
EXCLUSIVE Meet Sammy, the husky trans woman freaking out female gym goers by flaunting her pre-op privates in front of young girls
Female gymgoers in California 's Bay Area are up in arms that they must share their locker room with a pre-operative trans woman named Sammy, leading to a tense standoff in one of the most liberal regions of the country.
Protesters have picketed outside two area YMCAs that Sammy is known to frequent, including the Stonestown Family YMCA in San Francisco, where dozens of members have petitioned to force her into the designated gender-neutral space.
YMCA officials have defended Sammy's use of the women's locker room, citing her 'civil rights' despite outrage from other members who feel uncomfortable seeing a hulky trans woman with male genitalia and 'slowly growing breasts' roaming around in front of women and children.
It has led to some nasty exchanges.
'He likes to parade around the women's locker completely naked in front of women and children,' Susan Pete, a 58-year member of the Stonestown Y, told DailyMail.com on a recent afternoon.
'He also likes to blow dry his hair while naked and bent over. I've seen that man more than most of my boyfriends.'
Some women have stopped coming, at least when Sammy's around. Others like Pete have stood their ground. The longtime Democrat grew so frustrated that she recently wrote President Trump asking him to intervene.
She told DailyMail.com that the first time she saw Sammy, she did a double take while stepping out of the shower.
'You're a man and men do not belong in the women's locker room!' Pete recalled telling Sammy.
'Get educated!' Sammy purportedly snapped back.
It got uglier at the Berkeley YMCA in March when member Elizabeth Kenney said she saw Sammy 'harassing' an elderly member who'd asked her to 'cover up.'
'If you don't like the way I look, then you've got a sexual problem with yourself,' Sammy purportedly told the senior citizen, prompting Kenney to get involved.
'Get away from her, leave her alone,' Kenney recalls telling Sammy. 'You're a man, you don't belong here.'
'Mind your own business,' Sammy purportedly shot back. 'Why don't you go drink a beer?'
Although the controversial figure hasn't responded to DailyMail.com, she was caught on camera by Kinney's husband Travis lamenting over being harassed by other members.
With a distinctly masculine voice and wearing a black one-piece bathing suit, Sammy tells a YMCA staffer a 'drunk' woman started lecturing her about entering the women's facilities.
With a distinctly masculine voice and wearing a black one-piece bathing suit, Sammy was caught on camera by Kinney's husband telling a YMCA staffer a 'drunk' woman started lecturing her about entering the women's facilities
'She posted something that has half a million views about me,' Sammy told the staffer. 'It's a crazy lie and I just don't want her to be near me or taking a picture.'
Battles over transgender rights have raged across the country in schools, gyms and other public spaces where trans-identifying individuals have been granted varying degrees of access. But it's new and uncomfortable terrain for a city and state that is politically and culturally progressive and takes pride in a robust LGBTQ community.
However, Women Are Real, a Bay Area organization of about 150 mostly women, have been picking various battles, fighting to defend 'women-only spaces.'
The group has sought to force the Sammy controversy into the spotlight, staging several protests, and reaching out to the press and legislators seeking to force change.
Local media has largely ignored the hot-button story. However, the group has vowed to continue its efforts, planning additional protests.
Demonstrations in April and May drew modest participation and a mixed reaction. Hecklers on the sidewalks have yelled out, blasting participants as 'TERFs', trans-exclusionary radical feminists.
But Cynthia Cravens, a 65-year-old protester from San Francisco, said many passersby expressed support, 'unaware and shocked to learn that in California a man can go up to the desk and say, "I am trans" or "I am non-binary," and be permitted to access women's locker rooms and showers.'
Cravens, a member of Women Are Real, spoke with DailyMail.com outside the Stonestown Y last Thursday.
'We're concerned about the loss of female single-sex spaces,' she said. 'We believe that in order to flourish, women need dedicated spaces, particularly when they're vulnerable.'
As she spoke, Sammy pulled into the parking lot as if on cue and walked into the gym, wearing green leggings, a black sweatshirt and face mask.
