Class Action Describes YMCAs as Homosexual ‘Brothels’
A married couple claim in a class action that YMCAs, which advertise themselves as safe for families, with “Christian values,” are actually “brothels” for homosexual men “cruising” for sexual relationships, who subject members to unwanted advances.
In his complaint in Buncombe County Court, Michael Keister claims he is one of many YMCA members who were victims of sexual assault and unwanted advances at YMCA facilities.
Keister and his wife, Susan Lewis-Keister, sued the National Council of the Young Men’s Christian Association of the United States of America dba YMCA of the USA, YMCA of Western North Carolina and five North Carolina YMCA centers.
In a second complaint, Keister seeks damages for negligence and infliction of emotional distress from YMCA of Western North Carolina.
In the class action, Keister, of Asheville, says he decided to buy gym memberships for his family at the local YMCA “because of the YMCA’s image as a safe place for families and children and as [a] place that champions Christian values, such as decency, kindness, and fairness.”
But Keister says the YMCA misleads customers through its marketing campaigns, cultivating a false image of places with “high ethical standards and Christian values,” when in fact they tolerate “cruising” for homosexual relationships and allow members to be subjected to unwanted sexual advances.