The Stephens Family YMCA in Champaign, Illinois, will host a disturbing program centered around the sexuality of young children.
To make matters worse, the supposed Christian nonprofit has partnered with an activist organization that is willing to provide "gender affirming" clothing to "any age."
The Stephens Family YMCA proudly boasts a diversity, equity, and inclusion policy on its website and says it is "prioritizing equity" in all that it does.
'Stephens Family YMCA is a nonprofit association committed to a mission of putting Christian principles into practice ...'
With a commitment to implementing DEI programs, the organization seems to be working in line with its mission statement with its 2025 summer camp called "Camp Kaleidoscope."
The summer camp is for "LGBTQ+ youth or youth who are part of LGBTQ+ families" and promises to provide children with a "safe space," where they can "experience character growth and development."
There are two four-day camps: June 23 to 27 for 2nd to 5th graders and July 14 to 18 for 6th to 9th graders. Both cost $250.
The goal of the camp, the guide states, is to let youth "who are part of the LGBTQ+ community to be authentically themselves."
The gay camp will run in collaboration with Uniting Pride of Champaign County, an activist group that provides sex- and gender-based literature aimed at children and cross-dressing clothing to "any age."
As reported by the Daily Wire, Uniting Pride openly says it will provide free chest binders, waist cinchers, or "tucking underwear" to "anyone of any age."
Chest binders are meant to flatten women's breasts to make them appear more masculine, while waist cinchers are to narrow a man's waist. Tucking underwear is meant to conceal a man's genitals.
The organization welcomes donations of used undergarments but requests they are in "generally good condition and be free of stains and scents of any kind."
Additionally, the organization offers "free sizing consultations" for the garments.
RELATED: Ex-NFL player rescues 80-year-old man from near-fatal beating in YMCA locker room
Uniting Pride also loans out gender ideology literature aimed at children. Titles include: "A Kids Book About Being Transgender," "Drag Teen," and "You Be You! The Kid’s Guide to Gender, Sexuality, and Family."
The pro-transgender organization is certainly a peculiar one for the Stephens Family YMCA to partner with given its mission statement that positions itself as a Christian nonprofit.
"Stephens Family YMCA is a nonprofit association committed to a mission of putting Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all," the website reads.
The location allegedly has a chapel, too. In late 2024, a local reporter from WCIA News reminisced about how she often spent time in the YMCA's chapel when she had two young children, bringing her kids there as she completed school work.
The nonprofit's mission statement is doubly confusing when taking some of the location's policies into consideration.
In the Stephens Family YMCA membership handbook, locker room policies state that all members will have access to "restroom and locker room facilities that correspond to their self-identified, self-reported gender identity to the extent permitted by applicable law."
Yet at the same time, parents with children of the opposite gender are to use the family locker room.
"The YMCA's prioritization of gender ideology over child safety ought to gravely concern any parent considering sending their child to summer camps or activities," Alleigh Marré, executive director of American Parents Coalition, said in a statement to Blaze News.
She added, "Children deserve activist- and agenda-free summer fun, and parents deserve transparency from the organizations they entrust to care for their children."
Stephens Family YMCA did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.
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A 21-year-old male has been found guilty of severely beating an 80-year-old in a gym locker room in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Authorities said the attack took place on March 1, 2024, at the YMCA at 28100 Farmington Road near 12 Mile Road, the Detroit News reported.
'And then I see the guy ... he grabs the back of the victim’s head by the hair, and he was about to slam it down on the counter.'
Police received a call about the attack around 10:45 a.m. and found the victim unconscious with severe facial injuries in the men’s locker room, the paper said, adding that medics took the victim to a hospital.
An Oakland County Circuit Court jury on Friday convicted Malik Ali Smith of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, the county prosecutor's office told the paper.
"The victim was left unconscious and bleeding, and he had to be hospitalized after this assault," Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a Monday statement, the paper added. "When we first brought charges, I said this was a vicious, senseless attack, and clearly the jury agreed after looking at the evidence. Their verdict will hopefully provide the victim a measure of justice."
Smith's sentencing is scheduled for May 27, the News said, citing court records. Smith faces up to 10 years in prison, the paper also reported.
During Smith's trial, witnesses and authorities testified that Smith and the victim exchanged words inside the locker room, the News said, citing the county prosecutor.
Former pro football player Braylon Edwards told WDIV-TV he heard the fight escalating.
“I walk into the locker room after work, and I hear some noise about four rows behind me; it was over ... someone playing music too loud,” Edwards added to the station. “So I’m not paying attention; it's none of my business.”
Edwards — a wide receiver who played eight seasons for four NFL teams as well as for the University of Michigan — noted to WDIV that "the noise escalates, and then you can hear some pushing and shoving — you know what fighting sounds like ... but once I heard a thud, that’s when I got up and turned around. And then I see the guy ... he grabs the back of the victim’s head by the hair, and he was about to slam it down on the counter.”
Edwards pulled Smith away from the 80-year-old, the station said.
Police said the assailant fled before they arrived, but they identified him from the YMCA's membership records and soon made an arrest, the News reported.
