No Charge for Women
I just spoke with Chad Smith, executive VP of Las Vegas Athletic Club (LVAC), about the recent Nevada Equal Rights Commission’s (NERC) finding that the club’s free enrollment offer to women might be discriminatory. NERC is forwarding the complaint to the state’s attorney general’s office. NERC ruled that two other discrimination complaints filed by Todd Phillips related to the club would not progress to the AG.
Phillips had also complained that the club’s inclusion of private areas for women (including a female-only workout room with trainers educated in issues specific to women’s fitness and a women-only sauna and steam room) was discriminatory. He also complained that the coed club had cancelled his membership as a retaliatory measure for his complaints. Smith says that Phillips had expressed unhappiness over his membership and when management offered to release him from his contract, he had agreed. The NERC found no merit in these two complaints.
Now, Smith and the rest of LVAC’s management must wait to see what the AG decides to do with the case. The AG can either drop it or pursue charges. You can read more about this case here.
It’s not the first time the gender issue has caused a commotion in the industry. We’ve covered the case of one man in California who has filed suit against several women-only clubs for being discriminatory (see stories here and here). So far, the courts have ruled in his favor. I wonder if he’s joined all these clubs now?
Of course, the Las Vegas case is a bit different since it focuses specifically on the offer of free enrollments for women who join the club.
Have you had a similar issue occur at your club whether with enrollment fees or other offers specific to one gender? If so, let us hear about it. -Pam
