An Alaskan woman faced the revocation of her Planet Fitness membership after capturing a photo of an individual with male anatomy in the women’s locker room. The incident unfolded at the Fairbanks location, where the woman recorded herself recounting the experience. According to Planet Fitness, the act of taking photos or videos in the locker room violated their policy, leading to the termination of her membership.
It seems this has had a big effect, as Planet Fitness’s stock price has taken a big hit. The market value has also plummeted, with stocks going from $66 to about $56 over the course of just 12 days.
The company’s market cap has also fallen around $400 million. The group has gone from $5.3 billion to about $4.9 billion in the course of just five days!
Planet Fitness, known for its Judgement Free Zone, emphasizes inclusivity. According to their gender identity non-discrimination policy, members and guests can use facilities aligned with their sincere, self-reported gender identity. However, a member violated the mobile device policy by taking photos in the locker room, resulting in membership termination.
Patricia Silva encountered an individual with male anatomy shaving in the women’s locker room. While acknowledging their desire to identify as a woman, she expressed discomfort with the situation.
Silva said there was a girl who “could have been 12 years old . . . in a towel kind of freaked out that there’s a man shaving in her locker room.”
Silva said the individual identified as “queer LGB,” thus believing “he had a right to be there.” Planet Fitness identified the individual as transgender in an email exchange with Fox News Digital.
Silva captured a photo of the individual because she felt unsafe. According to Planet Fitness policy, if there are serious doubts about a person’s transgender or nonbinary status, team members can address their concerns. If resolution isn’t reached, external evidence of asserted gender identity may be requested. However, the gym did not clarify whether the transgender individual violated any policy. In a Facebook comment thread, Silva mentioned that Planet Fitness allowed the person in the dressing room to retain membership.
Silva said she had received a call on Wednesday morning from the gym notifying her that they had canceled her membership.
“Planet Fitness is defending the man in the women’s locker room, the man with a penis, rather than the child in the corner with a towel wrapped around her,” Silva said.