Planet Fitness drops 15% after canceling woman's membership over locker room photo incident with trans person

Planet Fitness, the popular fitness chain, has seen its stock price plummet by approximately 15% in less than two weeks following a controversial incident at one of its Alaskan locations. The company reportedly canceled a woman's membership after she photographed what she described as a "man in the women's locker room."

According to the New York Post, Planet Fitness's stock price stood at $66.92 on March 7, but by March 19, it had fallen to $56.46, marking a significant decline in the wake of the incident.

The controversy began when Patricia Silva, a Planet Fitness member, posted a Facebook video in which she recounted her experience at the gym. "Good day. I just wanted to say I came out of Planet Fitness and there is a man who is shaving in a women's bathroom," Silva said in the video.

"I realize he wants to be a woman; he gets to be a woman; I love him in Christ. He's 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 shaving in my bathroom. All right, just thought I'd say it out loud."

Silva also shared a detailed account of the incident on social media, as reported by the Daily Mail. In her post, she described confronting the individual in the locker room and expressing her discomfort with their presence. Silva wrote that she informed Planet Fitness staff about the situation but felt they did not adequately address her concerns.

On March 13, Silva revealed that she had received a call from a Planet Fitness representative named Samantha, who informed her that the company had decided to cancel her membership. Silva claimed that Planet Fitness had chosen to "defend the man with the penis" rather than "protect youth girls and women 12 years and older that enter the women's locker room."

In response to the incident, a Planet Fitness spokesman defended the company's decision to cancel Silva's membership, stating, "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. 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."