I finally got an answer from the fitness center. Some time back I had approached the manager and asked about a policy about transgender persons using the facilities. I offered to discuss the situation with the owner and help come up with something.
Since that time I have touched base with the manager several times. No progress was reported to me. I have no idea how much information was passed to the owner by the manager. This morning, I asked again and she said that she forgot to pass my last reminder on to the owner. She then took my phone number and said she would pass it along to the owner either today or tomorrow morning.
This afternoon the owner called me and let me know how he was going to handle the situation. He stated that what he had decided did not necessarily reflect his personal opinion but since North Carolina law does not require the facility to make any accommodation for transgender people that he had canceled my membership (a family membership) and that there was a check at the desk to refund the my membership dues (that they had just debited from my bank account for the month of July.) then he said good bye and hung up.
He canceled a family membership so my wife can no longer use the facility, either.
I have not picked up the check yet. Not sure I am going to. Would that be an implicit acceptance of their action?
I am at a bit of a loss as to where to go from here. I live in a small town in an otherwise rural area. The nearest alternative with a pool is God knows where. Closest possibility might be an hour's travel away. Litigation is expensive and would do little to get me back into the pool in the foreseeable future, anyway. There is a local coverage web site,
Towndock.net, where I might put up a fuss with an open letter posted there. I don't know if public opinion would be any more favorable to me there or not. Back when HB 2 was passed here in NC,
Towndock.net ran a satire piece about potty monitors checking birth cetificates and gender inspectors that got some clicks. I am still coming out to friends and family so I am not sure I want to poke my head up that high just yet.
Need to give this all a little thought.
Stevi