Planet Fitness increased its membership prices for the first time since 1998, weeks after the struggling company banned a gymgoer for reporting a transgender woman shaving in the female locker room.
The woke gym is hiking the price of its base-level membership from $10 per month to $15 per month starting this summer.
Current members are grandfathered in at the $10 per month price point ‘for the duration of their membership,’ the company revealed in its Thursday earnings report.
Planet Fitness also said it will start testing higher prices this summer for the Black Card, its top-tier membership. Customers with the Black Card can access any Planet Fitness location, as well as to digital content and other benefits, for a starting price of $24.99 per month.
Planet Fitness missed revenue expectations for the first quarter, following its valuation being cut by a whopping $400 million over a mere five day period in March.
Planet Fitness is increasing the price of its base-level membership from $10 per month to $15 per month starting this summer.
Patricia Silva, pictured, was banned from Planet Fitness after taking a picture of a person claiming to be a transgender woman in the female locker room
Patricia Silva spotted this alleged male-to-female transgender individual shaving in front of a young girl at the Planet Fitness in Fairbanks, Alaska, and complained. Planet Fitness refused to reverse her ban
The massive wipeout in its market cap – from $5.3 billion on March 14 to $4.9 billion on March 19 – came after Patricia Silva was barred from an Alaska Planet Fitness for sharing on Facebook that a trans woman was in the women’s locker room.
Silva described the person as ‘a man with a penis,’ adding that the person was working out in front of a 12-year-old girl. She took a photo of the person and shared it.
‘There is a man shaving in the women’s bathroom. I love him in Christ. He is a spiritual being having a human experience,’ Silva said.
‘He doesn’t like his gender so he wants to be a woman, but I’m not comfortable with him shaving in my bathroom. I just thought I’d say it out loud.’
She recounted her experience in the locker room in a written Facebook post.
She apparently cut the person off before they could say they were LGBT, and said, ‘You’re a MAN and you’re invading my space!’
A stunning graph depicts the tumble Planet Fitness’ market cap underwent following the social media backlash to Silva getting banned from the gym. Its market cap rebounded since and is currently larger than $5.5 billion
Former Planet Fitness gym goer Patricia Silva has defended her reaction in a series of Facebook postings
Pictured: Planet Fitness CEO Craig Benson
Planet Fitness has hired progressive new CEO Colleen Keating who is known for pushing DEI-based hiring. She’s due to take over in June
Planet Fitness – headed by interim CEO Craig Benson – revoked Silva’s membership and filed a police report against her, citing her violation of gym policy by taking photos and/or videos in the locker room.
Even when the backlash hit a fever pitch and its stock was going into freefall, Planet Fitness refused to reverse their decision to ban Silva. Shares have rebounded more than 15 percent since March 19.
Planet Fitness continued to have controversies as a result of its ultra-inclusive philosophy.
In early April, a man allegedly entered the women’s locker room of a North Carolina Planet Fitness and paraded around naked in front of women.
Christopher Allan Miller, 38, was arrested for doing this. He claimed to be a woman to gain access to the female facilities. There was no indication that he identified as a transgender woman prior to the incident, and his Planet Fitness membership listed him as a male. He also had a beard.
Planet Fitness hired a new CEO in April, Colleen Keating, who’s known for pushing diverse hiring practices.
Keating will take over as chief executive on June 10, following a seven-month search to find a successor after former CEO Chris Rondeau stepped down.
