A viral video circulating online has sparked outrage after a Planet Fitness patron in California accused a transgender gym member of engaging in a lewd act inside a women's restroom.
Grace Hutson, a member at the Planet Fitness location in Concord, California, said the incident occurred last May while she was using the women's bathroom. The short video she posted on TikTok resurfaced over the weekend and quickly spread across social media.
The footage does not show a person directly but captures the shadow of an individual inside a women's bathroom stall purportedly masturbating. Hutson identified the individual as a transgender member of the gym.
"At the end of the day, whether you're transgender or not, you should not be doing something like that in the women's bathroom," Hutson said in a follow-up TikTok video after the clip went viral.
Hutson said she immediately reported the situation to Planet Fitness staff but claims employees appeared unsure how to respond.
According to Hutson, her boyfriend ultimately confronted the individual.
Looking back, Hutson said she regrets not taking further action at the time, including contacting police.
"I was really uncomfortable and just wanted to get out of there," she said. "Now, I think I should have done more."
"I thought people would just say I was being transphobic," added Hutson.
Planet Fitness has not publicly commented on the incident.
The company has previously faced criticism over its policies allowing individuals to use locker rooms and restrooms based on gender identity rather than biological sex.
The video's reemergence has reignited debate over the safety of women-only spaces, particularly in gyms and locker rooms.
The controversy follows a separate high-profile case in Los Angeles involving Grammy-nominated singer Tish Hyman, who was removed from a Gold's Gym after confronting a transgender individual she accused of exposing male genitals in a women's locker room.
Hyman, an outspoken advocate for maintaining sex-based spaces, weighed in on the Planet Fitness video on social media.
"When you see me speak with passion, this is why," Hyman wrote. "Women and girls deserve truth, safety, and protection — not confusion, not denial, not lies dressed up as compassion."
"This isn't hate," she added.
"This is care. This is standing up."
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