You may have seen some of the locally-viral posts that were on social media last night, which alleged that Fitness with Faith, a local women’s gym discriminated against a Spanish-speaking woman.
According to the original post, which you can see below and in the video, a woman and her Spanish-speaking friend were allegedly denied access to the gym. According to owner Carolyn Tudor, she says that speaking English is part of the minimum requirements to join the gym, for safety reasons.
**Update: Owner Tudor has since added to the Fitness with Faith page that they will be accepting memberships of all women, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or language.
Tudor continues in the on-camera interview that this was not a racially-charged incident, but instead one that was related to the gym’s basic requirements for a member to be able to speak to those that are employed and work out there in case of emergency. Tudor does apologize and adds that if she or her employee offended anyone they are regretful, but stands by her policy of members speaking a ‘minimum amount of English for safety’
WBONtv also spoke to the original poster, Roberto Monraga, who said that it was his mother and her friend that were denied access. Monraga tells WBONtv that his mother was there to translate for her friend, if necessary, but were still denied gym membership.
According to reviews of Fitness With Faith, which have since been deleted, this may have not been the first such incident to occur.
Continuing delving into the subject, WBONtv reached out to multiple law professionals in the area, including local attorney Morgan Eaves. Eaves said that there are gray areas within these laws, most notably the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, she continues that case law is still developing, and that when members are made to pay a fee such as this women’s only gym, they are no longer considered public entities that the law mandates must abide by.
Eaves adds that private entities such as Fitness with Faith therefore could be exempt from the discrimination laws due to ‘freedom of association’, where they can then choose to associate with who they want, in private circumstances.
However, another attorney, who wished to remain anonymous, told WBONtv that under federal law such as the Civil Rights Act, this discrimination could still be punishable in a court of law if it was to be pursued by either party.
In addition, WBONtv spoke to the Richmond Human Rights Commission, who said that they have filed an inquiry with the state in order to look into this incident.
WBONtv has also looked into Kentucky Statutes, as well contacted the ACLU and are waiting on a comment.
