By Maggie Schaller
Update
H. H. Dow HS
1st Place
Division 2, News Writing
News Story
In Midland’s Planet Fitness locker room on Feb. 28, a series of complaints resulted in a revoked membership and national news headlines. A member of the gym repeatedly lodged objections against a transgender woman being at the gym and using the women’s changing facilities.
Following
their “judgment free” policy, Planet Fitness prohibited the complainant from continuing to use their facilities.Supporters have flocked to both the criticizer on Facebook, praising her for standing up for women’s safety and privacy.Among the posts are “you have inspired me” and “proud of you for standing up.” Others in her defense, including local politician Gary Glenn, have spoken out to back her. A multitude of these adherents have also said that they will either stop going to Planet Fitness or back out of their own memberships. Encouragement for the transgender woman has been harder to find. It’s clear that her supporters are the minority, or at least have been less outspoken about the issue in a predominately Republican town. While individual advocates have been scarce, the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)has displayed their allegiance with the transgender woman since the incident occurred.Jay Kaplan is a staff attorney for the ACLU. He works forMichigan’s LGBT project, which is dedicated to protecting constitutional rights of LGBT persons in the state. He has emphasized the position the ACLU has in agreement with Planet Fitness.
“We think that Planet Fitness’ policy is a good one, that transgender persons should be able to use restroom and locker room facilities in accordance with their gender identity and expression,” Kaplan said in an email interview. “We applaudPlanet Fitness for standing behind its policy and supporting the transgender member of the facility.”
A complicated element that has come into question is what rights transgender persons in Michigan have. Currently, there are no laws in Michigan prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity, so the ultimate decision is left to business owners on specific instances.
“[The ACLU has] 38 municipalities that have local human rights ordinances protecting LGBT people,” Kaplan said.“Most of these ordinances include gender identity and expression. Sometimes discrimination against transgender people in employment settings can be considered sex discrimination, which is protected against under state and federal civil rights laws, when it involves gender stereotyping. It all depends on the facts.”
Specifically in Midland, Kaplan explained that there are no laws shielding transgender people which tends to make them easier targets for judgement and discrimination.
Along with the lack of protection for the transgender community, Michigan is known throughout the country as being one of the most unsafe states for people in the LGBT community. In fact, in 2014, Michigan was no. 5 on Rolling
Stone’s list “5 Worst States for LGBT People.” The article provided the fact that Midland had its own bout of bigotry, but it was emotionally harmful rather than physically. Conditions in other parts of the state are more violent.
In a survey conducted by a Detroit LGBT rights group, Detroit was found to be the highest-risk city for gay travelers in the United States. The qualifications for this title include a list of hate crimes against transgender women of color. In 2012, MLive reported that a woman was “burned so badly she couldn’t be identified for 11 days.” A Detroit inhabitant was shot and killed after being lacerated in 2013. Even though Michigan has a larger LGBT community than other states, there are more concentrated pockets of total intolerance.
Cara Mitrano is a junior who attends both DHS and MHS during the school day. She has been an active transgender advocate and in the past has received little pushback on her efforts to promote acceptance.
In early March, Mitrano went to her locker in the foreign language hallway, which is adorned with signs including one titled “How To Be A Trans Ally.” Another brightly colored sign has her email address written on it for more information. What makes the signs different from some others across DHS is that her signs are laminated, a change that has occurred since they were initially hung up.
“A few weeks ago, I noticed that when I came to school in the morning, someone had written a derogatory word on one of my signs that said ‘I am an ally’ and had a bunch of different pride flags on it,” Mitrano said. “I went to the office and reported it, and they said they would look into it and figure it out. A couple weeks later, it happened again on new signs that I’d put up.
I reported it again, and unfortunately there was a large time window because I’m only here for part of the day. It was a lot of tapes for them to look through.”
However, Mitrano wasn’t deterred by the backlash she got from the persons defacing her signs.
“The next day I put up more signs, and someone vandalized them within a one hour time period, so the office was able to look through the tapes and find out who did it,” Mitrano said.“I got a call later that said they had found whoever did it and also talked to them and they shouldn’t do it again.”
