Planet Fitness’ stocks plummeted following an Alaska incident over which a woman lost membership over picturing what she described as a man shaving in a woman’s locker room.
The woman spoke up about the video
In a video posted by Patricia Silva, she claimed that not only was a man shaving in a woman’s locker room but there was also a 12-year-old-looking girl sitting near them in a corner. She said she felt offended, so she photographed the person shaving. The person said they were queer, Silva added.
The policy of self-reporting
The gym has a non-discrimination policy that states that all members and guests can use the locker room according to their chosen identity. The official policy is that if someone acts in bad faith, they will be asked to leave, and their membership will be canceled.
Calls for Bud Light treatment
After the Alaskan woman spoke about the incident and shared her allegations, some called for a Planet Fitness boycott. Some posted on social media that the fitness giant should get the Bud Light treatment. In 2023, Bud Light suffered historical losses following a one-time corporation with a transgender influencer, Dylan Mulvaney.
$400 million dive
Following the Fairbanks area incident, Planet Fitness’ stock price took a hit, and its market value plummeted. The stock went from $66 to around $56 in just over ten days. Overall, it was estimated that the company’s value dropped $400 million, with valuation going from $5.3 billion to $4.9 billion in five days, according to Daily Mail.
Silva’s membership was removed because she took the pictures
Planet Fitness shared with Fox News Digital that the woman violated the rule regarding posting images and videos of members on social media without their consent. The gym corporation confirmed that the person photographed was transgender. Silva said that she took the snap because she did not feel safe.
Planet Fitness wanted things to be resolved inside the house
According to the policy, if someone has issues with trans or non-binary members, they should address their concerns to a team member. If that does not resolve the problem, the company will ask the person to provide external evidence of their gender claims from the outside of the gym places.
Allegations against Planet Fitness
Libs of TikTok further shared on X a commercial by Planet Fitness alleging that the company was mocking women and adding everything was a joke to them. The account continued by writing in all caps that women are not safe at the Planet Fitness facilities.
Another incident from 2015
In 2015, a woman, Yvette Cormier, sued Planet Fitness for losing her membership after she reportedly complained about a transgender woman. The court initially ruled against Cormier, who appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals. The court of appeals dismissed the lawsuit. The case went to the Michigan Supreme Court and ultimately the Appeals Court for the State of Michigan, which found that Planet Fitness violated the Consumer Protection Act.
Another incident from 2023
In 2023, also in the Planet Fitness women’s locker room, a biological male was arrested after allegedly exposing himself to a teenager, 15. The girl was allegedly showering when the biological male approached her and did not stop harassing her until she left. The arrested man was 25 at the time, and he was reportedly using out-of-state membership and a fake name.
Musk and others joined the conversation
Elon Musk responded to the Libs of TikTok post and Robby Starbuck’s stock fall report. Starbuck, a former Republican Congress hopeful in Nashville, Tennessee, shared that the stock drop was 11.37 percent from the previous week. Musk commented it was “messed up.”
Calls for boycott continue
Oli London, an influencer, called women to cancel their membership, citing safety reasons. The influencer also commented on the drop in stock value, claiming it was due to the company letting males into women’s locker rooms.
The trans woman likely still has her membership
While Silva lost her right to the gym, it is likely that the transgender woman still has access to Planet Fitness facilities. It remains to be seen what actions Silva will take and what will happen to the value of Planet Fitness in the upcoming months.
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