News10.net reports that an all-women facility of the California Family Fitness chain of gymnasiums will be forced to open its doors to men due to threat of litigation.
California Family Fitness operates 14 other gyms for both men and women, but kept its Howe Avenue location single-sex because it grew out of a nearby women’s health club known as Living Well Lady purchased by the company in 1997.
The company said it has also modified seven other locations that had separate workout areas for men and women.
I tell you what, these are wacky times we live in. Curves anyone?
The Sac Rag 
I think women should sue sperm banks for not letting them utilize their facilities. The nerve!
LikeLike
bah, this kind of sh*t is so obnoxious. It just stinks of right-wing “gotcha!!!”-ism…
Gender specific gym facilities are not a bad thing, or a threatening thing in any way, and everyone knows this… how annoying for the women that have been enjoying their membership at a women-only facility to be caught in the middle of some smug, assh*le attempt to prove a retarded point.
LikeLike
I am now seriously considering canceling my membership. I really liked going to the Howe club because it was women only. I was more comfortable. The gym at my condo sounds like a better and cheaper idea to me now.
LikeLike
What’s good for the gander is good for the goose. Or are Cub Scouts now allowed to only admit boys, while sending the girls over to Girl Scouts? I recently applied to join La Raza, in the hopes that they will discriminate agaisnt my South Indian/Icelandic/Native Austrialian racial background and I can sue them.
Yet another poorly thought out liberal plan to make all “equal.” Now woman trying to work out with some privacy bear the consequences.
LikeLike
Interesting article from a trade site in 2006:
The commercial fitness industry has become increasingly specialized in recent years, as individual clubs seek to carve out their own market niche. This typically means targeting a specific demographic through program offerings and amenities, or by dedicating the entire facility to the desired membership. According to industry experts, here are some characteristics common to the various types of clubs being popularized today.
Gender-specific clubs. Often contained within small storefronts of about 2,000 square feet and serving between 200 and 250 members, these clubs target the deconditioned with an affordable, no-frills approach to fitness. Free of mirrors and the judgmental eyes of the opposite sex, users are allowed to work out in a non-threatening atmosphere. The actual workouts are designed to be quick (a 30-minute model has been widely embraced) and often include a combination of sequenced circuit training and aerobic activity.
Some existing multipurpose clubs have also dedicated space to the privacy of users – usually women – who prefer to work out in a unisex environment.
Seems to me the clubs should tell those threatening to sue to pound sand.
LikeLike
If the problem is that the complainant wants all California Family Fitness locations to treat customers equally, CFF should just revert to the former name for that location… it might be smart business for them to open a separate chain to compete with Curves.
LikeLike
So, it’s just a matter of what words you use in your business name? Interesting. That would explain the Curves thing. You know, cause men don’t have’em. Well, some of us do, but we’re working on them!
LikeLike
What does this imply about the guy who wants to be able to workout in a women’s fitness center?
LikeLike
It sounds to me like the fatties are going to those clubs to avoid being propositioned.
ba dum bum
LikeLike
I can only assume that it’s a case of someone wanting to go to a location nearest to them. If they live close to a CFF, but aren’t allowed to go to it because of their gender, then I could see why someone might be upset. Upset enough to sue? I sure as hell wouldn’t be… but, it’s possible.
What I was getting at in my other post is that if CFF owned two separate chains (i.e. Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy) they could do things however they wanted and I doubt anyone would raise a stink about it.
LikeLike
declare it a gay gym.
LikeLike
I’m a CalFit member and i asked about this. Apparently, the guy was peeved that men were paying full price for all the clubs but weren’t allowed to use all of them. His gripe was that men should either be allowed to use all of the gyms, or only pay for the ones they can use. Now that I understand this, it makes sense, and it sounds like CalFit was really the one in the wrong here.
If CalFit is charging men and women equal membership prices, then they should give equal access to all of the clubs, and equal access to all of the equipment in each club. The problem was that there were 15 clubs, and guys were paying to use all 15, but they were only allowed to use 14, so they were paying for a club (and exercise areas in several of the other clubs) that they weren’t allowed to use. Now that I think about it, it really is unfair that guys were paying for equal access to everything like the women but then weren’t allowed to use everything like the women. Even if it was only a few bucks a month, that adds up to a lot over time. This unfairness is even worse at the coed gyms with women-only areas because – let’s face it – a lot of the equipment, especially weights which guys mostly use, ends up sitting around and not being used at all. My time is valuable, and I’d be upset if I was paying to use the whole gym, but wasn’t allowed to use it, and I had to stand around and wait to use equipment when other equipment was available a few feet away in the women’s area. If women want to be treated equally by men, they need to treat men equally too.
Anyway, I’ve worked out at the Howe club now that guys are allowed and really… no one cares. They don’t bother anyone… they just do their thing and leave like everyone else.
LikeLike
Jane’s right. I struggled with my own prejudices at first and thought i might cancel my membership but decided to stick it out and see how it went. Gradually more guys started coming to the gym. I thought I’d have a huge problem with it but the guys don’t even pay attention to you much less stare or ogle you like I thought they would. Really it’s not bad at all in fact all the ones i met are really nice and a few have given me great ideas for my workout so in a strange way i’m actually glad guys are allowed now. In all fairness, it’s not right to exclude guys from certain parts of the gyms or from one entire gym in the chain if the guys are paying the same price as women. I know if it were the opposite, I’d be mad about it too if I was paying for stuff i couldnt use. One of the guys i talked to says he’s glad the gym is open now because he used to have to drive a ways to one of the other gyms which meant he skipped going to the gym a lot. But now that this one is open he goes a lot more because its closer which is better for him health wise. Fair is fair and now that i have the benefit of hindsight there was really nothing to be afraid of.
LikeLike