The most prevalent organization with the goal of school-wide equality is the GSA, co-run by teachers Sarah Panco stand Cory Thompson. The GSA has stood behind Mitrano throughout the period of time when her locker was vandalized. Pancost believes that the next step that should be taken within the community and within DHS is to talk more about issues like these.
“We can bring anything to plate, but we’re going to have certain ways that we talk about it,” Pancost said. “I think all ideas should be open, to an extent; not when it’s hurting someone. If we’re not talking, it’s going to come out in other negative ways. I think if we have more discussion, if we’re more open, people wouldn’t feel like they have to do really hurtful things as much.”
Even the student supporters of LGBT rights can be uncomfortable to speak up, fearing that they will be judged for their beliefs and for taking a side.
“[Teachers and students] are afraid it will be handled as an imposition of values,” Pancost said. “And I think to not talk about it, that code of silence is a statement.And it’s a dangerous statement. We’re taught to shush it up, and I think that’s the danger.”
Based on Midland’s voting history and the legislators that have been elected, Pancost acknowledges that it can be seen as a“conservative bubble,” but the loud criticizers often over shadow those who want increased awareness.
“I think that half the people that I actually meet feel like it is unacceptable to be discriminating against people,” Pancost said.“As a school, when I talk to my students, we’re pretty accepting. I think you can find communities of all types in Midland, but maybe the loudest tends to be the more conservative base.”
Kaplan is also familiar with the reasons that have madeMichigan appear nationally egregious in terms of acceptance.
“Michigan remains one of the last 13 remaining states that does not permit same-sex couples to marry or does not recognize legal marriages between same-sex couples from out of state,” Kaplan said. “ Many Michigan judges denying same-sex couples the right to jointly adopt their children, because they cannot legally marry in Michigan.”
Transgender people in Michigan also face challenges that are seldom seen by people of more customary gender identities and orientations.
“Michigan’s gender marker change policies that make it incredibly difficult for transgender people to obtain identity documents [driver’s license, state ID, and birth certificate] that accurately reflect who they really are,” Kaplan said.
As it remains among just 12 other states that do not allow gay marriage, LGBT rights and marriage have been a pressing issue for politics especially in Michigan, in both local and statewide elections. In the November 2014 election for Representative of the 98th District, Glenn defeated Joan Brausch. Glenn’s generally conservative ideals are in contrast with Brausch’s progressive beliefs.
On March 16, Brausch wrote a letter to the editor of the Midland Daily News expressing her disconcertment regarding Glenn’s reaction to what happened at Planet Fitness.
“As many as 6 to 8 percent of the population is gay or identifies with non-traditional sexuality,”Brausch wrote. “Sex and gender are not necessarily equivalent. And despiteGlenn’s beliefs, gay people are not mentally ill. Transgender people are not mentally ill.”
Brausch also voiced her concern about the way Midland residents have been up in arms about the idea that transgender women are a menace to the women’s locker room and to women’s safety.
“The transgender woman who used the locker room at Midland’s Planet Fitness had every right to be there, just as I do and other women do,” Brausch said. “Mr. Glenn shortchanges women when he says that Planet Fitness’ policy violates their privacy, comfort, and peace of mind.
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Brausch ended her letter by saying that she is likely to start a membership at Planet Fitness. Both Brausch and Kaplan have conveyed that since the transgender women identified as a female, it was her right to use the women’s locker room in accordance with the decision made by Planet Fitness. In day-to-day life, even at the gym, Mitrano agrees with the notion that transgender people face many more hurdles than many would expect. “There’s such an emphasis in this culture for men to be more masculine, and somebody could see a transgender woman asa man pretending to be a woman or being girly or feminine in some way,” Mitrano said. “And even men who identify as male, if they act not masculine, then a lot of times they are ostracized or bullied.” Since it was founded in 1992, Planet Fitness has survived by the mantra that all walks of life, regardless of their physical fitness or social identifications are welcome in the gym. The following statement representing their welcoming nature and support of all people can be found on the Planet Fitness website:“we’re fiercely protective of our Planet and the rights of our members to feel like they belong. So we create an environment where you can relax, go at your own pace and just do your own thing without ever having to worry about being judged. This is your Planet. You belong.”