Illinois swimmer Abbigail Wheeler is accused of “hate speech” for speaking out against biological males being allowed in the girls' | Breakthrough Ideas
Illinois swimmer Abbigail Wheeler is accused of “hate speech” for speaking out against biological males being allowed in the girls' | Breakthrough Ideas
U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) commented on a brewing storm over a Springfield YMCA accused of removing a female swimmer for protesting a biological male using the changing room with her.
The resulting controversy has caused a groundswell of local support culminating in a July 13 press conference to be held in Springfield.
“Men should NEVER be allowed to violate young girls' locker rooms and bathrooms. Any adult coach or organization like the YMCA that allows this to happen because of leftist politics should be ashamed of themselves,” Miller said on Facebook. “Parents, you must stand with these girls and end this madness!”
The issue at hand revolves around a recent incident where a high school girl was allegedly required to share the swim locker room with men at the YMCA, which according to Laurie Higgins of Breakthrough Ideas, "The coaches and YMCA administrators began this practice without telling any girls or their parents." 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.
Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines said she would be present for the press conference and noted the case in a tweet.
“16-yo girl banned from YMCA and kicked off her swim team for opposing a naked male in their locker room,” Gaines said. “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 Illinois Freedom Caucus, a political organization advocating for conservative values and individual liberties, has taken a firm stance on the matter and is responsible for setting up the press conference.
“HUGE stuff coming Thursday!! We must protect our Girls in their locker rooms!!” The Illinois Freedom Caucus said on Facebook.
They believe that 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.
"The Illinois Freedom Caucus is proud to be supporting Abigail Wheeler, a high school swimmer accused of Hate Speech for standing up against Men in her locker room," the organization said on YouTube.
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