ILLINOIS, CHICAGO: A 16-year-old Illinois teenager claimed she has been accused of "hate speech" after she voiced against biological males identifying as transgender women being allowed in the locker room allotted for girls. Abbigail Wheeler who was part of a swim team was banned following the incident in April.

The teenager claimed she was kicked out after she and a teammate tried alerting other girls that biological males were in the female-only areas by putting up signs that read "Women’s Rights," "Biological Women Only," and "SafeSport." The US non-profit organization 'SafeSport' authorized by Congress aims to end physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in sports.

Who is Abbigail Wheeler?

Abbigail Wheeler is a swimmer on the Springfield YMCA SPY swim team which she is now being banned from. Talking to Jeanne Ives, an Illinois-based podcast hoste, Wheeler's father said the 16-year-old noticed a couple of transgender individuals sitting in the girl's locker room and received no help from the head swim coach Alex Totura to whom she informed the situation.

At the monthly meeting which was conducted after a few weeks, parents also tried to grab the attention of the concerned authorities into the matter but the local branch's Chief Executive Officer Angie Sowle also responded to them saying no action could be taken in the situation. Parents requested asking trans individuals to use the private bathrooms and also to inform the swim team of the policy through an email. However, their requests were denied by the YMCA, according to Fox News.

Head coach laughingly ignored Wheeler's concerns

A planned parent meeting over the situation was abruptly canceled and the head coach laughingly ignored Wheeler's concerns later, she and her teammate put up the protest signs in the area. Wheeler's coach accused her of "hate speech" after she told him she made the protest signs. The teen's father claimed that she was "not allowed to participate with the swim team and was asked to leave the pool area."

Riley Gaines responds to Wheeler's issue

Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines took to Twitter to share a story on Wheeler saying her older sister also had a similar experience previously with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. "16-yo girl banned from YMCA and kicked off her swim team for opposing a naked male in their locker room. And to make matters worse, her older sister had to go through the exact same thing with Lia Thomas. But it's 'not really happening'…." Gaines tweeted. For the 200-yard NCAA freestyle championship in 2022, Gaines tied with Thomas for the fifth position.

Addressing the issue, the Springfield YMCA denied claims of Wheeler being banned and stated the teen left on her own accord. "The statement that the swimmer was removed from the Y and prevented from participating on the swim team is false. She left the swim team and the YMCA on her own," stated a YMCA spokesperson.