A Planet Fitness member who was banned for complaining about a transgender woman shaving in the female locker rooms has claimed that person now has a staff escort into the bathrooms and the gym has told other critics to back off.
Patricia Silva was barred from the gym in Alaska after she detailed an incident online where she said she saw a transgender woman in her locker room.
The gym doubled down on its decision and said although some members may feel uncomfortable sharing facilities, ‘This discomfort is not a reason to deny access to the transgender member.’
Backlash against the ban say the company’s valuation to plummet $400 million in five days.
Silva told The New York Post the trans woman is still using the female locker room and has assistance from staff while they are in there.
‘He has an employee who is assisting him in the bathroom,’ Silva said. ‘My friend said to his accompanied Planet Fitness rep that he needs to leave.’
Patricia Silva, was banned from the Planet Fitness after posting about a trans woman using the female locker room, said that person now gets an employee escort to into the bathrooms
Silva said the employee who told her friend that complained about that person still using the women’s locker room ‘if you are uncomfortable you can go into a stall’
According to Silva the employee, ‘told my friend that if you are uncomfortable you can go into a stall.’
‘Another friend of mine went to that gym the other day and he was in there — shaving his face again,’ she said.
‘He is dressed as a man. His hair is cut short. It appeared that he was dressed, shaving his face and getting ready to leave for the day.
Silva posted a video describing her experience at the gym on Facebook in early March.
She said she had just finished working out at Planet Fitness’ Fairbanks location, when she saw the person, whom she called ‘a man with a penis,’ carrying out his routine in front of a 12-year-old girl.
Silva, who has previously run for Fairbanks Borough Assembly, told the ‘trans woman’ they should really be using the male locker room. The trans woman replied that they were ‘LGB.’
Silva then took a picture of the person and shared it online and recounted her experience in a Facebook video: ‘I just came out of Planet Fitness.
‘There is a man shaving in the women’s bathroom. I love him in Christ. He is a spiritual being having a human experience.
‘He doesn’t like his gender so he wants to be a woman, but I’m not comfortable with him shaving in my bathroom. I just thought I’d say it out loud.’
Silva – who has shared QAnon conspiracy theories on social media – also described the encounter in a written post online.
‘I went to planet fitness… Walked in the bathroom, and there stands a MAN shaving… I looked at him, said ‘hey’ … he looked up… and I said, ‘You are a man shaving in the women’s bathroom, and I am not OK with that.’
‘He replied… ‘Well, I’m LGB…’
‘Whatever that is… nevertheless, I told him ‘You’re a MAN and you’re invading my space!’
‘He wanted to argue to justify why he can be there… I walked away…
‘I stepped out of the locker room and loudly asked the front desk, ‘Are you aware that there is a MAN shaving in the women’s bathroom… I’m not OK with that ⁉️’ The two men standing at the desk, put their heads down, and their tails between their legs! As I was walking out the door…at my back, a woman shouts ‘it’s a girl’… I shouted back ‘it’s a man!”
Former Planet Fitness gym goer Patricia Silva has defended her reaction in a series of Facebook postings
‘PF cancelled my membership and allowed the pedo to stay ‼️,’ she stated.
Planet Fitness revoked Silva’s membership and filed a police report against her, citing her violation of gym policy by taking photos and/or videos in the locker room.
Her actions clashed with the gym’s commitment to ‘creating an inclusive and safe environment.’
Planet Fitness’ statement shared by Libs of TikTok followed the same line. They doubled down on their decision.
In their statement, the gym said that the staff should ‘work with members and employees to address this discomfort [sharing facilities with transgender members] and to foster a climate of understanding consistent with the Judgment Free character of Planet Fitness.’
The statement continued: ‘Planet Fitness staff shall strive to address transgender members with names, titles, pronouns, and other terms consistent with their self-reported gender identity, if reasonably known to the Planet Fitness staff.’
The statement said that ‘a transgender woman shall be referred to by her preferred name and female pronouns.’
And a ‘transgender man shall be referred to by his preferred name and male pronouns.’
It concluded that the gym ‘reserves the right to terminate a person’s membership immediately for any violation of this policy.’
When DailyMail.com contacted Planet Fitness about their policy, they reiterated their statement issued after Silva went viral.
‘As the home of the Judgement Free Zone, Planet Fitness is committed to creating an inclusive environment. 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,’ it read.
‘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.’
Yvette Cormier, a Michigan woman who had her membership with Planet Fitness cancelled nine years ago, told DailyMail.com on Thursday that she saw a lot of parallels between her case and that of Patricia Silva.
She offered her support to Silva and joined conservative calls for a boycott, as she did in 2015 when she complained about seeing a transgender woman in the women’s locker room in Midland.
The gym said although some members may feel uncomfortable sharing facilities, ‘This discomfort is not a reason to deny access to the transgender member’
Backlash against the ban say the company’s valuation to plummet $400 million in five days
Cormier sued Planet Fitness for invasion of privacy, sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract and emotional distress.
Silva lost but an appeals court found the gym violated the Consumer Protection Act by not properly informing members that transgender women would be allowed to use the women’s restroom, the Detroit Free Press reported in 2018.
‘That’s the purpose for having a men’s and women’s locker room, for the men to go into men’s and women to go into women’s,’ Cormier told DailyMail.com.
‘I suggested early on to have a unisex bathroom, and then people who are transitioning or you know, whatever, could use that bathroom.’
In her case, she said, the person in question, who was never identified, was not transgender. She claimed he was a ‘pervert’ man who had a history of stalking women around town.
‘He liked women and that was his way to get in there,’ Cormier said. ‘He was mental and he stalked women. He got kicked out of our mall for stalking a woman at a jewelry story, and he also approached roller derby girls asking them to have sex.
‘I’m surprised other people haven’t been raped or children molested,’ she continued. ‘That’s what’s going to keep happening eventually if you keep allowing this.’