Planet Fitness recasts gender ID policy following photo of alleged male in women's locker room

Plant Fitness changed its description of its gender identity policy in responses to questions Friday about why the budget fitness club revoked the membership of a female customer for having taken a picture of a male in a women's locker room who allegedly called himself "queer."

The fitness chain confirmed to Just the News it revoked the membership because the female member violated its "mobile device policy that prohibits taking photos of individuals in the locker room" and posting them on social media.

However, the response appears to be raising more questions than answers.

Planet Fitness separately told a member at its Appleton East, Wisconsin facility, who also complained about finding an alleged male in the women's bathroom, that all members including those who identify as transgender can use locker rooms and programs "based on their self-reported gender identity," according to a message posted on X by conservative-leaning Libs of TikTok.

The controversy started when Libs of TikTok posted a video from a female Planet Fitness member at its gym in Fairbanks, Alaska, reacting to an alleged male in the locker room claiming to be "queer."

In a subsequent video the woman said a girl "sitting in the corner, she could have been 12 years old ... in a towel, [was] kind of freaked out" by the apparent male.

The woman also said the person told her, "I'm queer, LGB."

Planet Fitness canceled her membership, the woman said.

She said she would "probably" report the facility to the police for creating an "unsafe space" and called on women to "stand up and have a voice and stop these shenanigans."

The Planet Fitness response to the woman at the Wisconsin facility also stated, "where possible," its clubs should maintain "private changing areas" within the sex-specific areas "for the comfort of all members."

However, in the response Planet Fitness corporate gave Just the News it added the word "sincere" to the phrase "self-reported gender identity," a term taken from requests for religious exemption from mandates such as COVID-19 vaccination.

"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," according to the statement from Chief Corporate Affairs Officer McCall Gosselin.

"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," Gosselin said.

Spokesperson Barb Alfonso did not answer a followup seeking an explanation of how Planet Fitness judges the sincerity of self-identified gender identity.