FIRST ON FOX: Pressure mounts on YMCA to ditch transgender policies after Supreme Court Title IX ruling
FIRST ON FOX: The YMCA is facing renewed pressure to change its policies on transgender access to sex-segregated locker rooms, sports teams and overnight accommodations after the American Parents Coalition (APC) argued the organization's rules conflict with the Supreme Court's recent Title IX rulings.
The coalition argued the nonprofit, which operates about 2,600 locations nationwide and receives more than $600 million annually in government funding, should update its policies to align with the Supreme Court's interpretation of Title IX because it accepts taxpayer funding.
In a letter sent this week to YMCA President and CEO Suzanne McCormick and the organization's board of directors, APC urged the organization to revise its policies governing sports, bathrooms, locker rooms and overnight accommodations following the Supreme Court's June 30 decisions in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox. In a 9-0 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that states can limit women's and girls' sports to biological females and that Title IX's use of the word "sex" refers to biological sex.
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"The Supreme Court has drawn an unmistakable line by reaffirming that Title IX's protections are rooted in biological sex," American Parents Coalition Executive Director Alleigh Marré said in a statement. "The YMCA has ignored parents' concerns for far too long while maintaining policies that undermine the privacy, safety, and fairness Title IX was enacted to protect. The Court's decisions should serve as a wake-up call for every federally funded institution."
The coalition is calling on YMCA leadership to rescind policies allowing biological males to participate in female sports or access female-only bathrooms, locker rooms and overnight accommodations, publish updated policies recognizing sex-based protections for women and girls, and publicly affirm the organization's commitment to complying with Title IX.
"The Supreme Court has now made clear that biological sex is the legally operative distinction under Title IX," the letter states. "The YMCA faces a choice. It can restore policies that protect women and girls, rebuild parents' trust, and align its practices with the law as interpreted by the highest court in the land."
The letter marks the latest step in APC's yearlong campaign targeting the YMCA's transgender inclusion policies. Last year, the organization filed Title IX complaints with the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, alleging the YMCA's policies violated federal civil rights law. It also asked Congress to investigate the YMCA's use of federal funding.
APC argues that although the Supreme Court's recent rulings focused on women's sports, the Court's reasoning extends to other sex-separated spaces. The group contends YMCA policies allowing individuals to use bathrooms, locker rooms, overnight accommodations and participate on sports teams according to their gender identity are inconsistent with the Court's interpretation of Title IX.
The coalition also alleges the YMCA removed or revised webpages describing some of its gender identity policies after they received public scrutiny while leaving the underlying policies unchanged. APC further claims some YMCA camps continue allowing counselors to stay in cabins that correspond with their gender identity rather than their biological sex.
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A Fox News Digital review found several local YMCA associations, including the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit, Lakeland Hills YMCA in New Jersey and the Gateway Region YMCA, maintain policies allowing members to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity.
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The renewed criticism comes a month after controversy at a San Francisco YMCA drew national attention. After months of complaints from some members regarding a transgender woman using the women's locker room at the Stonestown branch, the facility adopted updated locker room guidelines emphasizing that nudity should be "discreet, limited, and brief" while instructing members to respect others' privacy and personal space. The revised rules addressed conduct inside the locker room but did not change the YMCA's policy allowing transgender members to access facilities consistent with their gender identity.
The YMCA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on APC's allegations or whether it plans to review its policies following the Supreme Court's decisions.