Smith's attorney, Mitchell Ribitwer, on Monday said he wasn't willing to comment at this time, the paper added.
You can view WDIV's 2024 interview with Edwards about the incident here.
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A mother said she and her 7-year-old daughter encountered a naked male with his genitals exposed in a female locker room at a north Kansas City YMCA earlier this month, WDAF-TV reported.
The mother told the station that she and her daughter had just finished swimming lessons, where she estimates hundreds of children were present, and had entered the women’s locker room to change.
'This is an issue of somebody showing their body parts to my child in a room where she should be safe from such things.'
The mother added to WDAF that she soon heard a man’s voice — and that as she and her little girl were leaving a stall, they saw a naked man with his genitals exposed.
When the concerned mom asked the male what he was doing in a female-only space, the mother recalled to the station that the male replied with something to the effect of, “Honey, I’m a woman.”
The mother and her daughter sprinted out of the locker room, WDAF said.
The mother — who spoke to the station Monday — added to WDAF that she and her daughter weren't the only ones who witnessed the incident.
Angela Bush — a YMCA member — told the station that "my 11-year-old does use that locker room, especially after we go to the pool. In there, you either have to use the closed-off showers or try to change as quickly as possible. It’s definitely shocking and something we’ll be looking out for a little bit more."
The YMCA of Greater Kansas City, the North Kansas City Police Department, and the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office have launched investigations, WDAF said.
The YMCA offered the following statement, the station said:
The YMCA of Greater Kansas City is aware of a reported incident in the locker room at the North Kansas City YMCA on April 12, 2025. We continue to investigate the incident and are unable to provide further details at this time. We also are cooperating with the North Kansas City Police Department as they conduct their investigation. The safety and well-being of all of our members is a priority, and we take this concern seriously.
We follow all state and local laws, and individuals are allowed to use the locker room or restroom that they identify with. At the North Kansas City YMCA, we also have four private universal changing rooms available, separate from the larger shared locker rooms, for anyone who prefers the privacy they offer.
To ensure all Y members’ standards of privacy are respected and safety is prioritized when using any of our shared locker rooms, members are asked to wear a towel, wrap or other clothes at all times, which is communicated to members when they join in our Member Handbook.
The North Kansas City Police Department confirmed that it's investigating a report of an April 12 indecent exposure at the YMCA but did not share further details, WDAF said.
The mother — who wishes to remain anonymous to protect her family — added to the station that it's not an issue of gender identity: “This is not a case of transitional status. This is an issue of somebody showing their body parts to my child in a room where she should be safe from such things."
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A member of the popular 1970s band the Village People is grateful to President-elect Donald Trump for making the group's classic tune "Y.M.C.A." great again.
In a lengthy Facebook post on Monday, 73-year-old Victor Willis — the self-described "singer and writer of the lyrics" for "Y.M.C.A." — claimed that he has "benefited greatly" from Trump's use of the song at his campaign rallies.
"Y.M.C.A. was stuck at #2 on the Billboard chart prior to the President Elect’s use," Willis wrote. "However, the song finally made it to #1 on a Billboard chart after over 45 years (and held on to #1 for two weeks) due to the President Elect’s use."
Willis added that the "financial benefits" have been nice too, claiming that the song has grossed "several million dollars" since Trump began playing it.
'I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of Y.M.C.A. And I thank him for choosing to use my song.'
Willis was not always fond of Trump using the song. Four years ago, Willis asked him to stop, claiming that the complaints he had received about the song's use during Trump events had become a "nuisance."
However, there were some complications associated with asking Trump to cease using the song. For one thing, Willis admitted, the Trump campaign had "every right" to continue playing the song at rallies, despite Willis' misgivings, because it had "obtained a political use license from BMI," a performance rights organization.
Additionally, Willis' view on the subject began to soften after he realized that Trump seemed "to genuinely like Y.M.C.A." and was "having a lot of fun with it," he said. At that point, Willis said he "didn’t have the heart to prevent" Trump from continuing to use the song, especially since so many other artists had withdrawn their works from his rally playlists.
Now that "Y.M.C.A." has become a hit once again on account of Trump's rallies and iconic dance moves, Willis, who supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, has fully changed his tune. "I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of Y.M.C.A. And I thank him for choosing to use my song," he wrote.
In his post, Willis also took issue with people calling "Y.M.C.A." a "gay anthem," calling that label "misguided" and even "defamatory." Though Willis acknowledged that some members of the Village People are gay and that gay men may have met up at their local Y to engage in unsavory "activities," the song was never about gay people or a gay lifestyle.
"When I say, 'hang out with all the boys' that is simply 1970s black slang for black guys hanging-out together for sports, gambling or whatever. There’s nothing gay about that," he explained.
"Get your minds out of the gutter."
Willis, who has been married to his second wife for 17 years, even threatened to take legal action against any outlet that refers to "Y.M.C.A." as a "gay anthem," beginning next month.
He believes that, if anything, "Y.M.C.A." is popular because of its "appeal to people of all [stripes] including President Elect Trump."
