GOLD MEMBER

Gold's Gym San Francisco has decided to cut ties (when their contract expires)  with its parent company TRT Holdings.  Over the weekend, we all learned TRT Holdings CEO Robert Rowling gave a $2M contribution to karl roves' SuperPAC American Crossroads.  

Gold's Gym SF will consult with their legal team to ensure which path to take once the gym's  contract is up in 2012 with TRT Holdings.

Via Facebook:

Dear Gold's Gym Members,

In response to the donation to American Crossroads from Robert Rowling, the CEO of TRT holdings, Gold's Gym San Francisco Bay Area would like to make you aware of the following:

We are a local, family run business of 4 gyms. A large percentage of our employees and members are from the LGBT community. Our company works tirelessly to support the LGBT community with financial donations to almost every major local LGBT charity. We are sponsors of the Academy of Friends, Folsom Street Fair, ALCS Riders, SF AIDS Foundation, PAWS, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center, Maitri, SF PRIDE and many, many more.

Gold's Gym San Francisco has long been a pillar of the gay community. We will continue to be. It is very unfortunate that the CEO of TRT holdings has chosen this course of action. We do not support it in any way. Our original contractual obligations to Gold's Gym International were signed over 22 years ago and TRT holdings is just the latest in a series of ownership groups that has presided over Gold's Gym.

Our company has worked for over twenty years to support our LGBT staff, members and community in everyway possible and we will continue to.

We were as surprised by Mr. Rowling's action as anyone but because our company believes in and lives up to the ideals of equality for all we are going to take the following actions:

1: Our contractual obligation with Gold's Gym expires on September 15th, 2012 and on or prior to that date (our legal counsel is reviewing our options) we will leave the Gold's Gym brand. It is a major initiative to create a new brand and leave Gold's Gym which has been our identity for over 20 years but we will begin that process today.

2: For every dollar we pay Gold's Gym in franchise fees we will donate an equal or greater amount to LGBT charities. While we donate much more than this to charities and community groups that support the LGBT community we want to make a commitment to match or exceed this amount until our relationship with Gold's Gym can be severed.

3: Our management and staff will continue to support LGBT causes in every way possible and we will use our business as a platform to fight for change and equality for everyone. We have always taken great pride in being a leader in the LGBT community and we will continue to.


Thank you,

Don DickersonDirector of OperationsGold's Gym Bay Area

Those neighborhood "little" gyms aren't looking too bad to join these days, i.e. Easton or Little Gym on Nemo.