Elizabeth Kenney, who also there watching, muttered, 'Oh my God, just in time for the children's swim classes.'
The controversy has left staff at the various YMCAs walking a tightrope. They're required by state law to let Sammy and other trans-identifying members use whichever locker room they choose, but also wrestling with concerns raised by members who feel uncomfortable changing, showering, and sharing their bathroom facilities with Sammy.
The management has offered a third option, a gender-neutral locker room with dividers installed so members can stay separate. But neither Sammy nor other women have been willing to give up the designated female space.
'All of the staff here respect Sammy's pronouns and her identity,' one female staffer at the Stonestown Y told DailyMail.com. 'It's just these members. We are trying to work on de-escalating the situation, which really shouldn't be a problem. I mean, it's San Francisco.'
The young staffer defended Sammy.
'She's a very sweet person, just a normal person,' she said. 'She's not doing anything wrong. She's just using the locker room. Other women also walk around naked in the locker room. It's a locker room, you know.
At a YMCA in Berkeley this past March, Kenney (pictured) said she saw Sammy 'harassing' an elderly member who'd asked her to 'cover up'
'Trans men come here too, but they don't get targeted,' she added. 'It's really just these TERF wars.'
She said the demonstrators 'have a right to protest,' but that they have proven bigoted and hostile, invading Sammy's privacy by filming her inside the facility a couple of weeks back.
She called out member Susan Pete by name, calling her a 'nice lady, besides her transphobia, homophobia and racism.'
Pete doesn't mince words. She stood outside the Stonestown YMCA on Thursday, riffing about Sammy who's been a regular since last year.
'I feel like I've stepped out of a time capsule,' Pete told DailyMail.com. 'Something happened to our society.'
She described Sammy as a 'man' who's 'built like a football player' and described what she referred to as his 'micro-penis.' She also said Sammy wears makeup, leggings and one-piece bathing suits covering his 'slowly growing breasts.'
When she complained about the situation, she said, 'The manager came in and said, 'That's not a man, that's a woman.'
'I had no idea what trans was,' Pete told DailyMail.com, shaking her head. 'He identifies as non-binary at one point and trans at another.'
Pete described bringing her 16-year-old granddaughter to the gym last month, and the teen recoiling after spotting Sammy lingering naked in the changing room.
'She told me that was the first penis she ever saw and that she also saw his (scrotum),' Susan recalled.
The protesters said a hundred people signed the petition to ban Sammy from the women's locker room.
Angelina Zhou, a 17-year-old member of the Stonestown Y who did not join the protests, told DailyMail.com that she signed the petition, even though she supports trans rights.
'I felt like I had to sign it because everyone was,' Zhou said Thursday after stepping out of the gym. 'I'm putting myself in their shoes. I could understand why ladies are uncomfortable.
'Yes, it's weird that he's in the women's locker room naked,' Zhou continued. 'I was initially confused why he was there, but I was trying not to judge, so I didn't say anything to him.'
At the same time, Zhou expressed empathy for Sammy.
