Matt Bush, FISM News
A female lifeguard candidate in Jacksonville, Fla. who identifies as a male removed her top during the swimming portion of a training exercise at Cecil Aquatic Center, a local public pool.
The city received complaints about the incident and it is being reported that approximately 40 or 50 small children and parents were present and the nudity was “in clear view.”
#BREAKING: Transgender lifeguard in Jacksonville exposed her breasts at lifeguard training with 40-50 small children present, identified as "male"
Mayor @LennyCurry speaks out: "We shouldn’t force parents of young children to be caught in the crossfire of battles over wokeism.”
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) May 2, 2023
Two sources within Jacksonville City Hall told Action News Jax that, while the individual was not removed from the training session, she was not hired as a lifeguard for the city.
“This incident happened Thursday of last week at Cecil Pool. A transgender person, a female who identifies as male, removed their shirt exposing their bare breasts, and completed a portion of the training with 20 other trainees. While we cannot confirm the age of the individuals participating in the training, JaxParks recruits lifeguards starting at age 15. This occurred within view of several dozen children and their parents sharing the same pool at the same time,” the sources revealed.
Jacksonville Mayor and former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida Lenny Curry sent out a strong statement about the incident.
“Our parks and public pools are meant to be a place where families can feel safe to enjoy themselves. We shouldn’t force parents of young children to be caught in the crossfire of battles over wokeism,” Curry said. “After consideration of the incident, I believe it is wrong for our public pools to be a place where Jacksonville families are forced to explain to their children why a person hired to protect public safety is exposing her breasts.”
The training included 21 trainees ranging in age from 15 and older at the Cecil Pool
Curry: "It is wrong for our public pools to be a place where Jacksonville families are forced to explain to their children why a person hired to protect public safety is exposing her breasts."
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) May 2, 2023
The female lifeguard was part of a group of 21 lifeguard trainees, the youngest of which is 15 years old. The age of the transgender lifeguard is not known at this time.
The female lifeguard trainee reportedly did not attempt to cover her breasts during the swimming portion of the training and she had not had any surgery to remove or alter her breasts.
Cielo Sunsarae, the executive director and founder of Queer Trans Project, spoke with Action News Jax and told the station that she was disappointed in how the city handled the situation.
“This individual here was coming for a position to protect the children and people at the pool, they came here for one person and were denied for another reason completely not related to it,” Sunsarae said. “Kids don’t sexualize breasts, it’s the adults that are making it out bigger than what it is what is the difference if the person had top surgery or not?”
Sunsarae believes that there needs to be more education for city employees and the Jacksonville community about the LBGTQ community. Mayor Curry disagreed.
I see no reason for our lifeguards to be forced to make changes to existing rules mandating that biological females cover their chests. Our parks and public pools are meant to be a place where families can feel safe to enjoy themselves. We shouldn’t force parents of young children to be caught in the crossfire of battles over wokeism.