Planet Fitness is reportedly already feeling the impact of a boycott sparked by a controversy involving a biological man in the women’s locker room.
The national gym chain opted to ban a member in Alaska after she photographed a transgender-identifying person shaving in the women’s locker room. The company said Patricia Silva had violated their Judgement Free Zone policy and its gender identity non-discrimination policy.
Planet Fitness said in a statement that while people may be ”uncomfortable” sharing a locker room with transgender-identifying people “discomfort is not a reason to deny access.”
“Our gender identity non-discrimination policy, states that members and guests may use the gym facilities that best align with their sincere, self-reported gender identity,” the statement continued as reported by The Pink News. “The member who posted on social media violated our mobile device policy that prohibits taking photos of individuals in the locker room, which resulted in their membership being terminated.”
According to Fox Business, the company’s value has dropped from $5.3 billion to $4.9 billion in the days since Silva’s post went viral. The $400 million loss comes after conservative personalities called for a boycott similar to the mass avoidance of Bud Light after its controversial partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. There are over 2,000 Planet Fitness locations.
In a video posted to Facebook on March 11 describing the incident, Silva said she confronted the person and said he was “invading” her space.
“I just came out of Planet Fitness. There is a man shaving in the women's bathroom. I love him in Christ,” Silva said, per The Daily Mail. “He is a spiritual being having a human experience. He doesn't like his gender so he wants to be a woman, but I'm not comfortable with him shaving in my bathroom. I just thought I'd say it out loud.”
“I stepped out of the locker room and loudly asked the front desk, 'Are you aware that there is a MAN shaving in the women's bathroom… I'm not OK with that,'” she continued. “The two men standing at the desk, put their heads down, and their tails between their legs! As I was walking out the door…at my back, a woman shouts 'it's a girl'… I shouted back 'it's a man!'’” Woman trying to protect girl from male in Planet Fitness gets her membership cancelled.
WOW. Planet Fitness is standing by their decision to allow men in women's locker rooms.
Patricia Silva, the Planet Fitness customer, said, "I just came out of Planet Fitness. There is a… pic.twitter.com/oBi4KmW1AO
— 🦅 Eagle Wings 🦅 (@CRRJA5) March 17, 2024
Planet Fitness has stood by its transgender accommodation policies for almost a decade. In 2015, the gym chain terminated a Michigan woman’s membership after she expressed concern about a biological male using the women’s locker room. A New Hampshire man was charged in 2019 after reportedly threatening to kill a biological male who identified as a transgender woman and used Planet Fitness’s women’s facilities.
LibsofTikTok, an X account that shares progressive content from social media, posted an old Planet Fitness commercial touting its gender-identity-based locker room policies.
“They make a mockery of women. It’s a joke to them,” the post reads. Holy shlit! This is an actual Planet Fitness commercial. They really don’t know which locker room men and women are supposed to use. They make a mockery of women. It’s a joke to them.
WOMEN ARE NOT SAFE AT PLANET FITNESS!!
Their own policies even proudly state that men can use… pic.twitter.com/e6bGn8sWrj
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 21, 2024
