Muslim convert Tarainia McDaniel is no longer a believer in the "Judgement-Free" policy of Planet Fitness. In her lawsuit filed before a New Mexico court under the state's Human Rights Act and the Unfair Practices Act, she claimed that the local site of the national budget-friendly gym denied her access to the facilities on the basis that she wore an 'informal' head covering. Muslim women are urged in Islam to cover up using a traditional head-to-shoulder covering called a hijab.
The 37-year-old woman said that the one Planet Fitness facility in Albuquerque was the only site of the gym chain who asked her to replace a colorful scarf, which was as she claimed a temporary clothing to cover her head when exercising, with a baseball cap as the former was deemed "improper clothing" by the company, New York Daily News said. McDaniel, who has a two-year contract with Planet Fitness, insisted on her religious requirements and said that she could come back and wear her formal hijab. According to reports, the Albuquerque gym denied her requests.
Attorney Erika Anderson, who represented Planet Fitness, said McDaniel violated the company's dress code policy and was not on the basis of her religious preference or her race, as she was African-American. New York Daily News said that the gym chain does not allow members to wear jeans, work boots, bandannas, skull caps or attire that are deemed revealing.
The company in a statement said that it acknowledges the religious affiliations of its members. The statement read, "At Planet Fitness, our policy is, and has always been, that members are allowed to wear head scarves for religious reasons in our clubs."
New York Daily News said this is not the first time Planet Fitness faced criticism over its widely-debatable implementation of its dress code. Earlier this week, a woman was advised by a Planet Fitness Richmond, California staff to cover up as her body was deemed intimidating to other gym users.
