Here is all you need to know about swimmer Abbigail Wheeler who is in the headlines for “hate speech” and here is why
A 16-year-old Illinois swimmer is being charged with “hate speech” after speaking out against biological men being permitted in the women’s locker room at a YMCA in Springfield.
Who is Illinois swimmer Abbigail Wheeler kicked off YMCA SPY swim team for speaking against transgenders in women sports and locker rooms
🚨KEEP WOMEN'S SPACES FEMALE🚨Thursday at 1pm CT we will be joining @ILFreedomCaucus for a Press Conference in support of 16-year-old Abbigail Wheeler who was forced to share a locker room with a biological male & then kicked off her swim team after she spoke out about it.… pic.twitter.com/MXLhX69BKv
— Independent Women's Forum (@IWF) July 12, 2023
At just 16-years-old Abbigail Wheeler was kicked off her swim team, banned from the YMCA, & accused of hate speech after voicing concerns when a biological male continued to use the women's locker room.
Listen to @Riley_Gaines_ message to her: pic.twitter.com/je70ZCR6vX
— IWN (@IWN) July 11, 2023
Abbigail Wheeler alleges that she was dismissed from the YMCA SPY swim team after she and a teammate posted banners that stated “Women’s Rights,” “Biological Women Only,” and “SafeSport” to warn other females that biological guys were nearby.
As per the Fox & Friends First, Wheeler said:
I went to my coach and gladly told him that I was a part of this, and he said that it was probably not the best option for me to swim with the swim team that night and that the YMCA staff would follow up with my family.”
However, according to the communications director for the local YMCA chapter, Wheeler left the group on her own, writing:
There have been a variety of false statements around the same issues circulated by the same individuals since the past May. In this version of the story, the statements that the swimmer was removed from the Y and prevented from participating in the swim team is false. She left the swim team and the YMCA on her own.”
However, Wheeler doesn’t agree with this that she left on her own stating the statement as “not true”. Meanwhile, OutKick’s Riley Gaines, an advocate of women in sports, said on “Fox & Friends First” that she is “proud” of Wheeler for speaking out.
According to Wheeler’s father, the argument started when she saw two biological guys in the women’s restroom in April of last year. According to reports, Wheeler and her family expressed their concerns about transgender players using the women’s locker room and addressed head coach Alex Totura and the CEO of the local branch to inquire about the rule, but they were told there was nothing they could do. Additionally, Wheeler’s father asserted that the YMCA denied requests to allow trans swimmers to use private restrooms and to email the entire swim team with an updated policy.