Skip to content

Julie Jaman vs. transgender people

Julie Jaman is an American anti-transgender activist. Jaman became a celebrity among other anti-trans activists after being banned from a local swimming pool for asking a trans employee to leave the sex-segregated changing area.

Background

Julie Jaman was born in March 1942 and is a resident of Port Townsend, Washington. Mountain View Pool is a City of Port Townsend facility operated in partnership with the Olympic Peninsula YMCA.

According to reports, Jaman verbally abused 18-year old pool employee Clementine Adams, whose job was to help supervise a group of young swimmers:

Three weeks ago, that employee was doing her job of supervising a group of kids when a patron named Julie Jaman began to hurl increasingly aggressive transphobic remarks at her. Other employees told Jaman to leave, but she later returned to picket the facility. Conservative media picked up the story, people started threatening YMCA employees, and now the entire facility has had to temporarily close due to those threatening messages.

Baume (2022)

According to Jaman:

Showering after my swim at Mt. View Pool, I heard a man’s voice. Peeking out I saw a man in a woman’s bathing suit watching little girls pull down their swimsuits In order to use the bathroom. “Get out of here,” I said.

This is the incident that caused a Y staff person to condemn me as discriminatory and banned me forever from using the pool – the pool with binary changing areas that my family has supported and used for 35 years. I sense I have arrived at the center of this topsy turvy world.

Jaman (2022)

Jaman quickly became part of the anti-trans outrage cycle, appearing in anti-trans publications Quillette, Feminist Current, New York Post, Daily Mail, Fox News, Rebel News, and Washington Times. The pool and YMCA soon received harassment and threats, and a right-wing militia staged a protest.

Adams, who is a college student majoring in elementary education, was supported by the facility and the city. A GoFundMe to help Adams with transition costs raised over $20,000.

References

Farberov, Snejana (August 16, 2022). 80-year-old who was banned by YMCA for confronting trans worker gets heckled at rally. New York Post https://nypost.com/2022/08/16/woman-heckled-at-rally-after-confronting-trans-ymca-worker/

Wood, Jeremy (September 21, 2022 ). Mountain View Pool did the right thing, Julie Jaman has the chance to do the same | Guest Viewpoint. Port Towsend Leader https://www.ptleader.com/stories/mountain-view-pool-did-the-right-thing-julie-jaman-has-the-chance-to-do-the-same-guest-viewpoint,86822

Segall, Peter (September 8, 2022). Port Townsend City Council continues to hear about trans issues. Peninsula Daily News https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/port-townsend-city-council-continues-to-hear-about-trans-issues/

Anti-trans coverage

Jaman, Julie (July 28, 2022). Censored: Men’s Eyes in Women’s Shower Room. https://www.porttownsendfreepress.com/2022/08/04/censored-mens-eyes-in-womens-shower-room/

Murphy, Meghan (August 28, 2022). Julie Jaman asked a man to leave the women’s change room and was banned from her community pool. Feminist Current https://www.feministcurrent.com/2022/08/28/julie-jaman-asked-a-man-to-leave-the-womens-change-room-and-was-banned-from-her-community-pool/

Kay, Jonathan (August 12, 2022). Podcast # 195: Meet the 80-Year-Old Feminist Who Got Banned From the YMCA for Protesting Male Bodies in the Women’s Locker Room. Quillette https://quillette.com/2022/08/12/podcast-195-meet-the-80-year-old-feminist-who-got-banned-from-the-ymca-for-protesting-male-bodies-in-the-womens-locker-room/

Resources

GoFundMe (gofundme.com)