People are calling for a boycott of Gold’s Gym after a lesbian woman accused another gym-goer, reportedly identifying as a transgender woman, of inappropriate behavior in the locker room.
LA singer Tish Hyman claimed that the gym revoked her membership on Sunday (November 2) “after the MAN was escorted out by police.”
The 42-year-old went viral after a heated confrontation with the gym-goer, which ultimately led to both of them being escorted out.
Highlights
- Singer Tish Hyman claims Gold’s Gym banned her after confronting a trans woman in the women’s locker room for inappropriate behavior.
- Tish described feeling "violated" when the gym-goer stared at her while she was undressed in the locker room.
- Gold’s Gym faced boycott calls and was flooded with negative reviews after revoking Tish’s membership.
People are boycotting Gold’s Gym after a woman accused another gym-goer, who identifies as a trans woman, of inappropriate behavior
Image credits: unhealthytruth
Tish accused the gym-goer, who was wearing an all-black outfit and earrings, of staring at her in an inappropriate manner while she was changing in the women’s locker room.
“Today I was nak*d in the locker room. I turn around, and there’s a man there in boy clothes, lip gloss, standing there looking at me. I’m butt nak*d,” she said.
“I say the word ‘sir’ to say ‘sir, what are you doing in here.’ He goes, ‘Don’t f***ing talk to me. I’m a woman. I have a right to be in here.’”
Image credits: libsoftiktok
The Bronx native said the incident made her feel “violated” and insisted that she was not discriminating against the gym-goer.
“I’m a lesbian. I’ve been a lesbian my whole life. I treat people how I want to be treated regardless of whatever they [sic] s**ual orientation is or whatever they decide. So I’m not transphobic.”
Tish said her gym membership was revoked after complaining about the incident
Image credits: TAmprazis
Following the incident, many people took to social media to voice their support for Tish, with some announcing that they would be permanently canceling their Gold’s Gym memberships in solidarity with her.
“Gold’s always sides with these men who like to pretend to dress up as girls and go into our restrooms,” said a woman named Erin Elizabeth in a video that has received over half a million views.
“I will not stand for some disgusting place like that that bans the poor woman who’s n*ked in the shower and has some guy staring her down,” she added.
She claimed the individual stared at her while she was undressed
Image credits: GymGold / wikimedia
“Because Gold’s allows these men to go in there and say, ‘I identify as a woman,’ this sh*t is going on. I would like you to boycott Gold’s Gym with me.”
“Good put them out of business,” another person said.
“Congrats on cancelling your entire franchise. The majority of your members don’t back this sh*t. Keep women’s spaces safe. Enough is enough,” wrote someone else.
One woman who described herself as a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) called the gym-goer’s alleged behavior “predatory” and argued that transgender people should have separate locker rooms.
Supporters have announced plans to cancel their memberships, accusing Gold’s Gym of failing to protect women’s safety
Image credits: listen2tish
After Tish shared that she had the “worst experience” at the gym, Gold’s became flooded with negative online reviews, with more than two dozen one-star Google ratings posted in 24 hours.
Others, however, argued that Tish’s reaction was misguided and that she should not assume that all transgender women adjust to the aesthetic associated with “femininity.”
“Just b/c a trans person doesn’t ‘look trans’ does not mean they are not and this woman should not be putting a broad stripe towards all trans girls,” one person said.
Image credits: highpriestesshealingla
Another user, who had the trans flag in their username, commented, “Terfs and transphobes can go buy all their own equipment for all i care.
“‘No judgement’ means exactly that. i know because i asked before i joined. and have had ZERO problems with any women or girls in the women's locker room.”
“I don’t think there’s an easy answer to situations like this,” someone else added. “Everyone’s transness and transition looks different. So, we really don’t know what this person’s gender is beyond what they told us.”
The gym-goer has since been identified as Alexis Black
Image credits: Gold's Gym
She said she began crying and shouting before a man noticed the situation and confronted the gym-goer.
In a video circulated online, the singer-songwriter can be seen shouting inside the gym, warning other women that she had been kicked out for complaining about “being n*ked in front of a man without my permission.”
Gold’s Gym locations became flooded with negative online reviews
“#goldsgym terminated my membership after the MAN was escorted out by police. Then had me escorted out by officers afterwards,” she wrote. “It was EMBARRASSING! I left but not before making sure everyone KNEW that they were allowing MEN in the locker room!!!!!”
On Instagram, the 42-year-old added that other women had previously filed several written reports about the individual, but that the gym staff “has done absolutely nothing.”
Gold’s Gym is a chain of fitness centers founded in California 60 years ago. The gym has hundreds of locations around the world, including in Austria, Italy, and Germany. As of writing, it has not commented publicly on the incident.
On Instagram, an account that purportedly belongs to Alexis Black, the gym-goer at the center of the controversy, stated, "For me, being trans is everything. I didn't just get a new body or a new way of thinking—I got myself back.
"Alexis Black is someone who finally cares about her future, who builds instead of just survives. Since beginning HRT, I stopped drifting. I began living. I didn't become a woman, I remembered I always was.
"To anyone still trapped by fear, by expectation, by your own reflection—there's another way."
The post soon became flooded with transphobic comments, with critics asking Alexis to "stop invading women's spaces."
People expressed a range of views on the incident, which reflects broader debates about locker room access based on gender identity
