Latest news with #lockerroom
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
High school athlete details 'traumatic' incident with trans rival that left her feeling 'violated'
A female high-school swimmer has opened up on the 'traumatic' moment she found out she had been sharing a locker room with a transgender opponent after being kept in the dark by a rival school. Glencoe High School junior Lilian Hammond claims she unknowingly competed against and changed alongside a biological male on another swimming team during her sophomore year, having initially assumed they were also female. 'It wasn't until the last meet that I realized, "Oh, that is a trans person," and by that point it was too late,' Hammond said in an interview with Fox News. 'The shock that came was the mistrust and the lying, I felt very betrayed, I felt betrayed by the adults and the coaches on the other team that let it happen without my consent and my knowledge. 'My team didn't know, my coach didn't know… I felt very violated knowing that a man could have seen me changing.' Despite already dealing with trans students at her own high school using the girls' restrooms, Hammond was left traumatized by her experience on the swim team. 'At the time it was overwhelming and felt traumatic since I was kept in the dark,' she added. Hammond is far from alone in experiencing the issue of trans athletes in women's sports first hand, with more and more female athletes continuing to speak out. Riley Gaines, a leading voice in the fight against biological males competing in women's sports, has previously discussed the feeling of being 'violated' by sharing a locker room with a trans athlete herself. Last year, San Jose State University dominated headlines when their women's volleyball team reached a championship final thanks to the help of trans player Blaire Fleming. Oregon athlete Alexa Anderson, who recently went viral after refusing to stand on the same podium as a trans opponent, also spoke with Fox News about the 'scary' backlash she has received over the gesture. 'When me and Reese stepped down there was definitely some confusion, there was definitely some anger and just a lot of people who didn't understand why were were doing this, and it was scary. Everyone was looking at us," Anderson said. 'There was a lot of people on and off the field. I heard shouts of them telling us to get out of the way.' Hammond, meanwhile, admits her ordeal will influence how she votes in future political elections, given Donald Trump and the Republican party have openly taken a stand against trans athletes in women's sports over the past year. 'Just this last election, looking at the different beliefs between the two candidates, you had one candidate who openly believes biological men should be allowed in women's restrooms and women's sports, and was not doing anything, and then you had another candidate who said, "This will be one of the first things I change," and that's what Donald Trump did,' she said. 'In the future, that's something I'm going to look for.'
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
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 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 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 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 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 '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 '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 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 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.'
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Parents blast school board as boys investigated for complaining about trans student in locker room
Print Close By Michael Dorgan Published May 22, 2025 Furious parents vented their anger at a Virginia county school board meeting on Tuesday following news that three male students are under investigation after they were recorded in a male locker room complaining about a biological female getting changed alongside them. The Loudoun County Public Schools -- which made national headlines in 2021 when a father was arrested and hauled out of a board meeting for speaking out about the sexual assault of his daughter by a trans student at a local school -- is investigating the boys for Title IX violations. The trans boy, a biological female, recorded them questioning why "a girl" was present, with one student expressing that he felt "uncomfortable" about the situation. TENSIONS FLARE AT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AFTER TRANS ATHLETE WINS MULTIPLE TRACK EVENTS It is illegal to record inside locker rooms, but a Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) official confirmed to Fox 5 DC that none of the boys appeared in compromising positions in the video and, therefore, it was determined that no privacy laws were violated. Nevertheless, the boys are under investigation for allegedly violating policy 8040, a controversial guideline adopted in 2021 that permits students to use restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity rather than their biological sex. Scott Smith, the father arrested during that heated incident in 2021, took to the mic and blasted the board, accusing them of initially denying that his daughter had been raped and warning them that their policies could lead to similar consequences for other students. "And now four years later you're doing the same damn thing," Smith said. "You're victimizing innocent children over the priority of kids that don't know," he said before his mic appeared to be muted after his one-minute speaking slot had expired and he was told to hand step aside. CALIFORNIA TRACK MEET TURNS TO POLITICAL RALLY OVER TRANS ATHLETES AS SCHOOLS SPEAK OUT VS. STATE "I'm not done yet," Smith roared. "You guys are sick and pathetic," he said to applause. Smith's words, and the words of some 130 parents who spoke, were not recorded on video, as the board voted last year to omit a video display during the public comment section of its board meetings. WATCH: Dad of girl assaulted by trans student slams school board amid new controversy The decision was blasted by Smith at the time, who told "America's Newsroom" that the board was trying to shut down public dissent to their radical policies. Smith's daughter was sexually assaulted at Stone Bridge High School by a transgender student in 2021. Smith was convicted of disorderly conduct stemming from the 2021 school board meeting, but he was later pardoned by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Suzanne Satterfield also took aim at the board on Tuesday, saying that children rely on adults to be truthful and protect them from harm. "Every girl and boy has the right to feel secure using private spaces without being invaded by the opposite sex," Satterfield said. "Every day that policy 8040 remains in play children are being lied to so that that they can be born in the wrong body can change their sex." Speaker Amy Paul ripped the board and said that policy 8040 is "insane." "You all have helped facilitate this charade