Florida AG warns tony gym after woman encounters 'man in a bikini' in locker room
"Men don't belong in female restrooms and locker rooms. That's not happening in Florida under my watch," Uthmeier told Fox News Digital Thursday after a complaint was issued by a woman who visited Life Time Fitness in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The woman said she encountered a person she identified as a biological male in the women's locker room.
The woman, Sonja Horton, said she was in the sauna with a "man in a bikini" and that the front desk told her "whatever you identify as, you can go wherever you want," according to WPTV.
"Life Time has a choice: immediately change your policy so that your female patrons can stay active, free from fear and with their privacy intact or, we'll meet you in court," said Uthmeier.
"And that goes for any Florida gym. In this state, we don't sacrifice women's rights to satisfy men's delusions."
Horton reported not feeling safe, adding it was not "fair" biological men could use the women's room.
The incident report led Uthmeier to send a warning letter to Life Time Inc., saying its policies "clearly harm and endanger women who use facilities at Life Time Palm Beach Gardens."
It said the gym argued that Palm Beach County code makes gender identity a protected class and "therefore condones or requires its harmful locker room policy."
"If that were true, the policy would nonetheless run afoul of Florida laws that safeguard the fundamental rights of women," Uthmeier wrote.
In response, a Life Time official told Fox News Digital it "carefully reviewed" Uthmeier's warning letter and "interpretation of the interplay between the Florida Civil Rights Act prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations based on "sex," and the Palm Beach County ordinance, which additionally prohibits discrimination based on "gender identity and expression."
The Life Time official said Uthmeier's legal opinion is that Florida law requires access to locker rooms based on sex listed on government documents, adding that the gym follows "all applicable federal, state and local public accommodation laws within each jurisdiction it operates."
"Accordingly, we will comply with Attorney General Uthmeier's legal opinion while also remaining committed to welcoming all members at our Palm Beach Gardens club," the official said.
A DeSantis spokesman told Fox News Digital safety and privacy are paramount in the Sunshine State.
"In Florida, we reject the lie that men can become women and support the privacy and safety of women's private spaces, like locker rooms," said Brian Wright, a spokesman for the governor.
Fox News Digital reached out to Palm Beach County for comment on the parties' interpretation of the county statute.
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