Arab American Family Services opposes sharing of lockers and bathrooms at Stagg High School. | Awake Illinois / X
Arab American Family Services opposes sharing of lockers and bathrooms at Stagg High School. | Awake Illinois / X
The controversy over gender-neutral bathroom and locker facilities at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School has raised concerns within the Arab American Family Services (AAFS) and the local community.
Disagreements regarding the shared facilities have prompted discussions and a call for action by AAFS.
Awake Illinois, in a post on X, highlighted AAFS’s stance on the matter.
“Arab American Family Services disagrees with males & females sharing bathrooms/lockers @StaggHighSchool,” Awake IL posted on X.
“’We strongly stand against this-it’s against our religions, faith & culture & negatively touches our values. We believe we’ve been sold to the devil by these organizations.’”
“They meet tonight in Palos Heights at 7pm.”
Arab American Family Services hosted the meeting on Oct. 3 at the Hyatt Center in Palos Heights.
Prior to meeting the group released a larger statement in both English and Arabic.
“Last week, it came to our attention that Stagg High School activated gender bathroom/locker issue. We attended the school board meeting which we got a promise to meet both superintendent and the principal to discuss the issue. Since then, we had no success, the reason given to us that AAFS and the mosque are approving the situation for now until farther discussion which is unacceptable to us.”
“We strongly stand against this action because it’s against our religions, faith and culture and negatively touches our values regardless of what our organizations feel or think. We believe we’ve been sold to the devil by those organizations.”
“Therefore, we will be holding a special meeting to discuss a movement to reverse that. This meeting is for everyone who stands with us and reject changing gender bathroom/locker matter anywhere. We will raise our voice and stand strong against whoever supports it.”
The issue echoes outrage earlier this year over the expulsion of swimmer Abbigail Wheeler from a Springfield YMCA and her swim team after she complained about having a biological male use the women’s facilities.
Wheeler, a 16-year-old swimmer, was the focus of a July 13 press conference in Springfield.
The issue at hand revolved around a recent incident in which Wheeler was required to share a swim locker room with men at the YMCA.
“I was made to feel as though I was in the wrong,” Wheeler said, Sangamon Sun reported. “I was made to feel as though there was something wrong with me feeling uncomfortable changing in the women’s locker room where biological men were being allowed to undress in the same space as me and my underage teammates.”
Wheeler was later removed from her swim team for raising concerns.
“If biological males don’t want to change in front of other biological males – then let them change by themselves in a gender-neutral bathroom,” Freedom Caucus Chairman State Rep. Chris Miller (R-Charleston) said in support of Wheeler, according to East Central Reporter.
“If it is wrong to require biological males to change in front of other biological males because they are uncomfortable then why is it OK to disregard the feelings and concerns of biological women who don’t want to share their private spaces with naked men.”
“Of course, the only solution the radical left will allow is the one that forces young women to share their locker rooms with men.”
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