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An online petition is calling for a Vestavia Hills fitness center to change its policy of allowing transgender women into the locker room.
The petition, which had more than 400 signatures as of Friday afternoon, was created by members of Life Time Fitness to “defend the rights and safety of biological women,” according to a statement on the website ipetitions.com.
Life Time Fitness, on Healthy Way in Vestavia Hills, is the only Alabama location of the chain, which has centers in 29 states and Canada.
A woman interviewed by WVTM-13, Margaret Ellis, said the experience of encountering a trans woman in the locker room was “very disturbing.”
The creators of the petition are only identified as “concerned members.”
“Any biological man can simply claim they identify as a woman without providing medical proof of transition,” the petition reads.
The petition’s creators say in a “rush to political correctness,” the center’s owners are showing no concern for the “emotional discomfort or fear of harm that a biological woman experiences…”
“LifeTime does not allow young boys of a certain age in the women’s locker room with their mothers,” the petition states.
“Mothers are told to use the family locker rooms with their young sons to avoid potential exposure. Yet, grown biological men are now given free access with a simple declaration of identity.”
According to WVTM, LifeTime released a statement saying it respects that “there are varying perspectives on this topic.”
“In addition to supporting our team members, federal anti-discrimination law permits team members of large employers such as ours to use the bathroom and/or locker room with which they identify,” the statement says.
“The safety and privacy of both our members and team members is paramount, such that all team members undergo a background check upon hire and must observe the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and other policies.”
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