LA Fitness is receiving backlash online after allegations surfaced that the gym allowed a member to wear controversial attire inside its location in Irvine, California.
A gymgoer shared a photo of a man he claimed to have seen multiple times at the gym allegedly wearing a neo-Nazi-themed sweatshirt while working out. According to the gymgoer, the clothing brand openly identifies itself with that ideology and sells apparel featuring related imagery and messaging.
To avoid misunderstanding the situation, the gymgoer said he asked the man directly whether he understood the meaning behind the sweatshirt. According to the post, the man confirmed that he did and allegedly doubled down by saying that he hates Israel. Because of this, the gymgoer reported the situation to the front desk. However, he claimed staff responded by saying they could not take action because the gym already allows other controversial clothing. The gymgoer argued that the two situations were not comparable.
The gymgoer said he continued trying to contact management about the situation but allegedly never received a response. “After seven separate phone calls over several days and being forgotten on hold several times, I was eventually told that a manager would not speak to me about this and my only recourse was to email corporate,” he wrote.
He said that he eventually sent an email to corporate but the response was not what he had hoped for. According to the gymgoer, the company’s reply suggested that the attire did not violate the gym’s policies. The email reportedly read:
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We understand your concern and take members safety seriously. Our facility maintains a neutral stance regarding personal attire. While we do enforce basic dress code policies for safety and appropriateness (such as requiring shirts and shoes and restricting explicit content due to minors), individuals are generally permitted to wear clothing of their choosing, as freedom of expression is protected. That said, any behavior that creates a hostile or unsafe environment is not tolerated. If you ever feel unsafe or if an interaction becomes confrontational, please notify our staff immediately so we can address and escalate the situation as needed. We appreciate your feedback and are here to support a safe and respectful environment for all members.”
In response, the gymgoer said he questioned how the gym defines the word “explicit,” arguing that the attire was clearly offensive and inappropriate in his view. According to him, he never received another reply after asking for clarification. He later said that he decided to cancel his membership because he did not want to continue supporting a business that allegedly allows such controversial attire inside its facilities.
Viewers Criticize California Gym’s Stance
The post sparked reactions online. Many viewers expressed outrage over the California gym’s alleged response to the situation involving the controversial attire. One person wrote, “Crazy how comfortable nazis feel existing in public nowadays.” Another commenter said, “Seriously, leave a review on Google and Yelp with the photo and cancel your membership. Edit: By the way, the business should really put a stop to this even from a business poblv, because there’s a known phenomenon where permitting a group like this leads to normal customer flight, resulting in the business being forced to cater to their new demographic to stay afloat since it’s chased off other clientele.”
More viewers shared their outrage over the situation. One person wrote, “I don’t know when this became acceptable to advertise and support a racist, genocidal regime, but here we are.” Another commenter said, “He’s just another loser, wearing the symbol of one of the most famous L’s in existence.” In addition to the reactions on social media, dozens of users also left one-star reviews on the Google listing for the LA Fitness location.
The gym’s alleged response sparked significant online backlash, as many people argued that staff should have handled the situation differently and criticized what they saw as an inappropriate stance toward the controversial attire.
