SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A couple hundred people protested at the YMCA in Springfield Friday over its bathroom policy for transgender individuals.
They were supporting 16-year-old Abbigail Wheeler, who complained about the policy allowing people to use the locker rooms that align with their gender identities.
She said she felt uncomfortable when she saw a transgender woman changing.
“I did all the right things," Wheeler told CBS 3 Champaign. "I saw something that was obviously wrong and I told someone.”
She posted hand-made signs in the woman’s locker room. One read “men are not welcome here.” Another stated “Biological Women Only.”
Wheeler was suspended from the swim team and later quit. Her father, Dan Wheeler spoke in her support at the rally.
“I want you to know our family’s position,” he said. “It’s not whether a biological male is naked, whether a biological male is leering, whether a biological male has a camera out. It’s the fact that there’s a biological male in the girls locker room.”
The CEO of the YMCA said they’re not changing the policy, since it would be considered discrimination, according to CBS 3.
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