for long enough and it's time to put an end to the madness," Paul said. "You're investigating three young men for having common sense enough to state the obvious, girls do not belong in boys locker rooms." WATCH: Pardoned father says he was used to 'silence' parents from protecting children: Scott Smith "Please don't tell me that he or she is really a he, we're done playing that game, there is no such thing as a child born in the wrong body… You're taking kids who have serious issues and instead of trying to understand why they're rejecting their true selves, you encourage them to go down a path that could lead to irreparable harm to their bodies. It's time for you to act like the adults." Not everyone disagreed with policy 8040, with one female speaker saying that the policy was created with input from experts, data and community feedback to ensure that all students are safe, seen and supported. She said the uproar has conveniently come about because of the gubernatorial election later this year. "Transgender people exist. They always have no executive order, sermon or headline or public comment can erase them," she said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "We cannot, in good faith, debate policies impacting students if we deny the existence of those very students. That's not discourse. That's dehumanization. We have seen this playbook before, fear mongering, misinformation and political theater all at the expense of vulnerable children. It's happening again, just as it did four years ago. Meanwhile, Youngkin has requested the state's attorney general launch an independent investigation into how LCPS has managed the situation, according to Fox 5. The controversy in Loudoun County came the day after parents and residents clashed at a school board meeting in the Chicago area on Monday after a trans junior high school student won multiple events at a local track meet. Print Close URL
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Trans student ends up in trouble after filming teens in locker-room accused of bullying
A transgender student who filmed three boys in a Virginia high school locker room he said were bullying him over his gender identity has faced a backlash from parents. Loudoun County Public Schools launched a Title IX investigation - a probe into an allegation of sexual harassment - earlier this month after the trans student videoed a group of boys complaining there was a biological female in the changing room. But a packed LCPS board meeting grew heated on Tuesday night as parents said it was the boys in the video who were made uncomfortable, and claimed they were inappropriately recorded and wrongly investigated. The video shot by the trans student has been made public after the families of the accused teens had allegedly been denied copies of the footage. Most the of video was dark as the phone appeared to be recording while in the trans student's pocket, with locker room sounds and boy's voices. A boy can then be heard asking: 'There's a girl in here? There's a girl?', and around 30 seconds later a student said: 'Why is there a girl? I'm so uncomfortable there is a girl.' Another boy responded: 'A female, bro, get out of here.' It was at this point that the trans student appeared to take the phone from his pocket and aim it at the boys, with the shower and bathroom area in the background, before the clip ended. The three censored segments were when the boys' names were spoken. The parents of the boys have said they were having a conversation among themselves and not with the female student. LCPS had refused to give a copy of the video to the three boys who are being investigated, according to the their families. They obtained it via the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating if the trans student committed a crime by recording minors. LCPS explicitly bans locker room recordings, but in an email to Seth Wolfe, the father of one of the boys, a representative allegedly told him the video did not compromise anyone's privacy. Wolfe added: 'I have a daughter that's in high school as well, and if there was a male in there videotaping her in the locker room, I would have issues. 'If it's my son and there's a female in the locker room videotaping, I have issues. Even if it was somebody of the same sex, I believe that this is an invasion of their privacy.' Wolfe also claimed the LCPS investigator tried to pressure his son into a confession. 'They didn't show us the video until after they had tried to get my son to say who said what and all this kind of stuff,' Wolfe told ABC the outlet. 'But then once we saw the video, then we started asking about those context questions and how that can be left out. And they didn't really have a good answer for that.' Renae Smith, the mother of one the boys, told ABC7: 'I don't even think the Title IX investigation is justified.' Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said earlier this month: 'It's deeply concerning to read reports of yet another incident in Loudoun County schools where members of the opposite sex are violating the privacy of students in locker rooms. 'Even more alarming, the victims of this violation are the ones being investigated - this is beyond belief.' He asked Attorney General Jason Miyares to look into the situation. Josh Hetzler, a lawyer hired to represent the three boys, told NBC4 that allegations of this kind could harm their prospects. 'These have a way of really stigmatizing them, especially when they're unfounded like this one,' he told the outlet. The latest to break their silence on the matter is Pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg. 'Enough is enough,' he said, addressing thousands of service attendees on Sunday. He urged congregants to show support for the boys' families and attend school board hearings about the sexual harassment case. LCPS previously told that allegations aired in the media are 'false', but said due to their ongoing investigation they could not clarify which points were incorrect. 'To be absolutely clear: Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) would not investigate or discipline students based on their personal opinions, thoughts, or beliefs, provided those expressions do not violate policies prohibiting hate speech, discriminatory language, threats, or other forms of harmful or disruptive conduct,' the school said in a statement. 'However, LCPS does investigate and may take disciplinary action when student behavior violates LCPS' Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook for Families and Student Code of Conduct. 'Because this matter could result in discipline, LCPS will not discuss the specifics of the incident publicly. 'Student privacy is a fundamental right protected by both policy and law, and LCPS is firmly committed to upholding that principle without exception. 'Our decision not to comment on the matter should not be taken as license for any news organization to determine what the facts are without verification.' LCPS's policy allows trans students to use bathrooms and locker rooms based on their gender identities. But a board member Deana Griffiths told ABC 7 changes must be made to the rules to ensure all children feel safe and protected in schools. She said this problem stemmed from even creating an environment where biological males and females could share the same vulnerable spaces. 'What we are seeing and will continue to see, are the consequences of policies that have introduced confusion and conflict into spaces that were once clear and safe—especially for young children,' she wrote. 'The truth is, many of these issues would never have arisen if we had upheld the basic principle that boys and girls are biologically different.' Miyares' office is investigating the Title IX case at Stone Bridge High School. The U.S. Department of Education is also investigating LCPS and four other Virginia school districts for their policies allowing students to use private spaces based on identity not biological sex.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Trans student faces instant karma after filming 'sexual harassment' in the boys' locker room
