Public companies like health clubs do have the right to regulate dress codes and behavior within their premises to a certain extent, but this right is balanced by legal, ethical, and practical considerations:
Legal Perspective:
✅ Private Property Rights: Health clubs, as private establishments, can set policies on what is acceptable attire, akin to dress codes in any private business, provided these policies comply with laws against discrimination. This includes the ability to prevent clothing that could be considered insulting or controversial if it disrupts the environment or safety of the facility.
✅ Freedom of Speech: The First Amendment in the U.S. protects free speech, but this protection is limited in private settings. Businesses can restrict speech (including via clothing) if it’s deemed disruptive or offensive, particularly if it interferes with business operations or member comfort. However, they must ensure these restrictions are not discriminatory or violate other protected rights like those under the Civil Rights Act.
✅ Case Law: Legal precedents, such as cases involving private clubs or businesses, often uphold the right of these entities to control their environment, including what patrons can wear, as long as these rules are applied uniformly and not based on protected characteristics.
Ethical and Practical Considerations:
✅ Member Comfort and Safety: Health clubs might argue that they must provide a safe and welcoming environment for all members. Clothing that promotes hate speech, contains vulgarity or is politically charged could be seen as potentially harmful to the community’s well-being or could provoke conflict.
✅ Brand and Image Management: Clubs are also concerned with maintaining a certain image or brand. Allowing controversial or insulting outerwear might conflict with this, potentially alienating other members or tarnishing the club’s reputation.
✅ Policy Consistency: Any dress code policy must be applied consistently to avoid allegations of discrimination. If a club decides to regulate provocative clothing, it must do so across the board, not selectively.
✅ Provocateurs and Attention-Seeking: While individuals might wear provocative clothing to garner attention, the health club’s response should be measured to avoid inadvertently amplifying the controversy or creating a platform for the provocateur.
One example of dress code policies is found at Lifetime Fitness:
At Life Time®— Healthy Way of Life (“Life Time,” “our” or “we”), we have adopted policies, procedures, rules and regulations (“policies”) designed to provide for the safe, enjoyable and healthy use of our Premises (as defined below) and Events (as defined below) by you, as a member, guest, or other person authorized to access the Premises under any agreement with Life Time (“Authorized Person(s)”).
Proper Conduct. We strive to uphold a family-oriented environment. As such, we expect proper and respectful conduct on our Premises at all times. We do not permit disrespectful conduct toward our members, guests, Authorized Person(s) employees (“Team Members”), vendors, or property, including but not limited to: vulgar, profane, indecent, offensive, hateful, discriminatory, violent, hostile, aggressive, threatening, harassing, stalking, fraudulent, hateful, or other inappropriate conduct or communications.
Proper Attire. You must wear proper attire at all times, including shirts and shoes, unless noted in a specific area or as appropriate for a specific activity, program, service, or class. Members and guests must wear a cover up or put on proper attire when passing through other areas of the club going to and from the pool areas. Life Time, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to determine what constitutes proper attire.
This policy statement from Life Time could indeed be interpreted as pertaining to messages on outerwear. Here’s how:
✅ Proper Conduct Section: This section explicitly mentions not permitting “vulgar, profane, indecent, offensive, hateful, discriminatory, violent, hostile, aggressive, threatening, harassing, stalking, fraudulent, hateful, or other inappropriate conduct or communications.” Although primarily aimed at behavior, the reference to “communications” can easily extend to include messages or graphics on clothing that could be considered as falling into these categories. Outerwear with messages or imagery that reflect any of these descriptors would likely be seen as violating the conduct policy.
✅ Proper Attire Section: While this section focuses more broadly on what constitutes “proper attire,” the clause stating that “Life Time, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to determine what constitutes proper attire” gives the club-wide latitude to interpret what is appropriate. This could certainly include the messages or graphics on outerwear. Clothes that display messages considered vulgar, profane, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate under their conduct policy could be deemed improper attire.
✅ Family-Oriented Environment: The mention of upholding a “family-oriented environment” suggests that Life Time aims to keep the atmosphere suitable for all ages. Messages on outerwear that could offend, provoke, or be inappropriate for a family setting would naturally fall under this umbrella, giving Life Time the basis to regulate such attire.
✅ Discretionary Power: The policy clearly states that Life Time has the discretion to decide what is proper attire. This implies that they can enforce these rules against any outerwear with messages or images that they believe do not align with their environment’s ethos or could disrupt the harmony among members.
Therefore, this policy statement can be interpreted to mean that Life Time has the authority to regulate outerwear based on the messages or images it displays, ensuring they align with the club’s standards for conduct and attire. This would be especially pertinent for messages or graphics that could be seen as conflicting with their descriptions of inappropriate conduct or communications.
Web Results:
✅ HIPAA for Health Clubs: While HIPAA primarily deals with health information privacy, the context of health clubs emphasizing member privacy and comfort could extend to dress codes that ensure a non-disruptive environment.
✅ Consumer Protections: Various states have regulations for health clubs, but these focus more on membership terms rather than dress codes. However, general business practices and consumer rights imply that businesses should provide a service environment free from unnecessary disturbances.
✅ Anti-Discrimination Laws: Health clubs must navigate anti-discrimination laws when setting dress codes, ensuring that any policy does not target or disproportionately affect any protected group.
Potential Challenges:
✅ Enforcement: Deciding what constitutes “insulting or controversial” can be subjective, leading to enforcement challenges or legal disputes.
