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 ...
“Gold’s Gym San Francisco has long been a pillar of the gay community.”
Yeah they are a real pillar in the community. What a joke.
Homo-Leninists stock-in-trade:…Intolerance
said the donations betrayed Gold’s strong ties to the gay community;
Guess they haven’t heard of GOProud?
How tolerant of them to not tolerate ‘choice’.
For perspective, this story is about FOUR franchisees who have a problem with the donations.
Gold’s Gym has 700 franchises in 30 countries.
The loss of four is not going to hurt them.
And if there were four Christian franchisees who decided to leave for political reasons, you would not even hear about it in the paper.
Guess that means that one can now safely bend over in the shower at Gold’s Gym.
Baddah-boom, baddah bing!!
And what about Log Cabin Republicans?
Not all gays are fixated on the liberal issues being pushed by the activists. Liberal activists can’t get their minds around the concept, but, some members of allegedly aggrieved minority groups actually support GOP principles such as cutting taxes and limits on government spending.
Just like the queers boycotted Target Stores? Why would 1% of the population intimidate any business...unless it was ...never mind, they don’t use protection either (ugh)
Uh huh. The old right wing social conservatives were right on the money, proven time after time, they always get it right.
Oh no you would hear about it, as in “how intolerant of those Christians”.
“Gold’s Gym San Francisco has long been a pillar of the gay community”.....
Gaak!....I’ll bet!
>>>>Guess that means that one can now safely bend over in the shower at Gold’s Gym.
Not in SanFran.
This is a good example why many who donate do NOT want to be identified.
Gold’s should open up “don’t ask - don’t tell” gyms next door...LOL!
Fred Astaire was gay.
Blue and red just can’t stand each other. I think we should split up the country between us and go our separate ways.
Don’t worry Gold’s....the only exercise liberals get is drinking coffee at Starbucks.
So, the execs are mugging customers in the locker rooms, or embezzeling corporate funds, then donating the stolen money? Don't sign a petition; call the cops!
Or are the execs using thier own money, that they earned, to donate to groups of their choice? So shut up, already, and MYOB.
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