Planet Fitness, the American franchise that owns and operates over 2,500 fitness centers across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, is the latest brand to find itself embroiled in political controversy.
*Content warning for transphobia and misgendering.*
Planet Fitness calls itself a “judgment-free zone” where all are free to work out, and the company recently demonstrated their commitment to that value. Last week, a Planet Fitness spokesperson told The National Desk, Patricia Silvia, a Planet Fitness member in Fairbanks, Alaska, photographed another Planet Fitness member while in the women’s locker room. Silvia told the fellow fitness club member that they needed to leave the women’s room and didn’t belong because they were a man, to which the other person responded that they were transgender. Silvia decided to take to various social media platforms to discuss the experience, which she presented as unjust and unsafe. Silvia’s video also mentions a child in the changing room, but the child seems not to actually be Silvia’s relative.
Planet Fitness’s spokesperson also said, “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 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.”
In response to this incident, Planet Fitness has revoked Patricia Silvia’s membership, as taking photos of another gym member in the locker room was a clear violation of their privacy policy—the actual violation that occurred here, despite Silvia’s seeming belief that a transgender person using the same locker room as cisgender women is a problem. Silvia is using this experience to try to gain some celebrity. Taking to the internet and local media sources, she’s describing herself as “canceled” by a company and policy that, in her purported view, endangers women and children. It bears repeating that Silvia was the one taking pictures of other people in a changing room, as she accuses others of some kind of inappropriate behavior on the basis of simply existing and following a business’s policies.
Also joining in the outrage online, Elon Musk responded to an X post about the incident with an exclamation point. Utah gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman also amplified the post, accusing Planet Fitness of not honoring women’s rights. Right wing Fox News political commentator Tomi Lahren is now calling for people to “Bud Light” Planet Fitness, referring to last year’s boycott of Bud Light after the company collaborated with transgender influencer Dylvan Mulvaney on a simple social media post, a boycott that ultimately cost the company a 28% decrease in annual sales. Planet Fitness seems to be facing a similar fate—again, for ejecting a member who recor as the company’s stock experienced a steep decline after the call for a boycott.
(featured image: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)
