A transgender woman’s use of her preferred locker room at a Life Time Fitness outside St. Louis has prompted massive outrage from the community.
The woman joined the gym last Sunday. By Friday morning, there was a protest gathered outside the fitness center. A spokesperson for the gym said the staff was shown a copy of the member’s driver’s license that identified her as female.
The woman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she was approached in the sauna by another member who accused her of being a man and said she, “did not belong there.” The woman has not commented further.
Related: What Can be Learned From the Planet Fitness Locker Room Controversy
After that confrontation in the sauna, the Ellisville police received a report of alleged indecent exposure. The state’s republican attorney general and other republican lawmakers were also alerted to the problem. State Representative, Justin Sparks, joined Friday’s protest outside the gym for a press conference.
“I have been contacted by a lot of people,” Sparks told KCTV 5, in reference to the locker room confrontation.
The attorney general, Andrew Bailey, agreed with Sparks in a statement. He said, “I will vigorously defend and enforce Missouri’s laws. You face both potential criminal and civil liabilities.” Bailey posted a similar statement on X, warning the fitness center that its policies enabled criminal behavior.
However, not everyone agrees with Sparks and Bailey’s interpretation of events. The spokesperson for Lifetime Fitness said in a statement, “The Missouri Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, therefore, the member is to use Life Time’s women’s locker room.”
There is no official law in Missouri regarding a transgender person’s use of locker rooms and public restrooms. And, despite the statements he has released, the attorney general does not have full authority to press charges against the fitness center or the member.
The issue of locker room use in the transgender community is far from decided. This incident in St. Louis is only the most recent, and as more states pass laws regarding locker room and public bathroom use, gym goers can expect to see a wide range of responses from club owners, members and politicians.