'I don't think he goes in the women's locker room for his pleasure,' she said. 'I don't think he's harming anyone. He's just in his own world.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Dangerous new Nimbus Covid virus strain now detected in 13 states as doctors warn of unique symptom
Experts are warning of a dangerous new Covid variant spreading in over a dozen states. NB.1.8.1, nicknamed 'Nimbus,' first originated from China, where it has been linked to a rise in cases and ER visits. It was first detected in the US in late March and data suggests it now makes up over one in three Covid cases in the US, making it the second-most common variant. Early studies indicate it can attach to human cells more efficiently than its predecessors, making it the most infectious strain yet. Recently, many people infected with Covid have been reporting a symptom dubbed 'razor blade throat' — sharp pain that feels more severe than with previous strains. The CDC has not yet published official tracking data on the new variant. However, officials at the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) reported as of June 11, Nimbus has been found in 13 states, including California, New York, New Jersey, and Hawaii. The Covid-19 virus mutates constantly, and lab tests have shown new changes to the 'Nimbus' strain's spike protein, which may make it more infectious than currently circulating strains and potentially cause more severe illness. World Health Organization data also suggests it makes up more than half the variants currently circulating worldwide. The name 'Nimbus' was coined by Canadian evolutionary biologist T Ryan Gregory, the mind behind many popular variant names. Researchers have found that the latest Omicron offshoot strain showed the strongest ability to attach to the receptor that acts as a doorway for the virus to enter human cells in lab tests, 'suggesting it may infect cells more efficiently than earlier strains,' according to Dr Lara Herrero, a virologist at Griffith University in Australia. A preprint study on the strain also showed that antibodies from vaccines and past infection were about half as effective at blocking it as the LP.8.1.1 strain which is currently dominant in the US. Covid patients have shared online that the severe sore throat has kept them from sleeping for several consecutive nights, had them 'whimpering' and 'clawing' at their throats, left them unable to swallow without excruciating pain, and unable to speak for about a week. Nimbus has been significant in parts of Asia for weeks, causing over 1,000 infections in India and about 14,000 in Hong Kong and Singapore. It has since been labeled as a 'variant under monitoring' by the World Health Organization. Despite its spread across 22 countries so far, the WHO maintains it poses a relatively global public health threat thanks to wide vaccine coverage and population immunity. The global agency said: 'Currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease. 'Despite a concurrent increase in cases and hospitalizations in some countries where NB.1.8.1 is widespread, current data do not indicate that this variant leads to more severe illness than other variants in circulation.' Experts expect an uptick in cases this summer, noting there has been one every summer since 2020. By mid- to late-summer, immunity has waned from the previous fall's booster or from a previous infection. People also spend more time in indoor air-conditioned spaces, where most viral transmission occurs. And the summer months have typically always seen a rise in more transmissible variants. Dr Albert Ko, an epidemiologist at Yale School of Public Health, told Today: 'We may see an upswing (this) summer as in previous years, and this is expected to be smaller compared to what we experience in the winter.' Vaccine companies are in the midst of updating their shots to fit the 'Nimbus' strain. Moderna said late last month that its updated mNEXSPIKE shot will be available by the fall. A lower dose than the typical Covid vaccines is specially formulated for adults 65 and older, as well as people 12 to 64 with at least one or more underlying risk factor for severe Covid, such as cancer, diabetes, HIV, being overweight, or pregnant.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
I'm a doctor - of all the supplements there's one I recommend because it banish insomnia
A top doctor has revealed the only supplement he swears by for its surprising anxiety-busting and sleep-inducing benefits. According to Dr Myro Figura, an anaesthesiologist from California, a special type of magnesium called magnesium glycinate could be the answer to sleepless nights. In an Instagram video that has so far been viewed over 942,000 times, Dr Figura, who is a member of the American Board of Anesthesiology, said not only does the vitamin pill improve sleep, it can enhance vitamin D absorption, which is beneficial for bone health. Magnesium is an essential mineral that ensures the body converts food into energy and helps the thyroid glands to function. But it is also known to offer sleep benefits by reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol and boosting melatonin, helping the body relax ready for sleep. 'If there was one supplement I would recommend, magnesium glycinate would be it,' said Dr Figura in the video. 