flashpoint in recent years.
Critics say trans women who still have male private parts should not be allowed into spaces where women may be naked or vulnerable.
Supporters say only a small minority of trans women are sexual offenders, and that banning all trans women from accessing female spaces persecutes the innocent majority.