Bomb threats follow Libs of TikTok’s campaign against Planet Fitness

In early March, the account Libs of TikTok initiated an ongoing campaign against Planet Fitness, demanding a boycott in retaliation for the gym’s trans-inclusive locker room policy. Although the company’s share price appears to have largely recovered, at least 53 locations of Planet Fitness have reported hoax bomb threats in recent weeks, continuing what has become a trend of violent threats against institutions targeted by the account.

LoTT’s campaign against Planet Fitness began after a member of the gym’s Fairbanks, Alaska, location “reached out” with a complaint about “a man shaving in a women’s bathroom.”

• March 11: LoTT shared a video of a customer complaining that there had been “a man shaving in a women’s bathroom” of her Planet Fitness location. The post also included a photo of the person referenced in the video.
• March 12: LoTT shared screenshots of an email exchange between the customer and Planet Fitness, in which the gym responded to the complaint by restating its trans-inclusive locker room policy.
• March 14: LoTT posted a video of the same customer claiming that her membership had been revoked.
• March 15: LoTT posted screenshots of Planet Fitness’ trans-inclusive changing room policy and called for a boycott of the gym.

As the posts gained viral traction, Planet Fitness released a statement reiterating the gym’s trans-inclusive policy and urging staff to “address discomfort” and “foster a climate of understanding.” The gym also clarified that “the member who posted on social media violated our mobile device policy that prohibits taking photos of individuals in the locker room, which resulted in their membership being terminated.”

On March 20, LoTT cited a Daily Mail story to claim that the account’s activism had resulted in a $400 million loss in value for the gym. Right-wing media took their cue from LoTT, peppering in further anti-trans rhetoric and sometimes invoking the backlash that followed Bud Light’s partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney as they repeated the story across cable news, online outlets, and podcasts.

OutKick (a Fox Corp. outlet) also published an article titled “Americans Are Starting To ‘Bud Light’ Planet Fitness.” The article cited LoTT and claimed that “Bud Light learned where Americans stand on celebrating the appropriation of the female gender,” urging similar backlash against the gym.

The following day, in a segment dedicated to the “cancellation” of Planet Fitness, Matt Walsh argued that the gym’s gender-inclusive policy was untenable because “nobody has a gender identity.” He compared the gym to Bud Light and referred to its policy as “indefensibly stupid, reckless, and dangerous.”

Experts maintain that the Planet Fitness brand is financially stable “despite controversy.” However, some investment litigation firms have begun encouraging shareholders to participate in an investigation of the gym, specifically referencing the backlash against Bud Light in their announcements.

In the subsequent weeks, LoTT has continued to post about the gym, attempting to generate outrage by accusing Planet Fitness of a range of offenses, including “discriminating against White people,” “grooming kids,” “putting a mentally ill man’s delusions before women’s safety,” and allowing “people to act out their s*xual f*tishes in public.” The account has published dozens of posts on the gym, garnered thousands of reposts, and seemingly caused both “#BoycottPlanetFitness” and “Planet Fitness” to trend.

A series of bomb threats have followed against Planet Fitness locations in at least five cities, continuing what has become a trend of violent threats against the institutions targeted by the account. In addition to the Fairbanks, Alaska, location that reported a threat on March 15, at least four locations in or around Providence, Rhode Island, four locations in or around Jackson, Mississippi, “many” locations in Connecticut — including East Haven and Hamden gyms — and six locations in Wayne County, Michigan, have investigated similar threats since the campaign began.

Update (last updated 5/13/24): Since Media Matters first published this article on April 5, at least 36 additional bomb threats against Planet Fitness have been reported: 

• Three Planet Fitness locations in Fairhope, Daphne, and Mobile, Alabama, were targeted with bomb threats. [AL.com, 4/6/24]
• Seven Planet Fitness locations in or around Jacksonville, Florida, reported bomb threats. [First Coast News, 4/8/24]
• Planet Fitness locations in New Haven and Norwich, Connecticut, reported bomb threats. [Hartford Courant, 4/7/24; NBC Connecticut, 4/5/24]
• Four threats were reported against Planet Fitness locations on the Delmarva Peninsula, including three in Delaware and one in West Ocean City, Maryland. [WRDE, 4/6/24; WMDT, 4/17/24; Cape Gazette, 4/19/24]
• A Planet Fitness location received a bomb threat in Overland Park, Kansas. [KCTV, 4/7/24]
• Three locations in Fargo and Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, reported bomb threats. [Lakes Area Radio, 4/9/24; Valley News Live, 4/9/24]
• Seven Planet Fitness locations in Virginia reported bomb threats, including a threat on a gym in Charlottesville that caused two businesses to be evacuated and temporarily shut down. [ALX Now, 4/8/24; Patch, 4/9/24; CBS19 NEWS, 4/10/24]
• A Planet Fitness location in Kahului, Hawaii, reported a bomb threat. [KITV, 4/11/24]
• Three Planet Fitness locations in Shreveport, Louisiana, reported bomb threats. [KTBS, 4/17/24]
• At least four Planet Fitness locations in Vermont and northern New York reported bomb threats. [NBC5, 4/18/24]
• A Planet Fitness location in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, reported a bomb threat. [News on 6, 3/28/24]

Some Planet Fitness locations that were previously targeted have now reportedly received additional bomb threats, including multiple gyms in or around Providence, Rhode Island, Jacksonville, Florida, West Ocean City, Maryland, Milford, Delaware, East Haven, Connecticut, and Charlottesville, Virginia.

Additionally, at least two shopping centers in New Jersey and a shopping center in Maine that include Planet Fitness locations have reported bomb threats, although police have yet to specify whether the gyms were the target of these threats.

According to The Advocate, local law enforcement agencies are investigating the threats, and  an FBI spokesperson said, “We are aware of the recent bomb threats made in cities around the country, and we remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance.”

Clarification (4/23/24): An initial report that seemingly misidentified bomb threats to two Planet Fitness locations in Prince George’s County, Maryland, has been removed. In fact, the threats were made in Prince William County, Virginia.