A man has sued the exclusive gym and fitness chain for its inaction to his complaint of being a victim of the inappropriate sexual conduct of other members as they masturbated in the steam room in the Manhattan branch of the facility while looking at him.
The victim identified only in court papers as GB narrated in his suit his stunning and traumatic experience as a straight guy inside an Equinox gym on Broadway in Gramercy Park. GB said it all happened while he was supposed to be relaxing in the establishment’s steam room.
GB recalled the horrific details of how three men fixed their gazes on him, dropped their towels covering their private parts and right there and then started pleasuring themselves in full display. He shared: “I’m relaxing, I’m sitting in the corner, it’s very meditative. The steam clears… And I look across from me. This gentleman, sitting pretty close, his towel is open, his legs are spread and he’s looking right at me, and the next guy next to him was rubbing [the man’s] inner thigh.”
GB revealed the dirty deed of the apparently gay men: “He’s looking right at me, his towel’s off and he’s masturbating.”
But the horrors did not end there, as he saw a third man in the tiny space they all share also looking at him in a lewd way and masturbating, too.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">When the steam cleared in the Gramercy Equinox steam room, a straight, single dad unwittingly found himself in a scene out of a gay porn: he was surrounded by three dudes pleasuring themselves and staring him down. <a href="https://t.co/gZ7vXit2gU">https://t.co/gZ7vXit2gU</a></p>— Kirsten Fleming (@KirFlem) <a href="https://twitter.com/KirFlem/status/983080288757649409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
GB, a confessed straight man, suddenly felt panic and started sweating then, fearing the worst case scenario of being sexually assaulted by the gay trio. He said: “I thought,’No escape, I’m going to be sexually assaulted.”
Despite being so nervous, GB managed to flee, freaked out and all. He then reported the inappropriate incident to the staff at the front desk. To his disappointment, however, nobody from the establishment took action.
The suit against Equinox further alleges that the fitness chain “had known for as much as 10 years prior that similar wrongful acts were occurring in its steam showers.”
GB, a straight, single dad, said the experience left him “shaken up.”
Social media users also condemned what GB suffered at the said facility.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Years ago gay men frequented steam baths that were confined to gay men. Is Equinox a gay gym? If not the perps should be asked to leave. And straight men should get their money back and sue Equinox. This is intolerable. This is not the norm. It’s public masturbation.</p>— hannahgant (@hannahgant) <a href="https://twitter.com/hannahgant/status/982839081032810496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">And I thought the <a href="https://twitter.com/Equinox?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Equinox</a> facility in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mamaroneck?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mamaroneck</a> had issues…if true, this is ridiculous <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EquinoxFail?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EquinoxFail</a> <a href="https://t.co/c8JVEQPIg7">https://t.co/c8JVEQPIg7</a></p>— Rick Rosa (@RickRosaNYC) <a href="https://twitter.com/RickRosaNYC/status/982947609584324608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What’s the basis for damages in this case? | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/equinox?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#equinox</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gym?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gym</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/steamroom?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#steamroom</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/masturbating?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#masturbating</a> <a href="https://t.co/1nAnU3U6Yd">https://t.co/1nAnU3U6Yd</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/nypmetro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nypmetro</a></p>— Lorrence (@cryptho2000) <a href="https://twitter.com/cryptho2000/status/983007376923017217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A recorded conversation between the victim and the gym manager quoted the said manager as saying that what happened to GB was something that is also “a problem with every gym in New York, not just Equinox.”
The gym also claimed for its part that they “thoroughly investigates” complaints as they did so in the case of GB. A spokeswoman for the fitness chain also said that Equinox “maintains a zero-tolerance policy for any inappropriate behavior in their clubs.”
It is not clear if the identities of the offenders have been fully established, those who directly or indirectly harassed GB with their deeds and inappropriate sexual conduct, and put him in a difficult situation. The victim’s lawyer, Marc Held, however, claims that the gym refused to revoke the offenders’ membership.
It is not yet clear what damages the victim is seeking from the fitness chain as the case is ongoing. One thing is certain it will be an interesting trial that could set a precedent on similar incidents.
Source:
https://nypost.com/2018/04/07/men-in-gym-steam-room-masturbated-while-watching-customer-suit/
Twitter: #MAGA #KeepAmericaGreat! #SexualHarassment #MasturbatingGayMenattheGym #EquinoxGym #NewYork #LegalNews
At first, I wondered if Jim Watkins had rolled Hot wheels I to the sauna, but that would've only been 1 1/2 men, not three…
When I trained in ironhead gyms, I never had any kind of that crap. When I went to raquetball clubs or places like that, I had more gays harrassing me than ever. Walking up to me in the locker room bone hawking, train at home not at homo’s!