Gym Bans Woman Who Complained of Man in Locker Room

Planet Fitness in Michigan has revoked the gym membership of a woman who complained and told other members about a man using the women’s locker rooms.

According to various sources, the gym revoked Yvette Cormier’s membership because she violated their “judgment free” conduct policy.

In response to the situation, Planet Fitness released a statement saying,

“Our gender identity non-discrimination policy states that members and guests may use all gym facilities based on their sincere self-reported gender identity.”

Ms. Cormier told CNN the policy was “something they [should have] pointed out when I signed up.” She told another news outlet, “I wouldn’t have signed up for this gym if I knew that ahead of time” and that the gym is “failing to protect me if anything happens in those locker rooms with a man.”

Fortunately for Ms. Cormier, she can still take her business to a gym that does not let biological males who claim to be female use the women’s locker rooms; however, under some of the so-called “nondiscrimination” laws and ordinances filed around the country, all “places of public accommodation” (including fitness gyms) would be forced to let a man use the women’s locker rooms, showers, and changing areas if he claims to be a woman.

This was a concern many people raised about the ordinance the Fayetteville City Council passed last year; that ordinance was repealed at a special election, but the Eureka Springs City Council hastily passed an even broader ordinance last month.

The issue is one of public safety, which Ms. Cormier summed up very well in her interview with CNN:

“This is all new to me. I didn’t go out to specifically bash a transgender person that day. I was taken aback by the situation. This is about me and how I felt unsafe.”

You can read more about this situation here and here.

What Religious Liberty at Home Has to Do With Persecution Overseas

Many people in American–both Christians and non-Christians–have asserted Christians should not complain about infringements of religious liberty in America, because Christians in places like Syria or Iraq are being persecuted so mercilessly.

John Stonestreet at the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview has recorded a short, compelling commentary on why religious liberty here in America goes hand-in-hand with ending the persecution Christians face from groups like ISIS.

Stonestreet writes,

“What’s at work here is a kind of false dilemma that one of my colleagues refers to as the Starving-Children-In-Africa fallacy. ‘There are problems in the world worse than yours,” goes the fallacy, “so your problems are not worth caring about or solving.’

“What this false dilemma misses is that the actor most capable of addressing the persecution faced by our brothers and sisters overseas is the United States. And if the United States takes the lead in addressing the issue, it’s in large measure because of religious voices in the public square that are calling for action and seeking to influence public opinion. And without religious liberty, religious voices will be dismissed from the public square, and will be unheard.”

You can listen to Stonestreet’s entire commentary below or read it here.

[audio:http://bit.ly/1BYSHN7|Titles=The bogus argument]

Eureka Springs Calls Election on Ordinance

News media are reporting the Eureka Springs City Council will hold a special election this May to let voters decide whether to keep the city’s controversial “nondiscrimination” ordinance hastily passed earlier this month.

According to reporters, this move preempts the petition process underway in Eureka Springs to repeal the ordinance, and it will give the city council control over the wording of the ballot.

The Conway City Council passed an ordinance earlier this week addressing city employment policies based on sexual-orientation and gender-identity.

Many argue these ordinances will be nullified when Act 137 (formerly known as Senate Bill 202) takes effect later this year.