Robert D. Love DOWNTOWN YMCA - Greater Wichita YMCA — Attraction in Wichita

I have been a loyal member of the ymca for as long as I can remember. Have even attended pre K at the YMCA, I also applied to be a lifeguard which I turned down due to the schedule not working with me being in college and it has been a place where I felt welcomed and included. Recently however I had an experience at the downtown Robert D Love YMCA that made me feel otherwise.

I started going to the downtown location because I love the area, and up until now, I have never experienced any form of discrimination. Unfortunately this changed when I had an encounter with a manager named Isabel. The incident began when Isabel confronted me about my swimsuit, a bikini that I have worn numerous times over the years without issue. I even have a picture of the exact bikini that I wore which should have been allowed at the swimming pool because it was not a thong, it was a bikini.I have never had any problem with any lifeguard regarding this swimsuit before even other swim managers.

Despite the fact I had been wearing the swimsuit for years, Isabel singled me out and criticized my choice of attire. I immediately acknowledged her concerns, apologized, and assured her that I would not wear the swimsuit again. However instead of accepting my apology, Isabel continued to yell at me, disrespecting me in front of everyone at the pool, including my mother. Her aggressive behavior made us feel so uncomfortable that we decided to leave the pool early.

What made this situation even more troubling was that while Isabel was focusing her attention on me, there was a couple nearby who were engaging inappropriate behavior- Making out and behaving suggestively in front of children. Despite their behavior, Isabel chose to target me, who was minding my own business, away from the children. Leads me to believe that her actions were not merely about enforcing rules but were driven by discriminatory motives, particularly racial biases.

I have been coming to this gym multiple times per week for years, and I have never had any problems until this encounter with Isabel. Her actions made me feel targeted and unwelcome, and I strongly believe that her behaviors was not only unprofessional but also racist and discriminatory.

This experience has left me deeply hurt and disappointed, and it has shattered the sense of belonging I once felt at the YMCA. I hope that by bringing this issue to light, steps can be taken to ensure that no one else has to endure the same treatment I did. If I get no response on here on how things are going to change, I will also write it on Google reviews and yelp. I don’t think this is something that should be quiet because no one should feel discriminated at a place where everyone is supposed to feel welcomed when they pay for this monthly to be welcomed.

The head manager does not even care and has not even got back to me on the subject. She also threatened to kick me out because of my swimsuit or when I looked at the family swimming pool rules for all of the YMCA’s it said nothing was wrong with my swimsuit to begin with. The only rule for bathing suits was that it could not be cloth material and you cannot wear T-shirts or shirts. Another rule on there that I noticed that did pop out was no intimacy...

The Y's Mission Statement reads: "Our Mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that promote healthy lifestyles, strong families, and positive youth development to build healthy spirit, mind and body for all, regardless of ability to pay."

Christian principles - nice if they are practiced. I wonder how this in the Mission Statement advertised principles are being practiced: How would you feel, if your daughter does volunteer work for a known organization on a cold , snow flurry/rain mix winter evening, dressed in a shirt, which shows the name of the organization she volunteers for, tactical pants and boots, holding a stethoscope in her hands, asking for not more then a 20 minute shelter time for her ride to pick her up, since her program was being shortened due to bad weather and being given just 10 minutes to stay warm in the main lobby? She even offered ID to proof, that she was until recent a member of the Y and to look it up, that she was telling the truth. How would you feel as a parent, if this would happen to your child, that even a stranger was offering her (female Y member) to wait in her car for the ride to arrive, because she felt sorry for my child in this environment and did NOT understand three people behind the counter not being busy and being engaged in personal business.

When asked for a written statement about, how principals and mission statement are working together - I got the typical answer:

Call we are happy to discuss - did I ask for a discussion? And what would this discussion really do? And I wonder why a written statement was being refused to be given?!? How can I send another kid of mine into programs from the Y, if they fail tremendously at one Christian...

Pros: -Fully equipped workout rooms with everything you could ever want from free weights to ninja gyms. -large classrooms for yoga, self defense, cycling, etc. -Indoor pool, hot tub, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY... Sauna AND steam room! Not all locations boast this availability and this is the main reason I come here often. -Basketball courts, squash and racket ball courts, -Kids area

Cons: -This is the exact location that the pedophile was fired from. However, since then extra security measure have been enacted to prevent this from being possible again. -Location, location, location! Although conveniently placed for local residents, this part of Wichita is known for it's danger. There are a lot of gang-related activities on Broadway, but mostly just homeless and prostitutes. I have personally never felt threatened when attending this location. -If you are incredibly insecure then you may want to steer clear of the weight room. Lotta jacked people making you look horrible and feel horrible about your self may not be great for your self-esteem. However, personally, I use this to my advantage and let the peer pressure motivate me to become jacked like them. -really, there are no major cons that I seriously consider as factors that would effect my 5 star rating of this location. The staff has always been there for me, and the common-folk have a "we're all in this together" mentality.

Get a membership here if you can afford it. The income-based membership fees make it feasible for...