✅ Public Perception: Restricting expression could lead to negative publicity or accusations of censorship, especially if not handled transparently or if perceived as targeting specific viewpoints.
✅ Legal Action: If policies are seen as infringing on rights or discriminatory, members or visitors might challenge them legally.
In the courtroom:
Likelihood of Success: Moderate to Low
✅ Reasoning: Courts generally recognize that private businesses, like health clubs, have the right to set and enforce their own rules regarding conduct and dress within their premises, provided these rules are applied uniformly and do not discriminate based on protected categories (like race, religion, sex, etc.). However, the subjectivity in defining what is “insulting or controversial” could lead to legal challenges if enforcement appears inconsistent or arbitrary. A plaintiff would need to show that enforcement was capricious or that it specifically targeted certain expressions or groups, which is challenging without clear evidence of bias or unequal application. The health club could defend itself by arguing that its policies are necessary for maintaining a safe and comfortable environment for all patrons.
Overall Analysis:
✅ Court Precedents: The legal landscape favors businesses in setting terms for their private property, especially when policies are clearly communicated, consistently applied, and aimed at maintaining order, safety, or decorum rather than directly censoring speech.
✅ Private vs. Public Space: Since health clubs are private spaces, the First Amendment protections are less stringent than in public forums. The key for a plaintiff would be to show that the policy crosses into discrimination or selective censorship.
✅ Potential for Settlement: Even if the likelihood of success in court might be moderate or low, the threat of legal action or the potential for negative publicity might encourage health clubs to settle or modify policies to avoid prolonged disputes or court battles.
Thus, the success of a plaintiff largely depends on proving discriminatory application, lack of uniformity in policy enforcement, or that the policy’s primary purpose is to suppress speech rather than maintain a neutral, safe environment.
Conclusion:
Public companies like health clubs can legally implement policies to protect their members from potentially insulting or controversial outerwear, but they must do so within the bounds of the law, ensuring policies are non-discriminatory, clearly communicated, and consistently applied. The balance lies in creating a respectful, safe environment while respecting individual rights, which often requires nuanced policies and perhaps even case-by-case judgment rather than blanket bans.
Updates, January 8, 2024:
He’s a Hamasnik provocateur in the Phoenix area who tries to provoke and intimidate businesses and orgs (like the JCC) regularly with his pro-Hamas propaganda.
“Enjoys” getting arrested & has been many times in the Valley— sociopathic behavior to people in his path so avoid: pic.twitter.com/SlDFpXs8TG
— 5th Gen AZ Family (@bullfrog35) January 8, 2025
An attempt to intimidate and threaten a health club in Phoenix under the guise of “he’s Palestinian” when he uses the club’s social media to push his Israel-eliminationist message of “free Palestine”….a vile tactic. https://t.co/A9sQsxYsGZ
— 5th Gen AZ Family (@bullfrog35) May 24, 2024
Canary Mission: Saiaf Abdallah
Saiaf Abdallah is a healthcare executive who celebrated Hamas terrorists and their October 2023 war crimes. Abdallah was arrested at an anti-Israel rally on a college campus in November 2023.
Abdallah’s remarks and arrest took place following a series of Hamas terror attacks and war crimes against Israeli civilians, including mass murder, torture, rape, beheadings and kidnappings, which were executed on October 7, 2023.
On October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas terrorist massacre of Israeli citizens, Abdallah tweeted: “…Palestine broke through the cage and into Israel. Palestinians won’t rest until they get every inch back, and then we’ll update your map.”
On October 23, 2023, Abdallah tweeted to U.S. President Joe Biden: “Hamas is a resistance group elected by the Palestinians you dumba**. After this genocide you committed, worldwide support for Hamas will INCREASE. Stop making it seem like you aren’t the biggest terrorist the world has seen. #shutyob**cha**up.”
On October 26, 2023, Abdallah tweeted: “Palestinians are going to take thousands more hostage. This is f**king LIBERATION, and it isn’t pretty. Palestinians are ready to take each Israeli solider and make a meal out of them. Don’t like it? Stop occupying Palestinian land 🖕.”
On October 29, 2023, Abdallah tweeted: “Everyone in the world supports Hamas, you dumba**. Took you long enough to finally realize it. The next step for us is to shove liberation down the throat of you zionist b**ches.”
Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.
On November 4, 2023, Abdallah tweeted: “Hamas is eating your b**ch a** soldiers. They weak like you. Liberation is gonna get shoved down your f**kin throat.”
On November 17, 2023, Abdallah was arrested at a protest on the Arizona State University (ASU) campus. The protest was organized in response to the university’s cancellation of an event where anti-Israel congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was scheduled to speak.
Rashida Tlaib was elected to the U.S. Congress in November 2018. She has advocated for a one-state solution, endorsed the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and called for reduced foreign aid to Israel. In July 2019, Tlaib co-sponsored a pro-BDS bill in the U.S. Congress introduced by Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Abdallah was reportedly served with an order to stay away from ASU property following his arrest.
Saiaf Abdallah, CEO of Voyage Medical, claims “Everyone in the world supports Hamas, you dumba**. Took you long enough to finally realize it. The next step for us is to shove liberation down the throat of you zionist b**ches.” https://t.co/rfFcW6YYt2 pic.twitter.com/S9Nac99Fs5
— Canary Mission (@canarymission) December 29, 2023
Life Time has locked down their X account on January 7, 2025. We all know why this was necessary.
I haven’t been to gyms lately, but yes, I remember the distractions of what people wear. That can be a very touchy subject. Thank you for this thought-provoking blog.