WDYT - Transgender woman in locker room

[hisno1girl]

www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2015/03/transgender_members_welcome_in.html#incart_river

MIDLAND, MI -- A Midland County woman's gym membership was canceled after she refused to stop telling fellow gym members "a man" was using the woman's locker room.

Yvette Cormier said the incident occurred Saturday, Feb. 28, when she entered the women's locker room at the Planet Fitness location at 701 Joe Mann Boulevard in Midland.

"I was blocked, because a man was standing there," Cormier said. "It freaked me out because, why is a man in here?"

Cormier said an employee at the front desk told her that the individual identifies as a woman.

After taking her complaints to Planet Fitness' corporate office, Cormier said she was told that the gym was a "no judgement zone" and they would not tell the individual in question to stay out of the women's locker room. The person has not been identified.

The slogan "Judgement Free Zone" is regularly used by Planet Fitness.

A statement released by McCall Gosselin, public relations director for Planet Fitness, states that members can use the locker room corresponding with their personal gender identity.

Cormier disagrees with the policy and feels it's a safety issue.

According to Cormier, she returned to the gym each day between Monday and Thursday. While there, Cormier said she told women in the locker room about the individual she observed in the bathroom the weekend before.

Cormier said she then got a call from Planet Fitness' corporate office telling her that she was violating their "no judgement" policy. She says they asked if she was going to stop talking to other women in the locker room and she said she would not.

Cormier said the representative told her she was no longer welcome at the gym.

The statement released by McCall confirms that Cormier's actions led to the cancellation of her membership, though the statement does not go into details of the situation.

Here is a look at the statement, in full:

"Planet Fitness 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 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."

"I feel it's kind of one sided," Cormier said about the policy. "I feel like I am the one who is being punished."

She feels Planet Fitness could provide a third locker room for transgender people.

The women's locker room offers private changing stalls and includes bathroom stalls with doors.

According to Alison Gill, senior legislative council for the Human Rights Campaign, the gym is within its rights to create a policy that welcomes members to use the locker room corresponding with their gender identity.

"They have that right," she said.

***********

Cormier feels it's a "safety issue" - yes, because ALL transgender women wan to attack other women.



Im glad they cancelled her membership. Good for PF, I say.

[jenikate]

I think Planet Fitness did good here. I'm glad they shut that lady down.

[EmilieMadison]

Good for PF. A transgendered person who identifies as female should absolutely use the women's locker rooms.

[underwaterrhymes]

Planet Fitness was absolutely in the right.

[zoidberg]

Good for them.

[pixy0stix]

In general, I find planet fitness to be a joke. In this case I think they're right.

[emoflamingo]

Well she is the only one being punished because she is the one acting like the asshole here.

[elleblue]

A third locker room for transgender people? Gtfo lady. Fortunately PF is doing the right thing in this situation.

[hisno1girl]

Mar 6, 2015 20:23:08 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

In general, I find planet fitness to be a joke. In this case I think they're right.

What's wrong with Planet Fitness?

[Mrs.Rad888]

Mar 6, 2015 20:28:32 GMT -5 elleblue said:

A third locker room for transgender people? Gtfo lady. Fortunately PF is doing the right thing in this situation.

Right? Because apparently "transgender" means......something that means they can all be lumped into the same locker room. Just like The Gays, you know!
I hope the transgender woman that the asshole was talking about knows that the gym totally stood behind her, as do plenty of people who don't even know her.

[zoidberg]

Mar 6, 2015 20:31:27 GMT -5 hisno1girl said:

Mar 6, 2015 20:23:08 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

In general, I find planet fitness to be a joke. In this case I think they're right.

What's wrong with Planet Fitness?

I didn't think it was THAT bad. The main issue is that they sell, like, 500,000 memberships for a facility that can hold 200 people TOPS at one time. So it's almost always so crowded that you can hardly use any of the equipment. Plus they don't have real squat racks.

But for the price it's hard to complain that much.

[justemily]

Kudos to PF!

[pixy0stix]

Mar 6, 2015 20:31:27 GMT -5 hisno1girl said:

Mar 6, 2015 20:23:08 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

In general, I find planet fitness to be a joke. In this case I think they're right.

What's wrong with Planet Fitness?

They're whole thing is "no judgement" and yet they install a "lunk alarm", removed all the free weights, and in general discourage doing anything more than lightly using the machines.

They've also told several women that they have to cover up or they have to leave.

www.nydailynews.com/news/national/pregnant-woman-told-cover-leave-planet-fitness-article-1.1769193

www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/03/too_fit_for_planet_fitness_woman_says_staff_said_her_toned_body_intimidated_others.html

The second link contains other instances.

[compassrose]

Go PF for standing up to assholes?

(Wtf-ing things mentioned in other posters)

[blink]

It's nice to read a company not being an ass for a change and treating people like people. Good on PF.

[zoidberg]

They still had some free weights when I went there, but that was years ago.

[killercupcake]

Mar 6, 2015 20:35:54 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Mar 6, 2015 20:31:27 GMT -5 hisno1girl said:

What's wrong with Planet Fitness?

They're whole thing is "no judgement" and yet they install a "lunk alarm", removed all the free weights, and in general discourage doing anything more than lightly using the machines.

They've also told several women that they have to cover up or they have to leave.

www.nydailynews.com/news/national/pregnant-woman-told-cover-leave-planet-fitness-article-1.1769193

www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/03/too_fit_for_planet_fitness_woman_says_staff_said_her_toned_body_intimidated_others.html

The second link contains other instances.

Don't forget pizza nights!

[birdistheword]

That lady is an asshole.

City Council in my town recently passed a law adding protection from employment/housing discrimination for LGBT individuals that also allows for transgendered people to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with. A group got enough signatures opposing this that it is going on the ballot next month to be voted on. Their argument? Pedophiles will pretend to be transgendered in order to gain access to the bathrooms of the opposite sex. You know, because the one thing holding back all the pedophiles out there was that they couldn't go into the women's restroom. People are idiots.

[pixy0stix]

Mar 6, 2015 20:36:53 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

What is a lunk alarm?

Apparently if someone grunts, drops weights, or sweats the alarm is hit and they're removed. I don't know if it works or not, but they're in the gyms.

[pixy0stix]

Mar 6, 2015 20:42:54 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Mar 6, 2015 20:40:36 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Apparently if someone grunts, drops weights, or sweats the alarm is hit and they're removed. I don't know if it works or not, but they're in the gyms.

Or sweats? What? You're not supposed to sweat in a gym? 

LOL! That last part was TIC, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone got bent out of shape about it.

So really, I can see why the woman in the article thought she could get away with complaining about who was in the locker room. PF has created that type of atmosphere.