Police in Gastonia, North Carolina, arrested Christopher Allan Miller for allegedly stripping naked in a women’s locker room at Gastonia Planet Fitness on South New Hope Road, Thursday.
Sources reported that Miller allegedly remained naked while asking women to rub lotion and share a shower while saying he identified as a woman, according to WSOC-TV Channel 9. The gym facility reportedly has a policy in effect that welcomes patrons to use the locker room associated with the gender they identify with, but some members were concerned that Miller may have misused the policy after hearing a woman call out for help. One woman called 911 to obtain assistance, the outlet reported. Miller has reportedly since been arrested and charged with one count of indecent exposure to a minor.
People exercise at Planet Fitness in the Columbia Mall on July 24, 2017 in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Photo by Don EMMERT / AFP) The 38-year-old remains in police custody at this time.
The 911 dispatcher attempted to obtain more information before police attended the scene, and asked the female caller what Miller was wearing at the time, according to Channel 9.
“Nothing, literally nothing,” she reportedly alleged.
“OK, so he is completely naked?” the dispatcher said, the outlet reported.
“He is completely naked,” the caller alleged, according to outlet.
A Planet Fitness Inc. employee cleans gym equipment before the location’s reopening after being closed due to Covid-19 on March 15, 2021. Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
The caller alleged that Miller was still in the bathroom, then provided additional details to the dispatcher, Channel 9 reported.
“It’s a man but he says he identifies as a woman, and he won’t leave the restroom. But he is just walking around showing us his ***[sic] and he won’t leave,” she reportedly alleged.
“Subject to Section Three above, all members and team members may use Planet Fitness locker room facilities and programs based on their self-reported gender identity; these facilities include bathrooms, showers, and all other facilities separated by sex,” the gym’s policy read.
A customer wipes sweat from their face as they work out on a treadmill inside a Planet Fitness Inc. gym as the location reopens after being closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
“Use of a gender-neutral bathroom is voluntary,” the policy continued.
A gym member named Betty Brice expressed she was dismayed that Miller allegedly claimed to identify as a woman in order to remain in the ladies’ locker room, according to Channel 9.
an empty parking lot is pictured in front a Planet Fitness gym and fitness club in Alhambra, California on May 12, 2020 after Stay-at-Home orders in Los Angeles County were extended unit July amid the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP
“I think a woman should be able to go into a woman’s bathroom without a man coming in saying he’s transgender,” Brice reportedly said.
A Planet Fitness spokesperson told Channel 9 gym employees immediately took action to ensure the safety of all their members, and are working alongside law enforcement to aid in the investigation. They told the outlet they have no tolerance for any harassment. (RELATED: Ben Affleck’s Daughter Seraphina Rose Appears To Reveal New Name At Grandad’s Funeral: REPORT)
It is not yet clear if Miller truly identifies as a woman, according to the outlet.