Posted on 10/26/2010 12:33:52 PM PDT by Beaten Valve
Four Gold's Gym franchises in the San Francisco Bay Area are abandoning their brand after learning that their parent company's owner made a large, private donation to American Crossroads, the conservative political group that backs candidates opposed to expanding gay rights.
Billionaire Robert Rowling, CEO of TRT Holdings, which owns Gold's, has given more than $2 million this election cycle to American Crossroads, the third party organization with ties to former Bush strategist Karl Rove.
Reports of Rowling's significant donations to American Crossroads angered some franchise owners, who said the donations betrayed Gold's strong ties to the gay community.
"Gold's Gym San Francisco has long been a pillar of the gay community. We will continue to be," Don Dickerson, the director of operations for Gold's Gym Bay Area, wrote in a Facebook note. "It is very unfortunate that the CEO of TRT Holdings has chosen this course of action. We do not support it in any way."
Dickerson wrote that four Bay Area Gold's Gyms will allow their contractual obligations with Gold's Gym International to expire in 2012, if they are not able to end them sooner. On top of that, the franchises plan to match every dollar paid in Gold's Gym in franchise fees with a donation of equal or greater size to LGBT charities.
Rowling's donations also spurred an online petition, which now has more than 4,000 signatures, calling on Gold's to stop its corporate executives from "taking money from customers and spending it in order to elect anti-gay politicians."
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Lots of straight people aren't too comfortable about using a locker room in a gay gym.
Love the liberal tolerance. Hey, it’s just fine that Golds Gym feels the wrath of the public. It’s their right. But man, are these lefties hateful.
In other words it's a favorite hookup site.
How anyone could possibly pervert the word for happy into describing the dreary, downbeat homosexual "lifestyle" is a case for the history books.
The Gold’s Gym I belonged to in Portland patched over to join Bally’s and everything got nicer. The machines were all fixed, the changing rooms had the carpet replaced, etc. It has continued to be maintained for five years at a much higher level than Gold’s did.
I refuse to buy Levi products because of their outrageous support of gays and their agenda.
>>> Homo-Leninists stock-in-trade:…Intolerance
How is this story any different from the fairly regular FR posts and threads calling for boycotting some company or individual for supporting democrats or similar agendas?
“I refuse to buy Levi products because of their outrageous support of gays and their agenda.”
My guess is if you could peel away the rhetoric and grandstanding, these four gyms are more interested in getting away from the franchise fees to the parent corp then they are in this one political issue. Follow the money.
“...getting away from the franchise fees...”
Excellent point; although as with everything in business it does boil down to the cost of doing business; even Homo-Leninists like to make money when it is in their favor.
Your guess is no doubt correct.
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