A transgender student filmed three boys in a Virginia high school locker room who he claimed were bullying him for his gender identity. But his attempt to ostracize them backfired when parents of the accused tormenters and the state's governor questioned why the three boys were being filmed inside the locker room in the first place. Earlier this month, Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) launched a Title IX investigation after the trans student recorded a friend group that was uncomfortable with a biological female being in the changing room. Stone Bridge High School, where the video was taken, is probing the incident as a sexual harassment case. The video, obtained exclusively by ABC 7 on Friday, reveals what truly transpired in the locker room. The families of the teens accused of harassment were allegedly denied copies of the footage at first. As the video depicts, the transgender boy seemingly walks into the locker room with his phone in his pocket, sparking a reaction from the teens inside, prompting them to speak among themselves. 'There's a girl in here? There's a girl?' one boy is heard asking. About 30 seconds later, another boy adds, 'Why is there a girl? I'm so uncomfortable there is a girl.' 'A female, bro, get out of here,' someone says. Then, the trans takes his phone out of his pocket and point it directly at the students who were making the comments. Parents were finally able to obtain the video through the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO), which has the video because officers are investigating if the trans student committed a crime by recording minors in the dressing room. LCPS explicitly bans locker room recordings, but in an email to Wolfe, a representative allegedly told him the video did not compromise anyone's privacy. The parents have questioned why the student behind the camera is not being penalized for violating their privacy. 'I have a daughter that's in high school as well, and if there was a male in there videotaping her in the locker room, I would have issues,' Seth Wolfe, a father of one of the accused, told ABC 7. 'If it's my son and there's a female in the locker room videotaping, I have issues. Even if it was somebody of the same sex, I believe that this is an invasion of their privacy.' Wolfe also claimed the LCPS investigator tried to grill his son into confession to something he did not do. 'They didn't show us the video until after they had tried to get my son to say who said what and all this kind of stuff,' Wolfe told the outlet. 'But then once we saw the video, then we started asking about those context questions and how that can be left out. And they didn't really have a good answer for that.' 'I don't even think the Title IX investigation is justified,' Renae Smith, another boy's mothers, told ABC 7. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has released a statement expressing 'outrage' over reports that LCPS is investigating the three male students. 'It's deeply concerning to read reports of yet another incident in Loudoun County schools where members of the opposite sex are violating the privacy of students in locker rooms,' Youngkin said. 'Even more alarming, the victims of this violation are the ones being investigated - this is beyond belief.' He asked Attorney General Jason Miyares to look into the situation. A lawyer hired to represent the three boys, Josh Hetzler, told NBC4 these kinds of allegations can be detrimental to the futures of young men. 'These have a way of really stigmatizing them, especially when they're unfounded like this one,' he told the outlet. The latest to break their silence on the matter is Pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg. 'Enough is enough,' he said, addressing thousands of service attendees on Sunday. He urged congregants to show support for the boys' families and attend school board hearings about the sexual harassment case. LCPS previously told that allegations aired in the media are 'false', but said due to their ongoing investigation they could not clarify which points were incorrect. 'To be absolutely clear: Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) would not investigate or discipline students based on their personal opinions, thoughts, or beliefs, provided those expressions do not violate policies prohibiting hate speech, discriminatory language, threats, or other forms of harmful or disruptive conduct,' the school said in a statement. 'However, LCPS does investigate and may take disciplinary action when student behavior violates LCPS' Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook for Families and Student Code of Conduct. 'Because this matter could result in discipline, LCPS will not discuss the specifics of the incident publicly. 'Student privacy is a fundamental right protected by both policy and law, and LCPS is firmly committed to upholding that principle without exception. 'Our decision not to comment on the matter should not be taken as license for any news organization to determine what the facts are without verification.' LCPS' policy allows trans students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their identities. But a board member, Deana Griffiths, told ABC 7 changes must be made to the rules to ensure all children feel safe and protected in schools. She said this problem stemmed from even creating an environment where biological males and females could share the same vulnerable spaces. 'What we are seeing and will continue to see, are the consequences of policies that have introduced confusion and conflict into spaces that were once clear and safe—especially for young children,' she wrote. 'The truth is, many of these issues would never have arisen if we had upheld the basic principle that boys and girls are biologically different.' Miyares' office is investigating the Title IX case at Stone Bridge High School. The US Department of Education is investigating LCPS and four other Virginia school districts for their policies allowing students to use private spaces based on identity not biological sex.
