Alleigh Marré, executive director of the American Parents Coalition, told Newsmax on Wednesday the Trump administration might need to threaten withdrawing the more than $600 million in federal funds awarded annually to the YMCA in order for the nonprofit to follow Title IX protections for women and girls.
Last month, Marré filed a Title IX complaint with the departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development outlining how YMCA affiliates across the country are allowing biological males in girls locker rooms, bathrooms, and overnight cabins. Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal funds.
When asked whether pressure from the Trump administration could force the YMCA's hand, she was quick with her response. "I would certainly hope so," Marré told "Finnerty" "I mean, I grew up with a YMCA that was a phenomenal place for me to go after school every day and play basketball. And so, there is a legacy of it being a wholesome place for enrichment opportunities for kids.
"And I think they certainly could return to those roots, but it's going to require someone to have a spine and a backbone and to stand up for what's right. And unfortunately, it does look like that's going to have to be the threat of the removal of the federal funding that they rely on in order for that to happen because clearly they're very aware of the problem. They're very aware of the lack of support for these policies, and they're choosing to just hide them."
In April, a mother and her young daughter reportedly were exposed to a naked man in a women's locker room at a YMCA in Kansas City, Missouri. The individual reportedly said something like, "Honey, I'm a woman," when the girl's mother inquired why he was in the locker room.
That YMCA told WDAF-TV in Kansas City that "individuals are allowed to use the locker room or restroom that they identify with," but that "members are asked to wear a towel, wrap, or other clothes at all times."
In 2023, Rebecca Phillips, 17 at the time, saw a nude biological male showering in the women's locker room at the Cameron Family YMCA in Santee, California, near San Diego.
"I was just showering after my morning workout, and I heard a distinctly male voice," said Phillips, who appeared with Marré on "Finnerty." "You know, there was no doubt in my mind that there was a man in the locker room. So, I stuck my head out, and I saw what was very clearly a man's backside naked. And I hid in the shower until he was gone."
Marré thanked Phillips for her bravery in sharing her story, adding that it shows the YMCA is "clearly" not abiding by Title IX guidelines, which the Biden administration changed in April 2024 to protect sexual orientation and gender identity. A federal judge in January tossed out the changes, finding they violated the Constitution and were the result of arbitrary and capricious agency action.
"The YMCA nationally receives $600 million in taxpayer funds, and any federal funding requires them to comply withTitle IX, which by Rebecca's story, they clearly are not doing," Marré said. "And we've seen that policy and those recommendations reflected on the national brand's website until our organization came forward and told our members, our parents, to beware of this as they signed their kids up for summer camps, enrichment programs, and childcare. And then magically, within 24 hours, they deleted or removed all of those pages that said that from their website."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.