A biological female who identifies as a transgender man was rejected from a position as a lifeguard after she removed her top and exposed her breasts during tryouts in front of a crowd of "several dozen children" at a pool.
The incident occurred late last month at a trial session for lifeguards at the Cecil Aquatic Center in Jacksonville, Florida. According to the City of Jacksonville, a group of 21 applicants ages 15 and older were taking part in a swimming part of the training.
The City of Jacksonville provided Action News Jax with a statement over the incident (via Action News Jax):
“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.”
Two sources within city hall told the news outlet that the transgender person was not hired for the job.
Cielo Sunsarae, the executive director and founder of the Queer Trans Project, told Action News Jax that “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?”
Reportedly, the city received many complaints over the incident. The city told the outlet that they did not have the total number of complaints.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, a Republican, issued a statement about the incident (via Action News Jax):
“Through a citizen expressing concerns, my administration became aware of an incident where a biological female trainee in a lifeguard program was topless at one of our public pools.
“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.
“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.”
This week, Florida Republicans passed legislation to ban transgender people from entering bathrooms that do not correspond to their biological sex. The bill is headed to DeSantis’ desk for final approval, along with several other bills surrounding the transgender issue.