ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — He’s not even old enough to dress himself, but a Volusia County mom said her toddler was kicked out of a bathroom at a popular family gym and she still doesn’t know why.
Bethany Johnson and her 16-month-old baby got the boot from the Ormond Beach YMCA bathroom while she was changing his clothes after swimming lessons, a routine she said she cleared with gym managers.
“An employee came in to tell me that I’m not allowed to have my son in there,” Johnson said. “I asked him specifically which locker room I should be using.”
A week after that conversation, Johnson said another employee told her she and baby Stinson had to leave.
They were told to instead use a bathroom reserved for female guests aged 18 and younger.
“They are protecting the adults' environment and not the children’s environment,” Johnson said. “I think their guidelines and policies need to be a little more clear-cut.”
The membership handbook she received says children older than age five must use a gender-appropriate locker room and that locker rooms are for all ages.
Channel 9 learned rules may vary at each location. Some YMCAs forbid children under 16 to use adult locker rooms.
Channel 9 called a Y spokesperson five times to clarify which policy parents and children should follow and why the rules contradict each other.
The only response received was an email, saying each location makes its own rules.
When asked if she thinks she was kicked out over a gender-related issue, Johnson said that’s still unclear because the YMCA hasn’t responded to her messages.
Johnson said the facility has no family bathrooms.