Planet Fitness, a well-known gym chain, is at the centre of a heated dispute about its policy that lets transgender people use the locker room of their choosing. A viral video showed an angry member accusing the firm of letting “men” into women’s locker rooms. This caused a lot of anger and calls for boycotts.
The member’s outburst video went viral, which led Planet Fitness to cancel her membership but let the transgender person keep visiting the gym.
Planet Fitness lets anybody use the locker area that matches their gender identity. The company does, however, stress that members must not behave in bad faith, or they risk losing their membership.
Planet Fitness has lost a lot of money because of the criticism. The stock price of the corporation fell from $66 to about $56 in 12 days, which was a big loss of market value. In just five days, the company’s market capitalisation has dropped by over $400 million, from $5.3 billion to $4.9 billion.
Planet Fitness’s stock price is $108.70 as of June 28, 2025, and its market capitalisation is $9.15 billion. The stock has a “Strong Buy” recommendation from analysts, who expect it to reach $105.69 in 12 months.
The incident shows how hard it is for businesses to find a balance between being open to everyone and being sensitive to different points of view. Some consumers have been angry, while others probably liked that the company was dedicated to making everyone feel welcome ¹ ².