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Former NFL wide receiver Braylon Edwards made a potential lifesaving rescue of a senior citizen who was being beaten in the locker room of a Michigan YMCA over a disagreement.
Edwards said he was in the locker room at the YMCA in Farmington Hills, Michigan, when he overheard a 25-year-old man and an 80-year-old man having an argument, which soon turned physical.
"I walk into the locker room after work, and basically, I hear about four rows behind me arguing about music and how it was being played too loud," Edwards told Click on Detroit. "So I’m not paying attention, and I was just minding my business."
The former Cleveland Browns and New York Jets player added that once he heard a troubling sound, he decided to investigate.
"The noise escalates, and then you can hear some pushing and shoving, so you know what fighting sounds like, but once I hear a thud, that’s when I got up and turned around," Edwards continued. "Then I see the guy, for what I was thinking was reaching for a phone underneath the victim, grabs the back of the victim’s head by the hair, and he was about to slam it down on the counter."
According to reports, the 25-year-old was beating the elderly man, with law enforcement officials telling Edwards that if he hadn't stepped in, the senior most likely would have died.
"If you hadn't stepped in at that critical moment, this man he could have been killed," reporter Shawn Ley told Edwards.
"I didn’t know it was that serious, I mean the victim probably had a serious concussion by nature, but it wasn’t until I talked to Detective Jacobs down in Farmington, who told me that if I didn’t step in ... but at the end of the day that’s what you do," Edwards explained.
\u201cLIFE SAVING MOVE\u201d\n\nOn Friday morning, the heroic acts of Michigan legend Braylon Edwards saved a man\u2019s life. \n\nHere\u2019s the story via @Local4News— (@)
The unidentified 25-year-old initially fled on foot, causing police to direct local schools to go into lockdown procedures as a precaution until the suspect was found. The suspect was apprehended and remained in custody with no further updates from local outlets.
The victim was recovering in a hospital, and Edwards said that he hoped to meet him once he was released.
"People go to work out, they have a good time, they live 80 years, and this isn't how they expect for something to maybe take their life," Edwards commented, stressing the need to protect elders. "My mom, my grandmother, my father ... in that moment when you come back home, these are the people you think about."
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An Ohio man was charged earlier this year for exposing himself to multiple women, in one instance with little girls present.
While the presiding judge in 31-year-old Darren Glines' case determined there was "no question that Glines was in the women's locker room," he ultimately let the transvestite off the hook because of the YMCA's gender identification policy and the transvestite's giant gut.
TheBlaze reported in February that Glines was charged in Xenia Municipal Court with three counts of public indecency for exposing himself in September, November, and on a third occasion with kids present — all fourth-degree misdemeanor charges.
A Greene County mother told WLWT that she was "upset" and "shaken," after Glines, of Fairborn, allegedly exposed his penis to her and her 13-year-old and 16-year-old daughters in one of the reported instances.
Despite having an intact penis, Glines allegedly told the concerned mother that he was in fact a woman.
The mother reportedly found no help from the director of the YMCA, who indicated that Glines and men like him couldn't be stopped from entering women's spaces.
The YMCA of Greater Dayton refused to bar the male patron from the once female-only space.
"Under no circumstance will we investigate an individual’s birth identity and then assign individuals to locker rooms. That would be counter to the law, counter to respect for all people and it is not who or what we are as an organization," the organization said in a statement.
The organization told WLWT that "Greater Dayton YMCA adheres to Ohio and Federal laws and antidiscrimination laws which allow all members access to its facilities and programs, regardless of religion, national origin, race, color, sex, age, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation."
Hopes that Glines might be held to account were dashed on April 28 when Judge David McNamee cleared Glines in Xenia Municipal Court, noting that the YMCA permitted him to be in the women's locker room and his gut likely covered his penis, reported WHIO-TV.
"There is no question that [Glines] was in the women’s locker room. However, [Glines] was not charged with trespass, nor was [Glines] charged with being in an area of the YMCA where [Glines] was not supposed to be," McNamee wrote, citing permission provided to Glines by Fairborn YMCA executive director Jacqueline Brockman.
Glines' activist attorneys Lauren and Keara Dever argued that in addition to having the permission to parade around naked in the women's locker room, it is "fair to say that the whole genital area was covered by body fat."
McNamee appeared to agree, writing, "Glines' genitalia was not visible as a result of other portions of her body covering same."
Reduxx reported that Glines weighs over 350lbs.
RedState indicated that two precedents are set in this case: "First, if a man is so fat that their genitals can’t be clearly seen, then it’s apparently fine for them to get naked in front of little girls at a YMCA. ... Further, it is now apparently acceptable for a man to get naked in front of little girls as long as the degenerates at the front desk of an establishment give him permission to enter the woman’s locker room."
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'Our letter highlights the urgent need for an investigation into the YMCA’s federal funding since the organization continues to allow for radical gender policies that violate Title IX.'
'Mimicking president-elect Donald Trump's dance moves looks dumb in the moment,' read a recent op-ed in USA Today.
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