Planet Fitness Revokes Woman's Membership After Transgender Complaint

[spuwho]

Per ABC News

A Michigan woman's Planet Fitness membership was revoked after she complained about a transgender person in the women's locker room.


Yvette Cormier, a 48, said she was walking into the Midland Planet Fitness locker room last Saturday when she saw someone "dressed like a man."

The person was wearing a wig and "a little bit of blush," but was "huge" and appeared "very manly," Cormier told ABC News today.

"I just stopped right there in my tracks," she said. "It was a man for sure."

Cormier, who had been a Planet Fitness member for two months, said she went to the front desk immediately. The man at the desk told her that Planet Fitness policy is "whatever gender you feel you are, that's the locker room you're allowed to go in," she said.

"And then he said, 'We've had lots of complaints about him but we told him to go change in a stall,'" Cormier said.

"He said, 'if you're uncomfortable with that you can wait until he's done in there,'" she said. "I stood back and said, 'How about he waits until I'm done in the women's locker room. Or get a unisex bathroom.' He asked if I would like to talk to the manager and I said, 'I'm calling corporate.'"

When she called the corporate offices, she said, someone there confirmed that the person at the front desk was correct about Planet Fitness policies.

"I wouldn't have signed up for this gym if I knew that ahead of time," Cormier said, adding that the gym is "failing to protect me if anything happens in those locker rooms with a man."

She said she went back to the gym the next few days and "told everyone in the locker room what happened." She said everyone she talked to "was appalled."

On Thursday, Cormier said, Planet Fitness Corporate called and revoked her membership immediately.

"They said, 'You are talking to people about him in the women's locker room. You are making people upset.' That's my whole point," she said. "I'm telling them and warning them because you are not doing that. You allow men in there, and we are appalled by it."

Planet Fitness Director of Public Relations McCall Gosselin said the gym is "committed to creating a non-intimidating, welcoming environment for our members. Our gender identity non-discrimination policy states that members and guests may use all gym facilities based on their sincere self-reported gender identity."

The statement continued, "The manner in which this member expressed her concerns about the policy exhibited behavior that management at the Midland club deemed inappropriate and disruptive to other members, which is a violation of the membership agreement and as a result her membership was cancelled."

Gosselin added, "As our statement outlines, her membership was not cancelled as a result of complaints about our policy, as we welcome all feedback from our members. Rather, it was the manner in which her concerns were expressed that club management felt was inappropriate, which resulted in the cancellation."

[Tacachale]

Michigan? This has what to do with Jacksonville?

[carpnter]

I don't care what your "gender identity" is, you have man parts you use the men's locker room and restrooms.

[spuwho]

Michigan? This has what to do with Jacksonville?

8661 Old Kings Rd S
Jacksonville, FL
(904) 443-6200


Cobblestone Crossing,
2771 Monument Rd
Jacksonville, FL
(904) 997-2071


7628 103rd St
Jacksonville, FL
(904) 900-1651

[Adam12]

Way to go Planet Fitness! I wish we had that kind of courage in Florida!

[Tacachale]

They should just get one of these:

[David]

This does leave open a loophole though. What if a man is feeling extra pervy one day and just want to hang out in the ladies' locker room?

They can just say "hey, I feel like a woman, so that's why i'm getting naked with you ladies!"

Personally i'm weirded out by all locker rooms no matter the sex of who's around. I just can't get naked around strangers or deal with naked strangers around me while changing.

Which is exactly why I go to Anytime Fitness. Nice private bathrooms... ahhhhhh.

[Overstreet]

It is taking the "non-judgemental" zone a bit to extremes.

[WarDamJagFan]

Just another case of PC overkill.

[finehoe]

If Ms. Cormier disagrees with her health club's policies, she is free to vote with her wallet and join another gym.

[Gunnar]

I don't care what your "gender identity" is, you have man parts you use the men's locker room and restrooms.

Agree. I'm totaly fine with a man feeling like a woman or vice versa, but you also have to respect a woman's right to not want to see d**k in the women's dressing room.

One way to solve this issue would be offering unisex dressing rooms for those who so feel inclined.

[finehoe]

Yeah, the right-wing narrative from a few years ago was that straights and gays using the same showers would totally destroy the military.

[Gunnar]

I don't care what your "gender identity" is, you have man parts you use the men's locker room and restrooms.

Agree. I'm totaly fine with a man feeling like a woman or vice versa, but you also have to respect a woman's right to not want to see d**k in the women's dressing room.

One way to solve this issue would be offering unisex dressing rooms for those who so feel inclined.

I think the  new ruling makes all dressing rooms defacto unisex.

And I can't imagine the paradox in a person with a gym membership who doesn't want to see other bodies.  I know, i know....its a penis and all, but seems like its a little dissonant.

I agree that a unisex dressing room would probably be a good move in the short term however.  But you might remember that a decade and a half ago, there was a lot of hoopla about openly gay men using men's dressing rooms in public spaces, because you know....they might see the peens of 'straight' guys and therefore you know....chaos.

and the end of liberty.

Well, a penis is a penis... no matter who it's attached to.

As for going to the gym - I go there to try and somewhat improve my body, not to look at the others'.

Then there's this: