Julie Jaman wins case after Washington state YMCA banned her for speaking out against trans staffer in girls’ locker room

Julie Jaman, 82, was ejected from the facility in 2022 for hate and discrimination after she objected to the trans male staffer allegedly observing minor girls in a female-designated changing room. Jaman, a 30-year patron at the pool, filed a civil rights complaint against the City of Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula YMCA, alleging that her constitutional rights were violated when she was permanently banned from the Mountain View Pool for speaking out about the safety of young girls. The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Jaman will receive $65,000, including legal fees paid to the Center for American Liberty (CAL), which represented her, under the terms of the settlement. Additionally, the City of Port Townsend has agreed to remove unflattering information about Jaman from its website, "further underscoring the baselessness of the actions taken against her," the CAL said in a press release.

"This case was never just about one woman being banned from a publicly owned pool, it was about the fundamental right of every American to speak truth without fear or retaliation," said Mark Trammell, CEO of the Center for American Liberty. "Julie Jaman bravely stood her ground, endured attacks on her character, and today's settlement affirms that government officials cannot silence dissenting voices through intimidation or retribution."

In July 2022, Jaman was taking a shower in the women's locker room when she said she became startled after hearing a male voice. Jaman went to investigate the noise and allegedly witnessed the trans male employee watching underage girls change out of their swimsuits, she told Komo News. Jaman quickly ordered the employee to leave the locker room, asking him if "he had a penis," and filed a complaint with YMCA managers, who sided with the staffer and banned Jaman from the pool for hatred and discrimination.

Jaman was the target of an ongoing character assassination campaign after expressing her concerns during a Port Townsend City Council meeting a few days after the incident, with Mayor David Faber indirectly accusing her of hatred and bigotry at the time. A women's rights activist organization planned a rally in favor of Jaman, which was attacked by far-left extremists, including Antifa.

Mayor Faber, who has a history of controversy, showed his support for the violent radicals and praised them for shutting down the permitted rally at a city park. While Jaman claims to have endured years of unfair treatment by both the city and the local YMCA, she received an outpouring of support from like-minded people across the country, some of whom have hailed her as a hero for championing women's rights.

"I never imagined that expressing concerns about the safety and privacy of women and girls would lead to me being shunned and banned," Jaman said in a press release. "I'm grateful that justice has been served and that my voice was heard. This is a victory for common sense, women's rights, and the right to speak the truth."