Dear Editor,

Gender Dysphoria is a rare, but real, medical condition that can sometimes necessitate sex reassignment surgery. Were this the group of people that the YMCA’s policy was designed to accommodate, there would be few issues. The policy, however, requires that anyone who merely tells staff that they “identify” as the opposite gender be allowed to use the facilities for that gender without restrictions.

I find it appallingly naive for the YMCA to ignore the fact that sexual predators (who far outnumber those who are transgender) will be taking advantage of this situation.

Let me be clear: those who are transgender pose no increased threat of sexual assault. However, the men (and it’s almost always men) who claim to be transgender to gain access to victims pose a very real threat.

Given that sexual predators delight in stalking their victims, restricting locker room/bathroom facilities by anatomical gender is not “discrimination on the basis of gender identity,” it is simply a reasonable safety precaution.

It’s going to be cold comfort to the victim of sexual assault or rape to be told that the “Y” was “just following the law.” (Or is that just following orders?)

I strongly urge everyone to read the following article by Kaeley Triller entitled, “A rape survivor speaks out about transgender bathrooms (There’s no way to make everyone happy about transgender bathrooms and locker rooms. So the priority ought to be finding a way to keep everyone safe.)” It can be found at bit.ly/1ZxwQGl.

Charles Ely

Bremerton, Washington