Transgender Woman’s Use of Women’s Locker Room Sparks Protest and Investigation in St. Louis
COLUMBIA, Mo – A transgender woman’s uses of the women’s locker room in a suburban St. Louis gym sparked a protest, a boycott plan, and requests for an investigation by the state’s politically vulnerable Republican attorney general, who quickly agreed.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the woman started going to the gym on Sunday.
According to the newspaper, a Republican state politician held a news conference outside the gym on Friday morning, and demonstrators gathered to denounce the fitness center.
“I have been contacted by a lot of people,” Rep. Justin Sparks told The Associated Press on Friday. He held the press conference but denied organizing the protests. Sparks represents a House district near the gymnasium.
According to Life Time spokesman Natalie Bushaw, the woman presented personnel with a copy of her driver’s license, which listed her as female.
AP inquiries for comment via Facebook to the gym member were not immediately addressed on Friday. She told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that a woman approached her in the sauna on Monday, telling her she was a man and didn’t belong there.
“The Missouri Human Rights Act prohibits sex discrimination,” Bushaw stated. “Therefore, the member is to use Life Time’s women’s locker room.”
Ellisville Police According to Capt. Andy Vaughn, the department got a report of alleged indecent exposure at the gym on Friday, and the investigation is ongoing. There have been no charges filed.
On Friday, Attorney General Andrew Bailey revealed that he is investigating the gym and wrote a letter alerting Life Time that its practices “are enabling potentially criminal behavior.”
“As Attorney General, I will vigorously defend and enforce Missouri’s laws,” Bailey wrote in a letter. “You face both potential criminal and civil liabilities.”
Missouri has not passed legislation governing transgender people’s access to public restrooms, and the state attorney general has limited jurisdiction to file criminal charges. This is normally left to local prosecutors.
Bailey highlighted a 2015 Missouri appeals court decision that found a man guilty of misdemeanor trespassing in a women’s gas station restroom.
In that example, the man locked himself in a women’s gas station bathroom and smoked smoke for several hours. He didn’t claim to be a woman or transgender, but he tried to hide his voice when staff ordered him to stop smoking.
Workers summoned police, who arrived and asked the man why he was using the female restroom.
“Appellant responded that he had to defecate ‘ really bad,’ ” according to the judgment. He was holding both lotion and a pornographic magazine.
Ellisville police said they are not pursuing suspected trespassing because the private gym allowed the member to use the women’s locker area. It is uncertain if a property owner can be penalized under Missouri law for allowing trespassers on their land.
On Tuesday, voters will decide whether to re-elect Bailey, who was chosen by Gov. Mike Parson or nominate Will Scharf as the Republican candidate. Scharf is part of former President Donald Trump’s legal team.
In the Republican-dominated state, the primary winner has a significant advantage in the November general election.