Planet Fitness Responds To Boycott Calls After Locker Room Incident: ‘Home To Judgement Free Zone’

Planet Fitness, one of the largest fitness club franchises, has broken its silence on the boycott calls raised against the gym chain on Thursday. Following a video that went viral online, the fitness giant faced criticism from users on social media. In the footage, a woman from Fairbanks was seen complaining about her revoked membership. The incident took place at the company’s Alaska Planet Fitness gym, where a ‘trans man’ was found shaving in the women’s locker room. The unidentified woman made the picture of the person public, which, according to the company, violated its ‘mobile device policy’.

The woman, an expelled member of the gym chain, posted a video online. In the footage that went viral within hours of its posting, she claimed that a minor girl was inside the locker room when the ‘trans man’ showed up.

Planet Fitness acknowledged the incident and confirmed that the woman’s membership was indeed revoked. In a response to TimesNow, McCall Gosselin, SVP of Communications at Planet Fitness, remarked, “As the home of the Judgement Free Zone, Planet Fitness is committed to creating an inclusive environment. 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.”

According to Planet Fitness, the member who posted on social media violated the company’s mobile device policy, which prohibits taking photos of individuals in the locker room. Gosselin added, “This resulted in their membership being terminated.”

Earlier, a video was posted on social media, following which ‘boycott fitness’ calls were made online.

“I came in Monday there’s a man in the women’s locker room shaving. A little girl sitting in the corner, she could have been 12 years old [age unclear] kind of freaked out that there’s a man shaving in her locker room. Well I was offended, I took a picture of him and I asked him why are you there? And he justified by saying I’m queer, and I said you shouldn’t be in the women’s locker room,” the woman who is a resident of Fairbanks in Alaska can be heard saying in the video.

The woman claimed that the incident happened on the second day of her joining the gym. In the later part of the footage, she went on to assert that she was ‘canceled’ by Planet Fitness for pointing out the issue. Her membership was revoked and the fitness chain was supporting the man instead of the female duo.

“I left and as I said this morning I got canceled. Planet Fitness is defending the man in the women’s locker room rather than the child sitting in the corner with towel wrapped around her,” she added.

No reliable source identifies the woman or the “trans-man” seen in the video. Following the video’s release on the popular Conservative account Libs of TikTok, a number of people began urging a boycott of the fitness business.