The Advocate has the story:
Robert Rowling, the CEO of the company that owns Gold’s Gym, has donated more than $2 million to American Crossroads, Karl Rove’s organization that works to elect antigay politicians, according to website Change.org. Rowling is the head of TRT Holdings, which owns the chain of gyms, which is popular with popular with LGBT people across the nation, and is one of several people who are helping to get Rove’s organization running.
I’m not a huge fan of boycotts, (I think they frequently end up getting the boycotted business MORE business from people wanting to support whatever the business is in trouble for originally supporting…) but Gold’s Gym and the CEO who runs the company make MILLIONS and MILLIONS of dollars from Queer money. Mr Rowling has a right to give his money to whomever and whatever he pleases. So do LGBTQ gym members.
Dump Gold’s Gym.
UPDATE: And, thanks to Scott L. for the news tip! We appreciate it!
– Michael Strangeways
One comment from the Advocate's post about this —
"As soon as I read the news, I went down to cancel my membership. And I learned a few things. The Gold's Gyms in the Bay Area are a locally run, family owned operation, btw. As franchises, they have basically leased the Gold's name. They will be changing their name and disassociating from Gold's Gym International as soon as their contract is up, which was not public information, but it needs to be now. Gold's Gym SF employs lots of LGBT people, and has donated lots of money to LGBT organizations, including AIDS/Lifecycle, the SF AIDS Foundation, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and PAWS, to name a few — and is actively supportive of local LGBT activities. They are doing at least as much good at the local level as Robert Rowling is doing harm at the federal level. Before you boycott your local gym, find out who owns them and how they are responding to Rowling's actions. Now if you belong to a corporate Gold's Gym, get out now!"
Does anyone know whether the Seattle Gold's (especially the one on Broadway) also fits into that profile? Would be nice to clarify before I make the switch to 24 Hour (which I may do)…