Lake County Gazette

Gurnee parent Melanie Finch is advocating for concerned residents to pay attention to the case of a high school swimmer in Springfield who protested a biological male using the women's dressing room during her swim meets.

The Illinois Freedom Caucus and the family involved held a press conference on the outrage on Thursday, July 13, at Rotary Park in Springfield.

“Let’s hope and pray that there are as many courageous community members—including pastors, coaches, and lawmakers—in attendance at this press conference to publicly support these brave families as there were at the Wheaton Park District Board of Commissioners meeting,” Finch, a Gurnee resident and parent, said on Facebook.

The issue revolves around a recent incident where a high school girl allegedly was 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.