'Firstly, more than half of us are deficient in magnesium and magnesium is involved in all kinds of biochemical reactions.' Magnesium glycinate is a highly absorbable form of magnesium that is created by combining the mineral with an amino acid called glycine. Unlike other forms of magnesium, this supplement is unlikely to put added stress on the digestive system and is thought to help the body release heat, which is needed to fall asleep. Supplements sold at the likes of Boots, Holland & Barrett and on supermarket shelves are often sold as 375mg tablets, and cost as little as 10p per dose. A deficiency in magnesium is known to heighten levels of the stress hormone cortisol, triggering sudden night time waking. In the video, Dr Figura references a systematic review, published in the journal Nutrients, that looked at 18 different clinical trials and found that magnesium could be beneficial for those who suffer with mild anxiety. Dr Figura advised that for these people, taking magnesium supplements could help them sleep better at night. It is thought that magnesium can alter how certain chemicals like cortisol work in the brain. One 2022 review of studies, involving more than 7,000 participants, suggested there was 'an association between magnesium statuses and sleep quality'. However, writing in the journal Springer Nature the researchers from Iran said this was only found in observational studies, which could not fully establish cause and effect. According to Dr Figura, magnesium is not only good for boosting sleep health. 'If you don't have magnesium, your vitamin D is not going to work,' the anaesthesiologist warned. This is because the body needs magnesium to be able to covert vitamin D into a form the body can absorb. Lacking in the so-called sunshine vitamin can cause a whole host of other problems, including bone deformities, muscles weakness and incorrect growth patterns. Dr Figura said: 'Vitamin D is implicated in all kinds of things like your immune system, anxiety and depression.' It is currently estimated that around one in six adults in the UK do not get enough vitamin D—which can be caused by a magnesium deficiency. The NHS recommends women aged between 19 and 64 get 270mg of magnesium a day, while this increases to 300mg for men of the same age. The upper limit for magnesium glycinate, however, is roughly nine times that of other types of magnesium, as it contains a smaller amount of the element. The health service adds that most people should get all the vitamins and minerals they need by having a varied and balanced diet. Experts have long advised that leafy green vegetables are a good source of magnesium because it is found in chlorophyll, which is the green pigment in plants. Unrefined grains, nuts and seeds are also good sources, as well as some fish. This comes as research suggests that up to 1 in 6 people living in the UK are affected by insomnia—meaning they regularly have problems sleeping—yet 65 per cent never seek help. The poll of 2,000 people, by The Sleep Charity, found nine in ten experience some sort of sleep problem, while one in two engage in high-risk or dangerous behaviours when unable to sleep. Poor sleep has been linked to a number of health problems, including cancer, stroke and infertility. Experts have long advised that waking up during the night does not necessarily mean you have insomnia, which figures suggest affects up to 14million people living in the UK. Still, sleep deprivation takes its own toll, from irritability and reduced focus in the short term, to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. According to the American Sleep Association, nearly 70 million Americans also have a sleep disorder.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Gavin Newsom cries while addressing LA protest
By California Governor Gavin Newsom continued his all out-messaging war against President Donald Trump after he decided to send federal troops to California to help quell the riots in Los Angeles. Newsom painted himself and his family as a victim of Trump's aggressive posture toward California, revealing that the president made his teenage daughter cry. He was referring to a comment that Trump made to reporters after he was asked if the governor should be arrested by his immigration czar Tom Homan. 'I would do it if I were Tom. I think it's great. Gavin likes the publicity but I think it would be a great thing,' Trump said, when he returned to the White House from Camp David on Monday. Newsom followed up by defying the president, daring him to follow through on his promise. 'I told the President, get it over with. Arrest me,' he said in an interview. Newsom also questioned Trump's mental state in a recent interview after speaking with him on the phone. 'He's lost it. He's lost a step. I saw him trip on the steps today. He is not the same person that I dealt with just four years ago, and he's incapable of even a train of thought,' Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential contender, told FOXLA in an interview. The White House mocked Newsom's newfound concern about the president's health. '[R]ich, coming from Gavin Newsom, who in this past election tried to gaslight and lied to the American public about Joe Biden's decline ,' White House communications director Steven Cheung told Axios on Thursday. The California governor also lamented that the president started calling him by the nickname 'Newscum .' 'Yeah, it's the president of United States calling someone scum, Newscum, which is, for what it's worth, what I think a seventh grader used to call me on Baltimore Street in Corte Madera, California,' he said. Newsom blamed the president for the violent riots in Los Angeles as protestors burned cars and waved Mexican flags. 'These are images that Donald Trump created … he wants to divide us, he wants to attack the rule of law, he wants to attack democracy,' Newsom said to FOXLA. The California governor, a possible 2028 presidential contender, continues to position himself politically against the president , insisting Trump went too far by calling the National Guard and federal troops to help quell the riots. 'He's not for peacemaking, he's here for war, he wants a civil war on the streets of America,' Newsom said. He also mocked Trump's military parade scheduled on Saturday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army.