A national gym chain that touts its “non-intimidating” environment revoked a Midland, Mich. woman’s membership, claiming she violated its “No Judgement Zone” policy by telling other gym-goers about an incident in which she believed she encountered a man in the locker room.
Yvette Cormier said she was “stunned and shocked” when she entered the Midland, Mich. Planet Fitness gym’s locker room last Saturday and encountered someone she said looked like a man but who actually self-identifies as a woman.
“He looked like a man. He did not look like a woman,” Cormier told Flint’s WNEM.
“I was blocked, because a man was standing there,” Cormier said. “It freaked me out because, why is a man in here?
A flustered Cormier went to the gym’s front desk staff and told them a man was in the locker room. An attendant informed her the person was not a man, but a transgender woman.
'This is very unprofessional. This is very scary,” said Cormier, who did not know the gym’s policy on the matter at the time.
She then made her concerns known to the gym’s corporate office.
“They told me the same thing, that he was allowed in there because that’s the sex he wants to be,” Cormier said.
Cormier attended the gym Monday through Thursday this week and told other women in the locker room about her encounter. She told WNEM that she then received a phone call from Planet Fitness’ corporate office.
She said she was asked her if she planned to stop talking with others at the gym about the incident in the locker room. When Cormier said she would not she was informed that her membership was revoked.
A statement released by the nationwide workout chain indicates that Cormier was banned because she violated the fitness chain’s “Judgement Free Zone” policy. Planet Fitness’ statement reads:
""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. In expressing her concerns about the policy, the member in question exhibited behavior that club management deemed inappropriate and disruptive to other members, which is a violation of the membership agreement and as a result her membership was canceled.""
http://dailycaller.com/2015/03/07/judge ... oom-video/
