My kids are on a summer swim team at a local pool. My oldest son (teenager) came out last Friday morning and asked if it was illegal for a woman to go into the boys locker room. I told him that while I don't know if it's specifically illegal, it's just something that is NOT. DONE.
The situation: the little kid practice had just ended. His practice had already ended so he just went in to use the restroom. He was coming out and said that there was a mom who opened the door to the boys locker room and said to a little boy, "Did you find your goggles?" Then she even took a step INSIDE the boys locker room. My middle son also saw the woman in there. Neither child knew who the woman was or who the child was; just the color of his hair. Oldest said he kind of gave her a look but didn't say anything b/c he didn't know if he "could".
I emailed the club president and the head swim coach Friday morning and never got a response from either. (Not happy about that--not getting even an acknowledgment--but reserving judgment for now.) Monday morning, I asked the head coach if she'd gotten my message. She said she hadn't heard from club president, and that no, the woman shouldn't be going in there, but she couldn't really do anything without knowing who it was. I asked if she could put something in the weekly newsletter, and she said she'd try to think of a tactful way to word it.
Fast forward to today, and something made me watch the entrance to the boys locker room. Sure enough, I see a woman go over to the entrance (door was already open; don't know why) and she was obviously talking to someone inside. I heard the child's name that she said. It was somewhat distinctive, so I found the head coach and told her and pointed out the woman. Both kids also thought that the woman in question looked like the woman they saw last week. Told the coach that I had actually witnessed her looking in the boys locker room. She said thanks and told me that she would have a chat with her.
Hopefully, this is now done. (Incidentally, I told my oldest that if he ever saw a woman in the boys locker room again, he could yell a loud but polite "Get out! Women can't be in here!" or something like that.) In the email and when talking to the coach the first time, I said that the reaction would have been a LOT different if the genders had been reversed and a man had opened the door of the girls locker room. But still, regardless, this should NOT have happened.
There are no family locker rooms at this pool. But still, it's in the mid-high 80s. Beautiful weather. If you can't trust your kid alone in the locker room, you keep him with you; he doesn't NEED to change there, or do anything except go to the bathroom. If you need help, you get a male employee/coach to help. You, as a woman, do NOT get to go into an opposite gender locker room. Right?
But seriously (assuming I'm right), who would think this is OK?