After Planet Fitness Sided With a Trans Customer, 17 Locations Got Bomb Threats

Mathew Rodriguez
·4 min read
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After a series of social media posts targeting the gym chain Planet Fitness, at least 17 locations throughout the United States have reported receiving bomb threats, according to watchdog group Media Matters for America.

Throughout March, the right-wing social media account, which regularly posts anti-LGBTQ+ content, led a campaign against the low-cost gym following an incident in a Fairbanks, Alaska, location in which a customer took video of a person in the women’s bathroom who they believed to be a trans woman. The person reported seeing “a man in women’s locker room shaving,” according to ABC 15 News, and posted the video to Facebook. Planet Fitness responded by banning the customer, Patricia Silva, for violating the company’s mobile device policy.

“As the home of the Judgement Free Zone, Planet Fitness is committed to creating an inclusive environment,” a Planet Fitness spokesperson said at the time. “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.”

Since Planet Fitness’s decision to terminate Silva’s membership, Libs of TikTok has published at least four social media posts targeting Planet Fitness, according to Media Matters. Between March 11 and March 15, the account posted four times slamming Planet Fitness, sharing screenshots of emails between Silva and the chain, and eventually calling for a boycott.

Following the initial coverage, the Fairbanks location reported a bomb threat on March 15, with subsequent threats throughout Rhode Island, several locations in Jackson, Mississippi, two locations in Connecticut, and six locations in Michigan.

Libs of TikTok’s posts culminated in the right-wing media covering the issue, including a March 20 Fox News broadcast claiming that the gym had lost $400 million in value since the incident, as well as OutKick (a Fox News-owned site) posting a story comparing Planet Fitness’s fate to that of Bud Light’s following the backlash the beer brand experienced for sending trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney a personalized can of lager.

Libs continued its laser focus on Planet Fitness, with subsequent posts claiming that the gym “discriminates against White people,” accusing it of “grooming kids,” putting “mentally ill men’s delusions before women’s safety,” and saying that it allows people to “act out s*xual f*tishes” in public.

Media Matters maintains an ongoing list of instances in which Libs of TikTok’s social media posts are followed by real-world consequences, including bomb threats, harassment at medical clinics, threats of violence, and threats against public drag events. The list currently includes at least 42 instances of threats or harassment at 33 institutions as of March 27.

The bomb threats against Planet Fitness come amidst increasing scrutiny over the influence of Libs of TikTok’s founder, Chaya Raichik. Despite splitting her time between California and Florida, according to the Washington Post, Raichik was appointed to the Oklahoma Library Media Advisory Committee by superintendent Ryan Walters, a former history teacher with an anti-LGBTQ+ record. Following the death of 16-year-old trans student Nex Benedict, Raichik has faced more scrutiny for her role in Oklahoma’s libraries, especially given that she has only been to the state once.

Oklahoma Parents Tell Libs of TikTok Founder Chaya Raichik to “Stay Out of Our State”

The open letter from LGBTQ\+ organizations and parents in the state condemns Chaya Raichik’s “dangerous obsession with spreading hate.”

In March, a collection of Oklahoma-based organizations wrote an open letter to Raichik demanding that she “stay out of our state.”

“We would like to express our anger and resentment at your decision to target young people in Oklahoma — our state, our home — as well as your dangerous obsession with spreading hate against the 2SLGBTQ+ community and youth,” the letter states. “Your attempt to strongarm local communities into policies that create a climate of hate, fear and violence undermines the rights and dignity of Oklahomans and our communities.”

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